Desert Wind

[jmbgeg]

So, here's a very ROUGH draft schedule for a train like that...with a made up name...
Western Continental

Amtrak Train #25

Southbound

Dep Seattle 745AM

Arv Portland 1145AM

Dep Portland 12PM

Arv Boise 11PM

Dep Boise 1130PM

Arv Salt Lake City 7AM

Dep Salt Lake City 730AM

Arv Las Vegas 230PM

Dep Las Vegas 300PM

Arv LAX 10PM

Amtrak Train #26

Northbound

Dep LAX 8AM

Arv Las Vegas 3PM

Dep Las Vegas 330PM

Arv Salt Lake City 1030PM

Dep Salt Lake City 11PM

Arv Boise 630AM

Dep Boise 7AM

Arv Portland 6PM

Dep Portland 630PM

Arv Seattle 1030PM

LOVE IT!!! I would like a slice of that pie!!!! We could visit hubby's relatives up north, mine down south!!!!Or maybe include the Coast Starlight & make a big loop!

This route would be a great way to stimulate the Las Vegas economy.

I currently travel PDX/SAC/Bakersfield/then Amtrak bus to Las Vegas. I would much rather go PDX to las Vegas on one train in a sleeper instead of the coach ride on the San Joaquins and Amtrak thruway bus to Vegas.

 

[JAChooChoo]

So, here's a very ROUGH draft schedule for a train like that...with a made up name...Western Continental

Amtrak Train #25

Southbound

Arv Salt Lake City 7AM

Dep Salt Lake City 730AM

Amtrak Train #26

Northbound

Arv Salt Lake City 1030PM

Dep Salt Lake City 11PM

However, it has no connections to/from Denver and east

 

[jphjaxfl]

Of course you would need to get Union Pacific to agree to allow a train on its rails at those times or an additional track could be added to the routes at Amtrak's expense. Union Pacific has been trying to keep passenger trains off its lines since Amtrak Day 1. The original Amtrak only operated on UP lines lines between Denver and Ogden and that was because Rio Grande didn't join Amtrak. As UP absorbed other railroads such as Espee, MoPac, Rio Grande, they picked up more passenger lines. It should be noted that no Amtrak passenger train has ever been scheduled to operate on UP's original main from Omaha to Cheyenne which is an excellent rail line. Also part of the line into Boise, ID has been abandoned since the Pioneer was discontinued so they would need to be restored if the new Pioneer went through Boise which would be an important stop. If you could get UP to be more passenger train friendly, restoration of service might happen. Good Luck with that!

 

[Shawn]

Unfortunately, you can't provide connections everywhere. Hence, the CS doesn't provide any connections east from LAX, or from SEA to the east with the EB. If you want to go east, you will just have to stay in Salt Lake City for night. The schedule was made to provide to go from Seattle to LAX via Vegas, with "OK" times for its route. As for whether or not it will happen...probably won't, but it would be a great route and would get alot of people if it ever did exist. Yes, we ALL know what the issues are, etc.

 

[sunchaser]

Not talented enough to find a Blue & Gold Macaw pic.

Thanks for the pic!!!! I am not real good at matching sizes (pixels and such). It's perfect. Good render of my bird.

I know this is off subject, but somewhere someone was discussing double-quoting (including more than one quote in a post). How do you do that? Thanks again!!!

 

[AlanB]

I know this is off subject, but somewhere someone was discussing double-quoting (including more than one quote in a post). How do you do that? Thanks again!!!

Instead of clicking the reply button, you click the Quote button with the plus sign. That button will turn red and show a minus sign when clicked. Click as many Quote buttons as you want, up to 10, and then click the Add reply button to work with the quotes and your reply. The Fast Reply button doesn't work with this feature.

 

[sunchaser]

I know this is off subject, but somewhere someone was discussing double-quoting (including more than one quote in a post). How do you do that? Thanks again!!!

Instead of clicking the reply button, you click the Quote button with the plus sign. That button will turn red and show a minus sign when clicked. Click as many Quote buttons as you want, up to 10, and then click the Add reply button to work with the quotes and your reply. The Fast Reply button doesn't work with this feature.

Ah, thats how it works! I tried it before. but I think I canceled it by hitting the quote several times and then reply....I thought thats how it would work. Thanks for the info!!!!!

