We were scheduled to go from Emeryville, CA to Granby, CO this Friday.

But the CZ is re-routed thro Wyoming -- no stops between Salt Lake City and Denver.

We could go to Denver, but I have no idea what time the train will actually get there. The scheduled time is 7:18PM MST. Last year I recall it actually arrived around 11:00PM PST.

Question: What will this (theoretically non-stop) detour do to the Denver arrival time???

Any other advice on options etc. most welcome; our destination is Estes Park, CO.

Thanks!

REgards,
FoF
 

The last two arrivals (last night and the night before) were both around 5 hours late, but I'm not sure if they went via WY. During June the trains were running every other week through WY - is that the case this month also?

I planned to go to Estes Park last year, mainly to see the hotel in the Stephen King film, but ran out of time. It was, I think, only an hour's drive north of Denver. Might be worth making Denver your destination on Amtrak as I think it is closer than Granby.

Geoff M.
 

However, when I rode it a couple of weeks ago WB, it stopped in LARAMIE and ROCK SPRINGS, I believe, for smoke breaks, allowing people to walk about and stretch their legs.

And, yes, it's SUPPOSED to be a shorter route. However, our train sat on red lights, awaiting UP crews to "guide" the Amtrak crews, etc., plus 40 MPH running - due to trackwork - between WY and DEN.

Still, the scenery was OK, much like Gallup-Grants, N.M., on the SW Chief.

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Based on old Amtrak timetable the route through Wyoming could be three hours faster......more or less.

On my trip we left Salt Lake City about two hours late, made a crew change in Rock Springs, drifted at restricted speed for a bit, went fast, stopped, went fast, stopped for a smoke/stretch break in Laramie, made an inspired run up Sherman Hill, and CRAWLED from Borie to Denver. The approach to Denver was excruciatingly slow with some backing and pulling forward to add express cars.

Arrival in Denver was exactly one hour late.

Essentially, the detour saved an hour over the Moffat Tunnel routing but was at least a couple of hours slower than what the Amtrak SFZ managed in 1981.

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David Pressley

[This message has been edited by notelvis (edited 07-27-2004).]
 

Thank you for your replies.

We've weighed the options, and we're opting to drive this time around <sigh>.

BTW, we had a great trip last year from Emeryville to Boston on the CZ and LSL. I'll had been looking forward to this year's trip but our schedule is very tight and doesn't really allow for much uncertainty.

Thanks again though.

REgards,
FoF

 

Renting a car out of Denver is fairly convenient. Hertz has Union Station pick-up, but I am not sure how a very late train would affect that. Buses run to the airport where there is 24 hour auto rental.
 

When you consider meals and hotel costs, similarly priced.

A woman I talked with in the dining car was making a San Francisco - Washington DC RT by train. She, like many others, said it was a lot less hassle and in the long run, less expensive.

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[This message has been edited by MOKSRail (edited 07-28-2004).]
 

I just did the detour trip last weekend west.

Chris
 

I did the reroute WB a little more than a week before you. The train was frequently delayed, primarily to UP congestion and 40 MPH running north of Denver.

I was in the diner going through Green River, Wyoming.

We arrived Evanston in darkness, so I wasn't able to see what that area of the country looked like.

I notice you take pics similar to my style.

Do you ever get into trouble doing it that way?

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