Passenger Trains > Pikes Peak New Rolling Stock Preview

Colorado's Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway ceased operations at the end of the 2017 season
and is now well progressed on a $100m upgrade of the line.  The railroad is scheduled to reopen
in May 2021.  The 9 mile line is being converted from the Abt rack system to the more simplified
Strub rack system.

New rolling stock is a big part of the reopening.  Switzerland's Stadler is building three new
1000 h.p. B-B diesels and nine passenger cars(six coaches and three cab-coaches) to form three
3-car push-pull sets.  Top speed will be 15 mph uphill and 10 mph downhill with the locomotive
on the downhill side.

The new equipment will be delivered through the Port of Galveston this February.  The more modern
railcars of the existing fleet(18/19/24/25) will be retained as backups to the new fleet.

Attached photos are from the European-based RailColor News site(a pay site).  First shot shows one
of the locomotives nearing completion followed by a photo of one of the 3-car trainsets(unsure if 
those are shop trucks or the actual trucks).

Final photo shows a snowblower also being delivered to the railroad by the Swiss firm Zaugg.  It
has the ability to clear 4200 tons of snow per hour cutting through drifts up to 3 meters high and
thrown up to 60 meters from the track.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/20 13:29 by milepost20.

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Hopefully the coaches will be a little more comfortable than the current rolling stock.

Looking at the windows, do they open?

MEKoch Wrote:
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> Looking at the windows, do they open?

Looks like they can open, but will passengers be allowed to open them?
 

Wow, that is a big train. Any idea how much capacity increase is involved?

march_hare Wrote:
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> Wow, that is a big train. Any idea how much
> capacity increase is involved?

Good news for operations - but, meh - nothing
like modern nostalgia...  I'd have expect to see
a Walmart and McDonalds while looking out the
window. Or at least a Globus department store
and a Chickeria.

/Mitch

Was wondering about the different rack systems...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_railway

/Mitch

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Somebody goofed and put N scale wheels on that HO gauge train set.

Railway has a new name-----   Broadmoor Manitou and Pike Peak Cog Railway

I was thinking the same thing. Those wheels look like the wheels used on MOW equipment and high rails. 

ChrisCampi Wrote:
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> Somebody goofed and put N scale wheels on that HO
> gauge train set.

march_hare Wrote:
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> Wow, that is a big train. Any idea how much
> capacity increase is involved?

I think that if you read the first post you will see how thay will be used.  Not as per the photo though!

Why am I thinking San Diego trolley?

royalgorge Wrote:
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> Railway has a new name-----   Broadmoor Manitou
> and Pike Peak Cog Railway

The railroad has been ownered by the Broadmoor Hotel for a number of years.  I guess they have now decided to broadcast that ownership.

Mater's inbred cousin.