Winter Park (Colorado) Express is back

[Willbridge]

What was that UP car doing in the consist in the second photo, trailing the 5771?

You've got me on this (as I wasn't in Denver back then). There often have been Denver <> West Coast mail storage cars on the UP, so perhaps there was some sort of disruption on the Overland Route.

We mostly would get interline mail and express cars in Portland that came from the Pennsy.

 

[railiner]

You've got me on this (as I wasn't in Denver back then). There often have been Denver <> West Coast mail storage cars on the UP, so perhaps there was some sort of disruption on the Overland Route.

We mostly would get interline mail and express cars in Portland that came from the Pennsy.

Might have been something simpler, like a short term lease?

 

[River in Sight]

I read an update on service plans for this winter (press release):

• Service is now 5 days a week
• Tickets start at $19 (instead of $59)
• The train will stop at both Winter Park Resort, and Winter Park-Fraser
• Another article I saw said there will be two additional coaches in the consist, increasing capacity

I took this train last winter and enjoyed it, although for a family of three it was fairly expensive at $59 a head each way. This seems like a good group of improvements for this winter.

 

[Willbridge]

They've got the public information on the website already. With a calendar error:
https://www.amtrak.com/winterparkexpress

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/ne...s-sales-expanded-holiday-winter-season-trips/

https://gazette.com/life/skiing-sno...cle_fbda98f0-9fc8-5039-9248-ba684860d00a.html (bypass paywall).

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...r-park-express-ski-train-expands-dates-route/

The local Fraser paper explains how the service is being expanded:
https://www.skyhinews.com/news/trai...cheaper-tickets-expanded-service-this-season/

Tourism wheels are turning. This is going to be a great experiment. The tourism people in Denver have gradually caught on that people fly into DEN, book hotel rooms "to adjust to the altitude" and take the train to ski. Now that's being promoted.
https://www.denver.org/articles/pos...25-winter-season-including-the-2024-december/

 

[Amtrak25]

I read an update on service plans for this winter (press release):

• Service is now 5 days a week
• Tickets start at $19 (instead of $59)
• The train will stop at both Winter Park Resort, and Winter Park-Fraser
• Another article I saw said there will be two additional coaches in the consist, increasing capacity

I took this train last winter and enjoyed it, although for a family of three it was fairly expensive at $59 a head each way. This seems like a good group of improvements for this winter.

Is this all a hidden indicator of where some of the 6 Capitol Ltd coaches will go ? They scraped up 4 cars last year, which they deadheaded from Oakland. Now there are 2 more. They could add a Denver cut coach to the Zephyr, which requires 3 cars, but that in Amtrak's mindset would be an off-the-wall concept even though they once did it. It would also facilitate swapping out Ski train coaches for maintenance.

 

[west point]

When I had younger children flew into Denver, rented car and drove to Winter Park. Really did not need car while staying there. Also never liked the drive over Berthoud pass. Promoting this service IMO would have been the ticket for our family. This is an example of expansion that could be served by the surge fleet all winter. Al very early airline arrival at Denver airport would allow late night departure from your home and connect directly to the ski train.

If this works another train that would go close to Aspen could also be instituted.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

When I had younger children flew into Denver, rented car and drove to Winter Park. Really did not need car while staying there. Also never liked the drive over Berthoud pass. Promoting this service IMO would have been the ticket for our family. This is an example of expansion that could be served by the surge fleet all winter. Al very early airline arrival at Denver airport would allow late night departure from your home and connect directly to the ski train.

If this works another train that would go close to Aspen could also be instituted.

We did that too, or if my mom came took the train and took the bus (did that to Steamboat too), or had my dad's buddy drive us up.