Looking at AMTK 146, currently the second unit on the Winter Park Express, note the "Ski Train" sticker with the classic Rio Grande herald on the side of the nose. A small, but wonderful, nod to the Ski Train(s) of yesteryear.
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A Rio Grande Ski Train sticker has been applied to the sides of the nose of both AMTK 75 and AMTK 146, the current power on the Winter Park Express Ski Train. A nice homage to the Rio Grande and Anschutz Ski Trains.
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Passengers are boarding on the Winter Park Express Ski Train on Track 5 at Denver Union Station. AMTK 75 will be the leader on the train this morning when it departs at 7am. Right now, at 6:25am, it is still nearly an hour from sunrise.
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Passengers ready to board the Winter Park Express Ski Train walk down the platform at Denver Union Station alongside Track 5. A car host greets the approaching passengers.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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