Due to the fact that the power for the Ski Train must run around the train at Fraser, the "Bloody Nose" Heritage Unit only leads the train twice each weekend (once west and once east). For January, it will lead east on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. Here, it has the train rolling along on the approach to 66th Avenue in Arvada on a Sunday morning.
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A BNSF freight train broke a drawbar ahead of the Zephyr west of Burlington, IA the day before and it took nearly five hours for BNSF to get the train out of the way! Between that and a few other "typical" delays, the Zephyr is now heading west out of Denver nearly seven hours late!
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It is not too often that you can find this light for the westbound Zephyr! But when it is running seven hour late, this is the great light you get just west of Leyden. The Denver skyline is off to the right. Note that AMTK 145, the Phase 3 Heritage Unit, is in the consist!
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Amtrak's Phase 3 scheme, which was used through the 1980s and in to the mid-1990s, is by far my favorite of all of Amtrak's schemes. So, it probably comes as no surprise that the Phase 3 Heritage Unit is my favorite! I would absolutely love to see Amtrak apply this scheme to its fleet once again.
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A westbound manifest has pulled to the west end of the siding at Rollins, facing a red signal. The train is going to be here for a little while, too! A very late westbound Zephyr is going run around the manifest and up to Tolland, where it will meet the eastbound Zephyr and the Ski Train. The manifest will wait for all three...
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A very late Zephyr rolls west in the siding at Tolland. The train will have to wait here for close to an hour for the eastbound Zephyr and the Ski Train.
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AMTK 145 is the second unit out on the westbound Zephyr on this day...the light is rapidly fading as the sun is behind clouds to the west.
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Hope you have your parka! While the temperature is 30°F, it feels closer to 15°F as there are wind gusts of 40+ MPH here in the valley at Tolland. Plenty of blowing snow is kicked up as the westbound Zephyr slows to a stop in the siding.
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The high winds speeds already are kicking up quite a bit of snow, but the swiftly moving eastbound Zephyr is definitely making its own contribution to the swirling white stuff as it crosses the grade crossing at Tolland.
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When they are both running on time, the daily Zephyrs typically meet somewhere around Dotsero or Range. The westbound Zephyr is very much not running on time today, now over seven hours late as it sits in the siding at Tolland, meeting its counterpart. The opportunity for a meet between the Zephyr on the east slope of the divide is a rare one indeed!
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The Continental Divide is shrouded in clouds as the eastbound Zephyr (running right on time) meets the westbound Zephyr (running close to eight hours late) at Tolland.
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Now that is a lot of Superliners all at Tolland at the same time! Passengers that left Denver almost seven hours late on #5 wait in the siding for #6 that speeds by on the main. Unfortunately, #5 will have to wait longer still for the Ski Train to show up.
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The rails start to light up as the headlight from the eastbound Ski Train shine off the high iron at Tolland.
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The eastbound Ski Train just peaks around the curve near the west end of Tolland. The train had to wait in the siding at Winter Park for the eastbound Zephyr to pass by. Consequently, the train is now running about 30 minutes behind schedule.
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It is 33 minutes after sunset and the light is all but gone as the eastbound Ski Train quickly moves on the main at Tolland, approaching the grade crossing.
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