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Awhile back you might recall that I ask some questions about Milepost information between Denver and Emeryville, CA; mainly the later half. Well, we took that trip and what you are about to see here is a very detailed trip report. For those that don't know how I have done topics like this, I slowly update my website and tell the story as the updates are made. So, by the time all the updates are done, the story will also be told. For this topic there will be a ton of YouTube Video clips coming
Sit back and Enjoy as if you are riding along with me...
Note: Something else I try to do for those that are on Dial-up is post thumbnails that you can click on to see the larger image. This way the topic should load faster as the large images don't have to load every time. It's a bit of a challenge to do in UBB Code put as you can see it can be done...
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I've always enjoyed the Denver Union Station hallway where they have the numbered gates and the long-gone train names from times gone by.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by RR4me: I've always enjoyed the Denver Union Station hallway where they have the numbered gates and the long-gone train names from times gone by.
Then you are going to enjoy the next couple of posts I've got coming up with the rest of the Gates.
Posts: 256 | From: Centennial, Colorado | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Originally posted by train lady: I am not computer savy but I can't seem to get your report. Help
I'm not sure what you mean, this entire topic will be my report for you to read and enjoy. I will try to post something nightly that will include either photographs or links to YouTube to see actual video clips.
Train #5 has arrived and we get ready to board after I take a few photographs. At the front we have GE P42DC Diesel Engines #181 and #11 followed by Baggage #1242 in Phase IVb Paint Scheme. We have selected to travel in a Roomette and board Superliner Sleeper Car #32034 marked as Cab #531; also in Phase IVb Paint Scheme.
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Stourbridge Lion, did you have any problems getting those photos of the head end of #5? Reason I ask is that back a little over two years ago, when I rode in a bedroom on #5, I tried to get similar shots at Denver and I was "discouraged" by the Amtrak crew from walking forward of our sleeper along the platform, so I didn't persevere.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Ocala Mike: Stourbridge Lion, did you have any problems getting those photos of the head end of #5?
Let's say Yes & No...
I was allowed to go all the way up to the "Yellow Line" without any complaints but knew that would be the limit without drawing negative attention from the crew. So, the shot of Baggage #1242 is right at the line.
OK, we are onboard and we depart at 08:37, passing over the 23rd Street crossing, over the South Platte River, through Prospect, travel through the North Yard, turning towards the West at Utah Junction, pass through the C&S Junction, crossing Tennyson Street as we pick up speed into Aravada, crossing over Highway 72 (Indiana Street), pass through Rocky Siding as a UP Coal train waits, around Little Ten and around Big Ten Curves as we make our climb to Clay Siding where we stop for another UP Coal train. We get the Green Light and we are off again...
I wonder if anyone knows what the next Video Clip is going to cover... Posts: 256 | From: Centennial, Colorado | Registered: Jul 2002
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Stourbridge Lion -- your video takes forever to buffer on my office computer, so I'll watch it at home later.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Ocala Mike: To paraphrase GBN, if you've been through the Moffat Tunnel once, you've been through it a million times.
Ahhhhhh.......but the ascent from Denver to the eastern portal of Moffat Tunnel NEVER grows old. It's one of the best railroad rides in North America.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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We still have not yet reached Moffat Tunnel, that will be included in Video #3 Posts: 256 | From: Centennial, Colorado | Registered: Jul 2002
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In this section, we will start off in Rollinsville, CO and pass through the Moffat Tunnel and continue westward onto Hot Sulphur Springs. Also seen in this clip is Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Fraser Canyon, Tunnel #34, and Granby. If you watch closely, you will even see I caught a Rio Grande Boxcar as we pass though one of the rail yards...
We continue our video tour as we continue through Byer's Canyon, passing Slide Fences, Middle Park, Parshall (MP#93.0), Troublesome, Zip ZIP, and Kremmling (MP#103.5). We reach Gore Canyon (MP#106.0) where we once again start going through more tunnels, in this section we will pass through #35, #36, #37, #38, Azure Siding (MP#111.3) and #39...
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Video #5 - LUNCH! to Dell Siding (MP 142.1)
Just as I put on the lens cap to go to lunch, we pass through Tunnel #40. We get seated with others from the Sleeper Cars and I take a few shots out the Diner Car window while we wait for the food; wouldn't you know it just as I shut down, we pass through Tunnel #42 also. We see a few river rafters and believe it or not, we don't get mooned. We come to a full stop for an hour at Yarmony Siding (MP123) which will be just the beginning of several stops as UP has a great deal of maintenance work going on. That's OK with us, just more time to spend on the train; we are done eating and back in our cabin before we get going again. We slowly approach State Bridge as we are running under a SLOW ORDER and again come to a stop as we creep past more UP MOW efforts. A look back I spot an entire convoy of UP MOW Critters on the track that was on the other side of the train. We continue slowly along the Colorado River to Dotsero Cutoff (MP 129) and into Bond, CO; which is a small RR community. This is where we depart the Moffat Road and onto the Rio Grande mainline. It's still a nice slow ride for a bit before we can pick up speed again. I get surprised by Yarmony Tunnel (MP 131.2) while filming out the window taking shots in the big sweeping curves. Colorado is Spanish for "Color Red" and you can sure see why in this part of the state and that is also how the river got it's name. We reach Dell Siding (142.1) and again come to a stop...
