Equipment Used
The equipment used when the Rio Grande Zephyr began service was as follows:
- EMD F9 locomotives (A-B or A-B-B)
- Steam generator car rebuilt from an ALCo PB1
- Combine 1230 or 1231
- Coach - Silver Aspen
- Coach - Silver Pine
- Vista-Dome Coach - Silver Bronco
- Vista-Dome chair car - Silver Pony
- Vista-Dome chair car - Silver Colt
- Vista-Dome chair car - Silver Mustang
- Vista-Dome dormitory-buffet-lounge car - Silver Shop
- Diner (48 seats) - Silver Banquet
- Vista-Dome buffet-lounge-observation - Silver Sky
The combine, dome coach(es), dome lounge or diner, and dome-lounge-observation were always in the consist, size and configuration of the train varied from day to day based on the number of tickets sold. All cars carried the prefix Silver in their name, a hold over from their days in California Zephyr service. Silver Aspen and Silver Pine were rebuilt in 1962–1963 from 16-section sleeping cars.
After the train was discontinued, several "Silver" cars were transferred to Amtrak, as other railroads had done at Amtrak's inception. However, by this time Amtrak was moving to retire its older, inherited railcars. These cars are referred to as Heritage Fleet. As a result, the ex-Rio Grande Zephyr cars were never used in regular revenue service for Amtrak. The cars sent to Amtrak were dome coaches Silver Colt, Silver Mustang and Silver Pony, flat-top coaches Silver Aspen and Silver Pine, and dining car Silver Banquet. Unfortunately, due to a center sill crack in Silver Banquet's frame, the car was soon scrapped.
In 1987, dome-buffet-dorm Silver Shop and dome-observation Silver Sky were traded to Via Rail Canada as part of a deal to re-equip the Rio Grande Ski Train with ex-Via Tempo cars.
Dome-coach Silver Bronco was retained by the D&RGW, subsequently becoming the property of the railroad's parent company Ansco. In 2006, the Silver Bronco was sold by Ansco, thus becoming the last car built for the California Zephyr to pass into private ownership after spending all of its 58 years with the Rio Grande.
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