On March 20, 1949, the California Zephyr made its first run.

[Vogon_Glory]

1. That was a great train!

I had the privilege of riding on it in pre-Amtrak days between Glenwood Springs, CO and Denver (Thanks, Mom and Dad!). The service was good, the scenery was gorgeous and the cars were classy in a post-World War II styling.

There’s still a California Zephyr running between Chicago and the Bay, but it’s not the same thing, (No) thanks of decades of forced penny-pinching, forced economies, and constant efforts by fibber-tarians to eliminate the Amtrak network. Still, it’s worth riding.