Amtrak 5, California Zephyr, Colorado Rockies

By Mike on May 3, 2010, 8:43 pm


This is footage I shot from Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr train number 5 while passing through the Rocky Mountains in the state of Colorado on August 19, 2004. I had boarded the train in Chicago, Illinois on August 18, 2004, passed through the Colorado Rocky Mountains on August 19, 2004, & I reached my final destination of Reno, Nevada on August 20, 2004.


25 Responses to “Amtrak 5, California Zephyr, Colorado Rockies”

  1. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks. I road the Zephyr round trip from Reno to Chicago and back in 2004 and 2007. If you search youtube for “Amtrak 6 Reno To Chicago” you can see my entire eastbound trip.

  2. rowabl says:

    We took #5 from Chicago to Grand Junction in July of 2008. Your videos of your 2004 trip West are great. We’ll be seeing all of that beauty again in 2009.
    Thanks for sharing your videos.

  3. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!!! Yea this was a heck of a fun trip. Those mountains can be covered in feet of snow in the higher elevations in the winter just like the mountains on Donner Pass.

  4. hamasho says:

    Very beatufil scenery. It remind me my trip of Zephyr. I have not ridden Zephyr in winter, but the mountains can be covered much snow, right?

  5. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!

  6. C60AC says:

    Awesome!

  7. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Dang it!!!!! They announced that we were fallowing the colorado river on the train but they did not specify that it started on the west side of the mountains. Sorry for the error!

  8. rickpawl says:

    Oops! Actually the Zephyr doesn’t join up with the Colorado River until it gets to Granby on the other side of the continental divide from Denver. It’s a great trip, isn’t it. Nice video. : )

  9. CoastStarlight11 says:

    BTW: Thanks!

  10. CoastStarlight11 says:

    No way! That is hard core!

  11. OmahaTom says:

    August 18 is my birthday! Great Video!!!

  12. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!

  13. Trains232 says:

    those curves were cool. the scenery was awesome!

  14. CoastStarlight11 says:

    I have no idea how many cars were on my train at the time. The Zephyr verys in length and is usually different each run. Some times it will even have private cars at the rear. It usually has two engines, baggage, crew car, sleepers (the number of sleepers can very), then dining, sight seer lounge, then coach cars (the number of coach cars can very as well) and then some times private cars on the rear. When I road from Chicago to Reno in 2007there was a private dome car on the rear the entire way

  15. Squawk7600 says:

    Yeah, I really love that effect too, and the Zephyr is long enough for it to really be impressive in curves. Do you remember about how many cars were in the consist then??

  16. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!

  17. interstateruler says:

    Nice Train Ride

  18. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!

  19. SF3751 says:

    Great job James!!! 5***** and faved!

  20. Danapeople says:

    thats ok

  21. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Nice. I have ridden the California Zephyr train several times round trip between Reno, Nevada and Chicago, Illinois. I headed east on number 6 back in the year 2004 and they actually detoured the train through southern Wyoming. So I actually got to see Wyoming once from the Zephyr. Quite a trip.

  22. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!!!!

  23. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks! I have ridden this train several times between Reno, Nevada and Chicago, Illinois. Quite an awsome trip.

  24. CoastStarlight11 says:

    I road this train from Reno to Chicago in November 2007 and I road from Chicago back to Reno in December 2007. I got some awsome shots of the Rockies covered in snow!!!! But again youtube only allows you to upload vids of no more than 10 mins in length so unfortunatlly I can not upload any of the shots because it well exceeds 10 minutes.

  25. CoastStarlight11 says:

    Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed the vid. I love how you can sit towards the rear of the train and watch out the front of the windows as the front of the train snakes around the curves. Dang it!!!!! They announced that we were fallowing the colorado river on the train but they did not specify that it started on the west side of the mountains. Sorry for the error!