Winter Park (Colorado) Express is back

[Siegmund]

Steamboat Springs could be in a similarly advantageous position if trains ever returned to the old D&SL -- rails in place in walking distance of downtown hotels/condos, commercial airport 25 miles away in Hayden.

A considerably longer train ride from Denver. But considerably longer drive too.

Is that perhaps why this route has been advanced over Denver-Grand Junction in some recent conversations?

(No reason why you can't do both with minimal additional disruption to freight, either fleeting the westbound morning departures or running Steamboat and Grand Junction trainsets coupled together to Bond.)

 

[railiner]

Steamboat Springs could be in a similarly advantageous position if trains ever returned to the old D&SL -- rails in place in walking distance of downtown hotels/condos, commercial airport 25 miles away in Hayden.

Having a nearby commercial airport is an advantage for the ski resort, but not for rail service, as it would provide competition for any rail service. Actually dissimilar to Winter Park rail service, which has no air competition, and if the Ski Train would extend to the DEN airport, could benefit from code share traffic.

 

[Siegmund]

Having a nearby commercial airport is an advantage for the ski resort, but not for rail service, as it would provide competition for any rail service. Actually dissimilar to Winter Park rail service, which has no air competition, and if the Ski Train would extend to the DEN airport, could benefit from code share traffic.

What you read as "nearby" I intended as "far enough away from town that no hotel is running a shuttle to it and no public transit is likely to exist" (though I imagine there is somebody doing van rides at $50 or more a head during ski season.) And having looked just now, it does receive shockingly many passengers, enough there may well be someone running full buses and not just vans.

There used to be commercial air service right into Steamboat (on small prop planes) but it's been gone long enough for everyone to forget it.

 

[thefirewarde]

Electrification of the entire Ski Train route is a hard sell, since most daily users on the route aren't dual mode or electric. If Class 1 railroads start adding that capability (for example if California mandates mainline electrification and West Coast class 1s begin adding pantographs on diesels) it becomes somewhat more viable. Note that this is a "maybe someday" situation. Adding parallel track for more frequent service is also hugely expensive but would get you closer to justifying overhead electrification, and light electric multiple units could accelerate faster for the sections of track that aren't sharp curves.

Honestly a more likely scenario for non Amtrak Superliner service is a DMU setup, but unless someplace else has a summer only use for them even that is doubtful.

 

[Amtrak25]

What is RMR equipment doing this time of year ? Could any of their cars in the US or Canada configured as coaches and some sort of snack service be leased for this ?

 

[zephyr17]

What is RMR equipment doing this time of year ? Could any of their cars in the US or Canada configured as coaches and some sort of snack service be leased for this ?

Sitting in Kamloops, BC, their base, with the rest of their fleet for the winter. I seriously doubt RMR has any interest in leasing their equipment.

They've actually got quite a few spares and they all live in Kamloops.

 

[Willbridge]

Steamboat Springs could be in a similarly advantageous position if trains ever returned to the old D&SL -- rails in place in walking distance of downtown hotels/condos, commercial airport 25 miles away in Hayden.

A considerably longer train ride from Denver. But considerably longer drive too.

Is that perhaps why this route has been advanced over Denver-Grand Junction in some recent conversations?

(No reason why you can't do both with minimal additional disruption to freight, either fleeting the westbound morning departures or running Steamboat and Grand Junction trainsets coupled together to Bond.)

It's being driven by it being redundant when coal hauls end, and by US40, the Victory Highway, not being as easy a drive as I-70. Note that I'm referring to modeling used by transportation planners, not actual travel conditions.

 

[Agent]

First run of the season for the Winter Park Express was this morning. Michael DeMarco caught the first ski train arriving at Winter Park.



There were also a couple local news stations at Denver Union Station: FOX31 and CBS Colorado.

 

[west point]

Loco 146 a real smoker. Wonder how much of that smoke got into the passenger cars?

 

[joelkfla]

Here's an excellent 30-minute documentary by local PBS covering the Ski Train's history and staff: