Passenger Trains > Winter Park Ski Train Starts Jan. 7, 2017

Amtrak will run trains between Denver Union Station, Denver, CO, and Winter Park Ski Resort starting January 7, 2017 on weekends.

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http://www.9news.com/sports/ski/winter-park-ski-train-ticket-details-announced/308235371Images shows Amtrak Winter Park Express train with 42 handling 7-car 75th Anniversary train at UP's Rocky Siding west of Arvada, CO, March 15, 2015.

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ansco stills owns the "the ski train" name my guess, plus WIP wants their name out there



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/16 09:08 by dan.

Being a clueless Englishman, does this Ski Train run on the same route for some of the way covered by the California Zephyr, or is it all fresh track?
Also what's the approx rail mileage to the resort from Denver Union?
Thanks

Both trains use the former DRGW Moffat Route, about 68 miles. But it's a big 68 miles, since drivers have to cross at least one mountain pass to get there, while the train goes through the Moffat Tunnel and boom-- there's the ski area at the west portal. 

march_hare Wrote:
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> Both trains use the former DRGW Moffat Route,
> about 68 miles. But it's a big 68 miles, since
> drivers have to cross at least one mountain pass
> to get there, while the train goes through the
> Moffat Tunnel and boom-- there's the ski area at
> the west portal. 

The highway mileage is about 66 miles as above, but you shave 10 miles via rail.  The east siding switch of the W. Portal siding by the base of the ski area is MP 56.6.  It's a 78-minute drive from DUS to the ski area with good weather and free-flowing traffic vs. 2 hours by train.  Driving times can be variable in the winter with weather and ski traffic but the CDOT plow crews do an outstanding job keeping the highway over Berthoud Pass open.

niagara484



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/16 18:47 by niagara484.

Thanks for the info chaps. I shall have to make a visit. I've no interest in skiling but to get ( I presume) a P42 on rarer track definitely appeals. I just hope there's a good pub or bar there while I await the return trip!!





 

Where will they turn the train around at?

When they had the Ski Train. They just moved the Units to the other end.

If they are just using a single unit. They will need a place to turn it.

Unless they plan to also use a Cabbage on one end of the train?

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

Peak45068 Wrote:
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> Thanks for the info chaps. I shall have to make a
> visit. I've no interest in skiling but to get ( I
> presume) a P42 on rarer track definitely appeals.
> I just hope there's a good pub or bar there while
> I await the return trip!!
>

Just as a reminder (as noted above), this is the same rail line that the California Zephyr uses every day so P42s are a regular occurence.  Also, if you don't ski or snowboard, there isn't a whole lot to do at the Winter Park base area (the bars are just OK at best and expensive).  It could get rather boring waiting 7-8 hours after arrival for the train's return to pick everyone up for the trip back to Denver.  I suppose you could camp out to catch the Zephyrs and whatever else UP and BNSF are running that day.  But none of the Winter Park facilities have windows that face the tracks.

GP25 Wrote:
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> Where will they turn the train around at?
>
> When they had the Ski Train. They just moved the
> Units to the other end.
>
> If they are just using a single unit. They will
> need a place to turn it.
>
> Unless they plan to also use a Cabbage on one end
> of the train?

The old Ski Train actually utilized a wye at Tabernash, two sidings down from Winter Park, to turn the entire train.  The wye is now out of service and I have not heard of any effort to fix it up for this train.  In 2015 Amtrak had the 2 P42s back-to-back on the Winter Park Express; they ran around the coaches at Fraser while onboard personnel turned the seats  for the return trip.  I suspect that's what will happen with the train this year.

niagara484

hopefully the wye will be back

>Also,
> if you don't ski or snowboard, there isn't a whole
> lot to do at the Winter Park base area (the bars
> are just OK at best and expensive).  It could get
> rather boring waiting 7-8 hours after arrival for
> the train's return to pick everyone up for the
> trip back to Denver.

There are free shuttle busses you can take into the village of Winter Park, which has lots of nice stores, restaurants, and a movie theater/bowling alley. You can also take the bus (some lines) all the way to Fraser and watch the Zephyr at its station stop, if it follows the ski train by enough time. On the mountain you can take a snowcat ride to the top, and have lunch at one of the on-mountain restaurants.

perhaps ride the CZ up to WIP town vs ski area

dan Wrote:
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> perhaps ride the CZ up to WIP town vs ski area

CZ stops in Fraser, not WP town. It's another few miles.

It sounds like some people need a map. Fortunately I am a professional cartogropher and have produced this work of art.*


*Disclaimer:  not to be used for means of navigation, orientation, location, or any other commonly accepted use of a map.

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All your suggestions are much appreciated , thanks very much. 

