In the late nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century, the Rio Grande heavily advertised the “Narrow Gauge Circle,” (though by 1915 parts were standard gauge). This consisted of a loop starting in Pueblo, going south to Alamosa and … Continue reading
Although the Rio Grande Zephyr was a quality operation, as seen yesterday the railroad did not bother to adorn its menus with photos of scenery seen along the way. The same was true with ticket envelopes; while those from the … Continue reading
For more than a decade after Amtrak took over most passenger trains, the Rio Grande continued to serve passengers dinners in style, with cloth tablecloths (all marked California Zephyr), heavy china (made for the Rio Grande Zephyr, and silverware. This … Continue reading
Just over a year after Amtrak took over most passenger trains, the Rio Grande offered this menu to passengers on the Rio Grande Zephyr. It has far fewer offerings than yesterday’s 1966 menu, but that’s mainly because this is the … Continue reading
With the Prospector on top and the California Zephyr along the bottom of this menu card, this could have been used on either train. However, it was probably used on the Prospector as the Cal Zephyr had its own, specially … Continue reading
This undated brochure gives the address of the Rio Grande’s office building as “Denver 2, Colorado.” That building is in zip code 80202. However, the 1962 timetable listed it as “Denver 17, Colorado,” suggesting that the Post Office changed the … Continue reading
Long after other railroads had replaced steam with Diesel and wooden coaches with steel, the Rio Grande continued to operate the Silverton as a tourist train. The silver ink on the cover of this brochure, which is both an advertisement … Continue reading
The timetables have been rearranged slightly, but the schedules are virtually the same as in the 1961 edition. These smaller timetables no longer list a bus from Durango to Mesa Verde National Park. But they do list a twice-daily bus … Continue reading
Yesterday’s 1959 timetable was 20 pages long, just like the one from 1950. By 1961, however, Rio Grande decided to condense its timetable into a brochure that folds out to the equivalent of just six pages. Click image to download … Continue reading
The red background cover on earlier timetables has been replaced by orange, also known as Grande Gold, to match the color of Rio Grande’s passenger locomotives and some of its passenger cars. This timetable cover also uses a new photo … Continue reading
