#5 (11) Held up by flooding in Colorado

[Chuck]

So glad I found this discussion page. I will have to create an account.

We own and operate Dave's Depot, a convenience/souvenir shop inside the Amtrak Station in Grand Junction Colorado. We have been told, unofficially and only from the agents and conductors, that because of the large scale of the wash-out near the Moffat Tunnel, it will take at least a month to replace the section of track lost, with a bridge. And after a few more days, the bus-bridge between Grand Junction and Denver will end, and the train will be re-routed through Wyoming. However, after some research, and reading posts here, it sounds like some of the rail in eastern Colorado needs to be repaired as well, before that route can be used. I will be checking back here, and other sources, to keep up to date. I sure hope that it will not take that long to get the route through the Mtns back repaired, as the 2 daily trains (#6 and #5) are the entire customer base for this our little store. But more likely, it will be a while

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Chuck, sorry to hear how this is affecting your business. I hope the trains will be rolling through in no time, though I imagine it will take some time to make the necessary repairs.

Please do join. We're a great community. Members on here are like a 2nd family for me.

 

[fairviewroad]

So glad I found this discussion page. I will have to create an account.

We own and operate Dave's Depot, a convenience/souvenir shop inside the Amtrak Station in Grand Junction Colorado.

Welcome, Chuck! I've shopped at your store. A nice way to take a break from Amcafe options

while on a long trip. Hope you guys come through this okay!

 

[Blackwolf]

So glad I found this discussion page. I will have to create an account.

We own and operate Dave's Depot, a convenience/souvenir shop inside the Amtrak Station in Grand Junction Colorado.

Indeed, considering the connection between your business and Amtrak, joining our community here could give you some valuable business connections both in terms of one-on-one communications with a percentage of your customers (I figure any number of AU'ers, as we call ourselves, have stopped in your store. I have!) as well as information on the daily Zephyrs. It is very troublesome that you are impacted so directly by the absence of Amtrak running its routing, and it adds to the urgency of getting the required repairs done as soon as possible.

As others have said, hopefully you are able to come through this well enough!

In a lighter topic of discussion, since it is a common thread talked about here and elsewhere, do you carry Coca Cola products in your store? I honestly cannot recall if you do or not, but since Amtrak only serves Pepsi products on board, selling Coca Cola and prominently advertising that fact would be massive welcomed by the Amtrak Unlimited community!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Ditto on the Coca Cola.

 

[Zach]

There's a major washout between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel ... just above Tunnel #2, I think. The line's likely to be out of service for a while:

Who took this picture???

 

[AmtrakBlue]

There's a major washout between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel ... just above Tunnel #2, I think. The line's likely to be out of service for a while:

Who took this picture???

Someone in a plane or helicopter. You can see the reflection of the glass window.

 

[CZ new traveller]

I am planning to ride the #5 line on Sept. 19th all the way from Chicago to Emeryville. Should I change my plan? What is the prospect that the line will be fixed in this area by then?

 

[SWC]

The main Zephyr route will be closed for sure.. but there is also Bustitution when you leave Denver to I believe Grand Junction.

But if you don't want the bus, your best choice is to take the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles then the Coast Starlight to Emeryville.

 

[Guest]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for providing a great forum for what is going on in Colorado. I have a question for the people who know this route:

My Dad and I were planning on meeting in Denver October 2nd and taking the train West to Sacramento on October 3rd. This is purely a jolly to see the Rockies by train and visit. While it sounds like the bus shuttle to Grand Junction is working for those wanting to travel from A to B, is it worthwhile for us or should we look at taking the northern route through Wyoming or reschedule altogether?

Any help/ advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

TM

 

[Guest]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for providing a great forum for what is going on in Colorado. I have a question for the people who know this route:

My Dad and I were planning on meeting in Denver October 2nd and taking the train West to Sacramento on October 3rd. This is purely a jolly to see the Rockies by train and visit. While it sounds like the bus shuttle to Grand Junction is working for those wanting to travel from A to B, is it worthwhile for us or should we look at taking the northern route through Wyoming or reschedule altogether?

Any help/ advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

TM

I think that should read Montana, Sorry.

 

[Jessica]

Hi, My mother will be coming in from Sacramento Ca on the 30th of Sept. to Denver. Anyone have any idea on the chance of her being able to get into Denver on the train, or will she have to bus it from somewhere?

