Rio Grande Zephyr “Ghost Trains to Ghost Towns” cover
The Rio Grande Zephyr was a passenger train operated by Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad from 1970 through 1983. Its route ran from Denver, Colorado to Ogden, Utah. For twelve years, the Rio Grande Zephyr operated three days per week in each direction as the railroad fiercely refused to join Amtrak. The D&RGW were the final holdout, leaving the Rio Grande Zephyr the last privately-operated intercity passenger train in the United States until April 24, 1983, when it was finally discontinued. But perhaps if you listen very closely during the night, you can hear the sound of its phantom whistle along its old route…
This cover features a color-processed photograph of the train. It is surrounded by a white shadow, with a ghostly image of the train behind it. The text on the cover reads:
America's last privately-operated passenger train
Seen here at Denver's Union Station in 1983
Final year of operation
It bears two stamps – Scott #3334 and #3337 – from the 1999 Famous Trains issue. Both stamps are canceled with a single strike of the Ghostal Station "Ghost Trains to Ghost Towns" pictorial postmark, dated May 14, 2016 from the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Denver, Colorado.
