Passenger Trains > Amtrak CZ train 6 Returned to CO from NE Blizzard

BNSF 1708, SD40-2, rescued Amtrak's California Zephyr, train #6, from Exeter, Nebraska, and returned the train to Denver, CO, about 11:00 AM, 20 March 2025.  Blizzard conditions in Nebraska resulted in train being returned to Colorado.  Plan now (2:00 PM) is to combine both train 6's and run them east to Chicago, IL.  Lengthy train 6 expected to leave Denver about 3:00 PM Mountain Time.

NO sound video at Sand Creek Junction - Amtrak train 6 towed back on BNSF's Brush Subdivision.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/25 13:35 by cozephyr.

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Impressive catch. Google maps puts Exeter Nebraska at 450 miles from Denver, but there's not much in between.

Interesting that the rescue locomotives were SD40-2's.

t4p.

Thanks. Means there are now three (3) full Zephyr train sets in Colorado, all #6, as the next train is almost to Glenwood Springs. Today’s #6 has been cancelled in its entirety.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Posted from iPhone

This is one crazy story. Why would Amtrak attempt to travel 450 miles into a blizzard zone
only to stop and return to Denver. I read the most snow for eastern Nebraska was 12 inches.
Maybe there are power outages but the highways on Google maps are open (green) with no
(red) delays. Omaha is only 110 miles from Exeter NE.

So what is the ending to this saga? Did they combine the two Amtrak #6's and send them east to Chicago, IL at some point today, March 20? What's the outcome? Did it reach Chicago, IL? Did they accept any passengers at intermediate stations between Denver and Chicago? Weren't some passengers put up in a hotel in Nebraska to wait for the next day's #6? 

The only thing I see is Train #6 departed Denver 3/20/2025, which would be 20 hours and 40 minutes late. So it just left Denver for Chicago around 3:30 pm this afternoon. Disappeared from some train status maps. 

Earlier I too was awaiting word on this all falling in place.  Thanks for your help as my train tracker never did show the combined train #6 departing Denver.  Appreciate your input.  I was getting different versions earlier in the day.  Now we know the rest of the story.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So what is the ending to this saga? Did they
> combine the two Amtrak #6's and send them east to
> Chicago, IL at some point today, March 20? What's
> the outcome? Did it reach Chicago, IL? Did they
> accept any passengers at intermediate stations
> between Denver and Chicago? Weren't some
> passengers put up in a hotel in Nebraska to wait
> for the next day's #6? 
>
> The only thing I see is Train #6 departed Denver
> 3/20/2025, which would be 20 hours and 40 minutes
> late. So it just left Denver for Chicago around
> 3:30 pm this afternoon. Disappeared from some
> train status maps. 

Who remembers when #5 got stuck in a drifted in cut a bit west of Lincoln for most of a day in January of 2010? Good times...

and I thought those Genesis units were tougher than that.....
>being brought back thru the snow
> by 50 year old SD40-2's.

The p42s were fine, the sd40-2s were added since it would be rather difficult to shove the train all the way back to Denver.

Mike6640-2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> and I thought those Genesis units were tougher
> than that.....
> >being brought back thru the snow
> > by 50 year old SD40-2's.

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who remembers when #5 got stuck in a drifted in
> cut a bit west of Lincoln for most of a day in
> January of 2010? Good times...

Didn't #6 get stuck overnight a few years later around Galesburg?

Posted from Android

This farcial debacle:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2014/01/07/amtrak-passengers-stuck-on-trains-overnight/4355409/

CubsFanJohn Wrote:
---------------------------------
> Didn't #6 get stuck overnight a few years later
> around Galesburg?

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This farcial debacle:
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2014/01
> /07/amtrak-passengers-stuck-on-trains-overnight/43
> 55409/
>
> CubsFanJohn Wrote:
> ---------------------------------
> > Didn't #6 get stuck overnight a few years later
> > around Galesburg?

Thanks. All I remember from hearing about it was heads should have rolled.

Posted from Android

That's a good amount of snow on that second BNSF unit, this wasn't a wanna-be blizzard from the looks of it.

Nathan

Mike Jensen in Fort Morgan caught the combined train making its station stop. Sounds like he didn't know the consists were combined. 

https://youtu.be/s3bLcJ3Wuiw?si=HLmqQ-PqDr-YdsU4



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/25 08:00 by G600DRVR.

splitreduction Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The p42s were fine, the sd40-2s were added since
> it would be rather difficult to shove the train
> all the way back to Denver.
>
> Mike6640-2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > and I thought those Genesis units were tougher
> > than that.....
> > >being brought back thru the snow
> > > by 50 year old SD40-2's.>
> 
> thank you for the correction! 
> Plus, the poor conductor would be frozen,
> standing outside the last car the whole way.......

             I can certainly believe Amtrak would be dumb enough to think they should SHOVE the train one way or the other ALL THE WAY.  Geeee whiz. 

              There are more and more "NEVER AGAIN" used to be Amtrak customers all the time and nobody gets it in the ivory tower.