 

[Guest]

If you can change your itinerary to use another transcontinental train, I bet you'd be better off, Guest_Guest. No one's predicting when roadways will be reopened in the flood zone, and I bet the roadways will receive more resources and attention than railways, as usual.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Note that I-25 is now open between Denver and Wyoming. That permits the bus bridge.

Was US 85 washed out through Greeley before I-25 reopened?

Edit: Look at this nasty rail damage in Colorado: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=451152&nseq=550, http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=451184&nseq=551

Both of those are on the BNSF Line north of Denver.
Here is a pretty complete list of current road closures in and around Denver/Boulder/Loveland/Fort Collins and north east Colorado:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/traffic/traffic-news/road-closures-due-to-flooding-mud-rock-slides-includes-us-36-us-34-co-14-co-72

I'm familiar with many of the Denver-area roads (former resident). That damage looks pretty bad, though US 85 and Us 285 are still fully operational. Bustitution on I-70 seems OK except the Quebec Street off-ramp. Denver rain has been dying down, but things are still inemergency condition.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

We're being flooded with worried guests. Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen, but the scheduled rail line won't be running anytime soon, it's been washed out and devastated. If UP is slow on it, the route might not even run until early November. Right now UP is going to be trying hard to fix the line up to Cheyenne, when that is fixed I expect the CZ to run on that until the Rio Grande gets fixed.

Right now the CZ is being broken between Grand Junction and Denver, there's chartered buses running in between. Soon, this will stop and the train will be running through Wyoming along the Overland Route.

The Wyoming route dosen't have regular passenger rail service, so you could take this oppurtunity just o experience the route. You can get an idea of what the scenery is like by using Street View on Goolgle Maps and looking along I-80. The same route is operated by Greyhound's Denver-Portland thorugh buses, if you're interested.

If you want to take another train, you have two options: the northerly Empire Builder, which is suffering from its own massive delay problems and a section fo very poor track (Fargo-Grand Forks) and the southerly Southwest Chief to Los Angeles though the desert which is mostly on-time. This train take the Raton Pass route which is under threat of abandonment. You could grab this chance to experience a rare railroad line. Be warned that track conditions aren't great on this route either, some track in Kansas, southern Colorado, and New Mexico are also in disrepair.

If you only care about a smooth ride on well-maintained track, then you could detour onto the Sunset Limited running along the Meixcan border. But that is a huge detour and might not be advisable because it only runs thrice a week, dosen't run daily.

Hopefully that will answer the many questions popping up here.

 

[railiner]

With this 'bustitution', while it will disappoint those wanting the very scenic train ride, it will have the effect of actually improving CHI/EMY overall ontime performance, due to the faster running of the 'bus bridge', and the extra time for servicing the trains during their 'turnaround'.....

 

[railiner]

I was just thinking....wonder how the OBS crews are being handled....are these normally CHI based, or are some based in EMY (or OAK)?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hi, My mother will be coming in from Sacramento Ca on the 30th of Sept. to Denver. Anyone have any idea on the chance of her being able to get into Denver on the train, or will she have to bus it from somewhere?

If there is bustitutions, Amtrak will handle the transfer from train to bus & the bus will take your mom & her luggage to the Denver station.

 

[jim6300loco]

Note that I-25 is now open between Denver and Wyoming. That permits the bus bridge.

Was US 85 washed out through Greeley before I-25 reopened?

Edit: Look at this nasty rail damage in Colorado: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=451152&nseq=550, http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=451184&nseq=551

Both of those are on the BNSF Line north of Denver.
Here is a pretty complete list of current road closures in and around Denver/Boulder/Loveland/Fort Collins and north east Colorado:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/traffic/traffic-news/road-closures-due-to-flooding-mud-rock-slides-includes-us-36-us-34-co-14-co-72

I'm familiar with many of the Denver-area roads (former resident). That damage looks pretty bad, though US 85 and Us 285 are still fully operational. Bustitution on I-70 seems OK except the Quebec Street off-ramp. Denver rain has been dying down, but things are still inemergency condition.

When you say in "Emergency Condition" do you mean a "State of Emergency"? The reason I ask is my wife and I are travelling to Denver, leaving Chicago on the 19th and arriving the 20th. We are then renting a car ot drive to Colorado Springs. Will we have trouble travelling through Denver and south to Colorado Springs? thank you for your reply.