So its a 78 minute drive from Denver Union to Winter Park?  I dunno, that highway over Berthoud Pass at 11,315 feet above sea level with its 
hairpin turns is a bit of a challenge, especially in winter.  I-70 seems perpetually clogged with cars on the weekends, too. I vote for the train.

Peak45068 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the info chaps. I shall have to make a
> visit. I've no interest in skiling but to get ( I
> presume) a P42 on rarer track definitely appeals.
> I just hope there's a good pub or bar there while
> I await the return trip!!
>
>
>
>
>
>  
Data from previous incarnations of this Ski Train indicated that about 60% of the passengers were skiers.   So you will likely have many compatriots joining you are the bars.

takes an hour to get to winter park non peak...so if you leve at noon sunday you cn can be there at 1:05

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> So its a 78 minute drive from Denver Union to
> Winter Park?  I dunno, that highway over Berthoud
> Pass at 11,315 feet above sea level with its 
> hairpin turns is a bit of a challenge, especially
> in winter.  I-70 seems perpetually clogged with
> cars on the weekends, too. I vote for the train.

I have done the drive many times over the years.  It's 80 minutes from my pad in Littleton (south of Denver) most of the time.  In peak season on a Saturday, I figure on an extra 10-20 minutes for traffic on I-70 to the exit where US 40 peels off for Berthoud Pass.  Add a little extra to that if there's weather.  I tend to go up super early (leave the house at 6-6:30 am) and finish up my day on the mountain around 2-2:30 pm to stay ahead of the usual weekend traffic jams.

Berthoud Pass doesn't faze me one bit.  It's dual lane going uphill from either direction so you can easily pass slower traffic like trucks.  Going downhill, downshift into a lower gear and let the engine work to keep your speed in check.  A good set of snow tires helps immensely too with traction.  As I said earlier, the CDOT crews do an excellent job plowing the road and keeping it open through the winter.  So, the drive isn't nearly as bad as you make it sound.

In comparison, the trip was over 3 hours each way in 2015 using light rail to downtown and transferring to the Winter Park Express at Union Station.  And the ticket price of $78 roundtrip is simply too much to consider the train any more than a fun novelty ride to do once a season.  That's an awful lot of gas money, especially when you carpool with friends.

Still pleased to have the train back but it is important to keep everything in perspective.

niagara484

But don't forget: train to lift is 5 minutes or less, and you can pull on your ski clothes on the train before you arrive. If you drive, and choose the pay lot, pull on coat/mask/helmet/boots/gloves then walk to and ride ride the cabriolet lift, walk through the Villiage, that's at least a half hour. Choose a free lot, wait for a shuttle bus, ride in, still walk through the Villiage, that's even longer.

Can you leave your street shoes on the train, incidentally?
 

symph1 Wrote:
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> But don't forget: train to lift is 5 minutes or
> less, and you can pull on your ski clothes on the
> train before you arrive. If you drive, and choose
> the pay lot, pull on coat/mask/helmet/boots/gloves
> then walk to and ride ride the cabriolet lift,
> walk through the Villiage, that's at least a half
> hour. Choose a free lot, wait for a shuttle bus,
> ride in, still walk through the Villiage, that's
> even longer.

True.  In my particular example (and I fully acknowledge that I am just a single data point), I always park at Mary Jane, not Winter Park.  I pull into the lot (free parking), do the hopping around behind the liftgate of the SUV pulling my gear on, then it's a 200-foot walk (less if I'm early) over to a flat spot near some restrooms where I can buckle into the snowboard and ride down to the chairs at the Mary Jane base.  In the afternoon, my friends and I will finish our day going down the Sleeper run which dumps us right at the same parking lot.  Peel off the gear, hop in and we can be on our way home in 5 minutes.  I get that not everyone is willing to do that.  I'm a decent snowboarder so "doing the Jane" is a no-brainer.  But it can be an intimidating part of the resort for many other skiers and riders due to the difficulty of the runs.

I will note though that schlepping all of my gear two city blocks from the light rail platform to Tracks 4-5 at DUS wasn't all that convenient either, even with a snowboard bag that I could consolidate stuff into.  It's something everyone taking the train has to deal with as there isn't much parking right around Union Station.

>
> Can you leave your street shoes on the train,
> incidentally?
> 

I did.  I left my bag onboard in the overhead rack with my "street gear" tucked inside.  I just had to make sure I was boarding the same coach for the trip home.  There was no assigned seating so it was a bit of a free-for-all when the train pulled in.

As I said before, the train is great.  I'm glad it's back.  And yeah, if I have the chance, I'll definitely consider riding this season.  But it's not something I'll naturally gravitate to.   For me the convenience of the car still beats the train.

niagara484