 

[creddick]

My wife and I would LOVE to see service restored to Vegas. We do not fly for many reasons the chief one being we hate it so much. Trains are just so comfortable too. We would love to go back to Las Vegas but it is a long drive from Michigan. I will not fly. I know there are lots of others like us out there. Bring it back!

 

[Chris J.]

My wife and I would LOVE to see service restored to Vegas. We do not fly for many reasons the chief one being we hate it so much. Trains are just so comfortable too. We would love to go back to Las Vegas but it is a long drive from Michigan. I will not fly. I know there are lots of others like us out there. Bring it back!

Given that Vegas is one of the more obvious 'gaps' in the Amtrak network, bringing service back in some form would be a good start. I guess LA to Vegas would be where to start, then extend that to Salt Lake City.

 

[dart330]

Given that Vegas is one of the more obvious 'gaps' in the Amtrak network, bringing service back in some form would be a good start. I guess LA to Vegas would be where to start, then extend that to Salt Lake City.

I agree, just start with the cheapest service available. Coach and a cafe car from LVS to LAX. If business does well (which it would), extend to SLC. I would think the huge mormon population in vegas would be enough to support that segment.

Once the route is established, maybe add some sleepers on a through train for LAX to SLC since its a 14 hour trip and you are good to go. Catch the CZ in SLC the next day if you want to go to Chicago.

I think the most important thing is getting any kind of train service to Vegas, but I would rather have coach service 2 or 3 times daily instead of a once daily Desert Wind. Too bad the state will always be too broke to provide funding.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I am sorry... but the Desert Wind always sounded like a crappy train name to me-- makes me think of... well, wind in the desert. Dry, hot, sandy... not exactly relaxing.

 

[wayman]

I am sorry... but the Desert Wind always sounded like a crappy train name to me-- makes me think of... well, wind in the desert. Dry, hot, sandy... not exactly relaxing.

If we're looking at it as merely "the train to Vegas" (whichever direction you might be coming from) rather than "the train from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles", then I suppose we could consider names like Caesar's Chariot, Flamingo Flyer, Venetian Express, or of course, the Desert Wynn... in other words, sell the naming rights to the highest Vegas casino bidder. Not a direction I want to see Amtrak go in, but if it makes the difference between having the money to run the train and not... I'll take it.

But if you're naming the train for the route it takes ... well, "dry, hot, sandy... not exactly relaxing" is exactly what you'll see out the window the entire way between SLC and LAX.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I am sorry... but the Desert Wind always sounded like a crappy train name to me-- makes me think of... well, wind in the desert. Dry, hot, sandy... not exactly relaxing.

If we're looking at it as merely "the train to Vegas" (whichever direction you might be coming from) rather than "the train from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles", then I suppose we could consider names like Caesar's Chariot, Flamingo Flyer, Venetian Express, or of course, the Desert Wynn... in other words, sell the naming rights to the highest Vegas casino bidder. Not a direction I want to see Amtrak go in, but if it makes the difference between having the money to run the train and not... I'll take it.

But if you're naming the train for the route it takes ... well, "dry, hot, sandy... not exactly relaxing" is exactly what you'll see out the window the entire way between SLC and LAX.

The Cactus Corridor!

Then I get to think of prickly seats!

 

[WaTrainFan]

So, here's a very ROUGH draft schedule for a train like that...with a made up name...
Western Continental

Amtrak Train #25

Southbound

Dep Seattle 745AM

Arv Portland 1145AM

Dep Portland 12PM

Arv Boise 11PM

Dep Boise 1130PM

Arv Salt Lake City 7AM

Dep Salt Lake City 730AM

Arv Las Vegas 230PM

Dep Las Vegas 300PM

Arv LAX 10PM

Amtrak Train #26

Northbound

Dep LAX 8AM

Arv Las Vegas 3PM

Dep Las Vegas 330PM

Arv Salt Lake City 1030PM

Dep Salt Lake City 11PM

Arv Boise 630AM

Dep Boise 7AM

Arv Portland 6PM

Dep Portland 630PM

Arv Seattle 1030PM

BNSF re-opened Stampede pass in 1999 or so, so there is a direct route from Seattle to Pasco WA, so it isn't necessary to go through Portland, which would save some time. The train would then have to change from BNSF to UP just east of Pasco, then go down through Hermiston OR and rejoin the old route of the Pioneer just South of Hermiston.

