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Part 2 of my series about rail travel this past summer is now posted on TrainWeb's home page. This is a very scenic trip that any railfan or anyone interested in great scenery should take. It's not a rel long trip but it is well worth it and there are multiple choices of accommodations...coach, full dome car, or open air car. The open cars are available to all riders. Good food is available in the domes. This line is just a couple hour drive from Denver but also could be accessed from Trinidad, CO on the SWC route. This is definitely a great trip.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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I've taken this trip 3 times now...... in a different accomodation each time.
While I love riding dome cars, the open air car is every bit as phenomenal on this ride. Being only 2 - 2.5 hours, it's a family friendly trip too.
-------------------- 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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Ironically, I was there with my family about 2 & 1/2 weeks before you. We rode the 9:30am train on July 9, went to the Royal Gorge Bridge that afternoon, spent the night, and drove to Alamosa via Salida the next day!
We had intended to visit the Sand Dunes on the way but wound up having a little girl with a tummy ache that day. There were extra potty stops which rendered us an hour or two later than we expected so we opted for a leisurely afternoon exploring Alamosa (and it's many public restrooms) instead.
-------------------- 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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That's quite a coincidence! Doing the Royal Gorge line, Great Sand Dunes, and getting to Alamosa is a pretty long day at least if you hike to the top of the dunes as my son did. The dome car was great as was the open air car. We rode the dome one way then my son and I enjoyed the open air views on the return while my wife relaxed in the comfort of the dome both ways. It was interesting how good a condition the line appeared all the way out to Salida considering its mothballed status.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Thanks for the great report. This is the only Colorado rail excursion we haven't taken and your story brought back many memories. We've added it to our list.
In the summer of 1964 my brother and I took a camping trip to Colorado. This included a ride on the Royal Gorge from Publeo to Parkdale. This was in the day when intercity buses were still plentiful and we caught one back to Pueblo.
Talk about a classic pocket streamliner - the power was in our view the best looking diesel ever built - an Alco PA. The consist included a baggage car, dome coach, and grill-lounge. I want to say that lounge was actually an observation car but I may be confusing it with a trip a few years later on the Yampa Valley mail.
So, if nothing else, your report has inspired me to pull out one of those musty carousel trays of slides that have been sitting in a closet for years and actually look at the photos we took then.
How many of us have those kinds of photos buried away somewhere. My resolve is to get them out and onto the computer, sooner rather than later.
On that same trip we too camped at the Great Sand Dunes, NP. It is still one of our favorite NP. In fact in early marriage my wife and I almost bought a lot in the nearby Sangre de Cristo mountains. We were last there in another camping trip in '08.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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