Jim

 

[PRR 60]

There's a major washout between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel ... just above Tunnel #2, I think. The line's likely to be out of service for a while:

Who took this picture???

County Sheriff Department during a damage assessment flight.

 

[PRR 60]

I'm familiar with many of the Denver-area roads (former resident). That damage looks pretty bad, though US 85 and Us 285 are still fully operational. Bustitution on I-70 seems OK except the Quebec Street off-ramp. Denver rain has been dying down, but things are still inemergency condition.

When you say in "Emergency Condition" do you mean a "State of Emergency"? The reason I ask is my wife and I are travelling to Denver, leaving Chicago on the 19th and arriving the 20th. We are then renting a car ot drive to Colorado Springs. Will we have trouble travelling through Denver and south to Colorado Springs? thank you for your reply.Jim

The majority of the issues are north and west of Denver. I-25 is open both ways out of Denver, including south to Colorado Springs. You should be fine.

 

[Tourist from Uruguay]

I just tried to cancel my reservation for the Zephyr train on the 29th of September and was told my reservation is ACTIVE and if I want to cancel I will be charged penalties.

How can the reservation be active with no track to run the train on?

How close to the travel date is Amtrak going to wait?

Do I get any compensation for having to book last minute plane tickets while they refuse to refund my reservation without a penalty?

This sucks...

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The trains are running, just not through parts of the Rockies.

 

[Notelvis]

So glad I found this discussion page. I will have to create an account.

We own and operate Dave's Depot, a convenience/souvenir shop inside the Amtrak Station in Grand Junction Colorado. We have been told, unofficially and only from the agents and conductors, that because of the large scale of the wash-out near the Moffat Tunnel, it will take at least a month to replace the section of track lost, with a bridge. And after a few more days, the bus-bridge between Grand Junction and Denver will end, and the train will be re-routed through Wyoming. However, after some research, and reading posts here, it sounds like some of the rail in eastern Colorado needs to be repaired as well, before that route can be used. I will be checking back here, and other sources, to keep up to date. I sure hope that it will not take that long to get the route through the Mtns back repaired, as the 2 daily trains (#6 and #5) are the entire customer base for this our little store. But more likely, it will be a while

Welcome Chuck -

By all means register with the forum. You are in a unique position to provide 'boots on the ground' updates on what is going on with the California Zephyr during this ...... and future...... service disruptions.

Like many others on this board, I have stocked up in your store during the Grand Junction service stop. I like how it is an eclectic mix of things that appeal not only to the casual passenger looking for lower cost provisions but also to the hard core railfan in terms of route guides and what not.

Based on what I'm reading - my conjecture is that the CZ will continue doing the bus bridge thing between Grand Junction and Denver until the Union Pacific reopens the railroad from Denver through Greeley north to Wyoming. Once this happens...... perhaps as soon as in a few days........ the CZ consists will again begin operating through from Chicago to California albeit on the detour through Wyoming. I would be very surprised if the train is operating through Colorado on it's traditional D&RGW route again before the middle of October....... maybe even November.

Chuck - I wish you the best. Hopefully the next few days with passengers milling around with extra time at Grand Junction in both directions will be so good for you business-wise that you'll be able to weather the dry-spell during the Wyoming detour.

One question - is there still any chatter at all these days about restoring the old D&RGW station next door to you in Grand Junction? I would sure like to see that building saved.

 

[Notelvis]

I just tried to cancel my reservation for the Zephyr train on the 29th of September and was told my reservation is ACTIVE and if I want to cancel I will be charged penalties.

How can the reservation be active with no track to run the train on?

How close to the travel date is Amtrak going to wait?

Do I get any compensation for having to book last minute plane tickets while they refuse to refund my reservation without a penalty?

This sucks...

Best conjecture at this point is that the train will be running all the way from Chicago to California by the time you make your trip. It is most likely, however, that it will still be detouring through Wyoming missing it's station stops between Denver and Salt Lake City.

While it is not as stunning as the climb into the rockies departing Denver, the scenery through Wyoming is remarkable in it's own way. I once booked a trip on the California Zephyr at the last minute so that I could ride the Wyoming detour and be able to compare the two routes for myself. As the Wyoming route no longer has regular passenger train service, I am glad that I had the opportunity to ride it.

One plus - the route through Wyoming is actually a bit shorter and faster so the chance of a detoured CZ being on-time at it's endpoints is actually better when it is on the detour.