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Stourbridge -- I am enjoying your videos very much!!! Good job -- is that your wife who is reflected in the window glass? Too bad we can't find a good way to get such reflections out of our videos (nothing against your wife!!) -- I have the same problem with reflections from my camcorder. Seems like none of the popular "circular polarizers" made for video camcorders work very well!!
Again, great videos!!!
--Railroad Rich
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I'm compelled to add my praise, as well. I'm particularly enjoying the audio...the sound of the horn, the squeak of the car, the wheels on the rails. Poetic.
Also, your wife is so prominently featured in these videos. Maybe you should have given her a speaking part?
Posts: 518 | From: Maynard, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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While it is hard to watch it all with my slow internet connection, what I've seen is very good.
Makes me want to dig into my pile of old Super 8mm movie films for transfer to DVD. Somewhere in there is one taken on the CZ in 1967 from Denver to Orestod, CO. I also had a problem with reflections of my bride to be.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Palmland, you may be just ruminating, but if you did find and transfer the '67 trip, I'd love to see it.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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Yep, that's the wife you see in the reflection taking all sorts of shots as well. We plan to make this trip into a high quality multi-disk DVD home movie where I will intermix her shots with the video. That's also where she will play narrator as she has in other DVD home movies we have made of our travels.
Palmland - I too would love to see your video clips if you can get them converted...
Posts: 256 | From: Centennial, Colorado | Registered: Jul 2002
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I really should do something with my old movies before they (or I) disintegrate. A year or so later also had movies on the Super Chief on the way to my wedding.
I only wish I had taken interior pictures. The landscape (and even some of the semaphores) are still there, but we will never again see anything quite like the diners or lounges. Because of the holiday, the Super Chief was running all Pullman with the El Cap close behind.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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After sitting at Dell Siding (MP 142.1), we see Amtrak Train #6 heading towards Denver; with P42DC #183 & #64 as the motive power. We pass by Burns, CO (MP 144.6) as we cross the Colorado River at several locations. We pass through Range Siding (MP 155.2) without stopping and barely catch some MOW equipment, including I believe is a a Rail Grinder. We then pass through Sweetwater Tunnel at MP 159.2 and reach Dotsero where we also reach Dotsero Junction where the MP will now change. Here is where we depart the Moffat Route (MP 166.8) and enter the Rio Grande mainline (MP 341.9); hence the jump in MP numbers. Also here is Dotsero Siding where we pass a UP Coal Train so we again keep going without stopping. We continue to keep rolling as we pass through Allen Siding at MP 347.5 where we pass by a BNSF Freight Train.
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My first ride through the Rockies was aboard Amtrak's California Zephyr in May 1984. I got in Salt Lake City, whiled a few nocturnal hours away, and caught the eastbound Zephyr back to Denver where I was going to be spending the summer working with the drum and bugle corps there.
It was a fantastic trip though I still regret having just missed the opportunity to do it in real domes aboard the Rio Grande Zephyr.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Hey Stourbridge -- another great video!!! Thanks a lot! Do you plan to (or have you already) made any similar videos for other AMTRAK routes? It seems that everybody who does "train ride videos" chooses the CZ (for obvious reasons, assurably!), but there are other nice routes to video also.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Video #7 - Shoshone Tunnel #1 to Una Siding (MP 409.9)
The next installment takes us through three more tunnels before reaching Glenwood Springs Depot; about 2 1/2 hours behind schedule. After a brief 10 minute stop where I could get out a take just a few quick shots we are off again. We will pass through New Castle (MP 372.7), Silt (MP 379.5), Rifle (MP 386.6), Rulison, and Parachute (MP 404) where many sidings exist. We travel right next to Interstate 70 and given the speed limit is 75MPH on the highway you can get a feel for the trains speed.
quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: Do you plan to (or have you already) made any similar videos for other AMTRAK routes?
This is my first Amtrak Video travel log but I hope to do more. We had taken the CZ to Chicago and transferred to the Lake Shore Limited into Albany, NY in 1998 but didn't have the video camera yet. We also took the CZ to Salt Lake later in 1998.
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My second California Zephyr ride originated in Glenwood Springs headed eastward in July 1985!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Video #08 - De Beque Siding (MP 416.6) to UTAH State line (MP 483.3)
We continue our ride towards UTAH...
In this section, we pass De Beque Siding (MP 416.6), Akin Siding (MP 423.3), Beaver Trail Tunnel (MP 428.5), Highline Deversion Dam, Cameo Siding (432.6), Palisade Siding (MP 437.), Clifton Siding (MP 442.5), Fruitvale (MP 445.0), Grand Junction JCT (MP 450), pulling into the Grand Junction Station at ~6:10 PM; about 2 hours late.
After a quick 10 minute stop, where I again catch a few shots outside the train, we are off; passing the old Racy Siding (MP 453.8), Mack Siding (MP 468.9), Ruby Canyon Tunnel (MP 471.4), Ruby Siding (MP 473.1), Shale Siding (MP 478.0), and Utah Siding where we cross into UTAH at 7:05PM at approx. MP 483.3.
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