There is a temperature inversion east of Denver, creating a low layer of clouds over the ground. As the sun is rising, it is creating a bright blast of light to the east as the westbound Winter Park Express heads west out of Leyden.
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Mostly overcast skies are reducing light, resulting in a slight blur of the lead units on the morning Winter Park Express Ski Train here. At some point in the next few weeks, two more coaches are slated to show up to extend the length of the train. For now, five Superliners (four coaches and a lounge car) house the skiers.
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AMTK 75 and AMTK 146 are power for the Winter Park Express Ski Train this morning. If you look close, you might notice a Rio Grande herald sticker has been applied to the side of the nose of AMTK 75! A nice little homage to the history of the train.
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Just west of the west switch of Eisele (Clay), we get a nice look at the Winter Park Express as it continues west, right on time. Note the orange bag covering the coupler of AMTK 75. This is used to prevent snow from building up in the knuckle of the coupler. In Fraser, the power will be run around the train, and AMTK 75 will be coupled up to the train for the trip back east.
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At the grade crossing of East Portal, the westbound Winter Park Express is on a clear (green) signal, making great time on its way to Winter Park. The train is about 20 minutes early, and now only a mile or so away from the Moffat Tunnel.
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For the past several years, Amtrak has been running its Winter Park Express Ski Train. This season, the Colorado Department of Transportation is helping to subsidize the cost of tickets, and passengers can make a one way trip for as low as $19! There are only five Superliners are the train right now, but two additional cars are supposed to be added sometime soon.
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As you would probably expect at 9,200 feet above sea level at the start of January, East Portal is something of a frozen tundra. It is quite windy and very cold, with snow blowing around all over the valley. The Winter Park Express Ski Train has a clear (green) signal, ready to dive into the 6.2-mile-long tunnel.
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A Phase 7 P42DC led the Winter Park Express this morning, and another Phase 7 leads the westbound Zephyr now, on the main at Tolland.
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Wind gusts are reaching 40 MPH in the valley here at Tolland this morning. The wind speeds are quite evident from the snow that is being kicked up along the tracks as the westbound Zephyr approaches, running right on time.
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The westbound Zephyr is kicking up a lot of snow as it is making track speed at Tolland, about three miles east of the Moffat Tunnel. The train has a standard consist this morning, showing off Amtrak's latest Phase 7 paint scheme with AMTK 79 leading.
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This is a wonderful time of year to be riding on the Zephyr to your destination. Reports are that I-70, the main highway through the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, is at a stand still with congested traffic. Passengers on the Zephyr, however, get to bypass that headache and enjoy the frigid view out the train here at Tolland.
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This eastbound BNSF manifest had to wait in the siding of Winter Park for both the Winter Park Express Ski Train and the California Zephyr before getting its turn to head east. Now, about an hour after the Zephyr was at Tolland, the manifest is rolling along quickly just east of Tolland, the Continental Divide standing tall and snow-covered in the distance.
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In the canyon between Rollins and Tolland, along South Boulder Creek, six units lead up BNSF's Provo-Denver manifest. After sitting for nearly three hours at Winter Park for the Winter Park Express and the Zephyr, the crew is running short on time. They will be going into the siding at Rollins to wait for a relief crew that is already on the way out of Denver.
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This Provo-Denver has taken the siding at Rollins to await a dog catch crew that is coming out of Denver. The relief crew will take the train the remainder of the way into the yard in Denver. The track to the left is the house track at Rollins, which does not quite follow the same alignment as the siding and main.
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This GP39-3 is catching a ride on BNSF's Provo-Denver manifest. The unit is likely being used as a switcher in either Provo or Grand Junction. The unit apparently has a mechanical issue and is being transported to Denver so it can be repaired. After being repaired, it will likely head back west for further switching duties.
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