 

[jmbgeg]

The westbound route to Vegas with shuttle connection is not as cumbersome as the eastbound. The Southwest Chief from Chicago stops in Flagstaff with a relatively quick shuttle over the Hoover dam to Vegas. The eastbound route that I usually take involves the Coast Starlight southbound from Portland, detraining in Sacramento or Martinez to catch the San Joaquins until it terminates in Bakersfield then a long Thruway bus to Vegas. If they ran a commuter train like the San Joaquins east and west from LA or Bakersfield to Vegas they could probably generate a fairly heavy passenger load both directions with the ride a lot better than a Thruway bus without the cost of a long distance cross-country train. This route would pull from LA, central California, the Bay area and Northwest. Logical or ill-advised?

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

BNSF re-opened Stampede pass in 1999 or so, so there is a direct route from Seattle to Pasco WA, so it isn't necessary to go through Portland, which would save some time.

Doesn't that also have the drawback of making the train much less appealing to all those Portland passengers?

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Unfortunately, you can't provide connections everywhere.

Given reasonable funding of Amtrak (like, probably 100 times what Amtrak gets now), why not?

 

[henryj]

So, here's a very ROUGH draft schedule for a train like that...with a made up name...
Western Continental

Amtrak Train #25

Southbound

Dep Seattle 745AM

Arv Portland 1145AM

Dep Portland 12PM

Arv Boise 11PM

Dep Boise 1130PM

Arv Salt Lake City 7AM

Dep Salt Lake City 730AM

Arv Las Vegas 230PM

Dep Las Vegas 300PM

Arv LAX 10PM

Amtrak Train #26

Northbound

Dep LAX 8AM

Arv Las Vegas 3PM

Dep Las Vegas 330PM

Arv Salt Lake City 1030PM

Dep Salt Lake City 11PM

Arv Boise 630AM

Dep Boise 7AM

Arv Portland 6PM

Dep Portland 630PM

Arv Seattle 1030PM

Since this is all hypothetical, why not throw out all the 'rules' and do something like this. Overnight between LA and Las Vegas. This serves Cedar City(Milford) the gateway to Zion and other parks during afternoon hours. It also gets into Pocatello and Shoshone during morning or evening hours to connect with Yellowstone and Sun Valley. And.........if you use the Green River cutoff on the UP from Pocatello, you can combine the Pioneer section with the CZ westbound and have your own late departure from Denver eastbound. It's interesting. Northbound the two trains combine in Pocatello and southbound they split there.

PIONEER

Pioneer Pioneer

8:00 AM lv VANCOUVER BC arr 10:00 PM

2:20 PM lv SEATTLE arr 3:55 PM

5:50 PM arr PORTLAND lv 12:15 PM

6:20 PM lv PORTLAND(PT) arr 11:35 AM

5:55 AM arr BOISE lv 1:15 AM

6:00 AM lv BOISE arr 1:05 AM

8:15 AM arr SHOSHONE(MT) lv 11:00 PM

5:30 AM lv SUN VALLEY arr 1:30 AM

7:30 AM arr SHOSHONE lv 11:30 PM

8:20 AM lv SHOSHONE arr 10:55 PM

10:00 AM arr POCATELLO lv 9:15 PM

6:45 AM lv WEST YELLOWSTONE arr 12:30 AM

9:45 AM arr POCATELLO lv 9:30 PM

10:30 AM lv POCATELLO arr 8:00 PM

2:50 PM arr GREEN RIVER lv 3:40 PM

2:55 PM lv GREEN RIVER arr 3:35 PM

8:25 PM arr CHEYENNE(BOWIE) lv 10:05 AM

8:30 PM lv CHEYENNE(BOWIE) arr 10:00 AM

10:30 PM arr DENVER lv 8:15 AM

11:10 PM lv DENVER(MT) arr 7:15 AM

7:41 AM arr LINCOLN lv 12:14 AM

7:47 AM lv LINCOLN arr 12:08 AM

8:59 AM arr OMAHA lv 10:39 PM

9:14 AM lv OMAHA arr 10:29 PM

6:50 PM arr CHICAGO(CT) lv 2:00 PM

Desert Desert

Wind DESERT WIND Wind

11:15 AM lv POCATELLO arr 9:00 PM

1:45 PM arr OGDEN lv 6:15 PM

1:55 PM lv OGDEN arr 6:05 PM

2:50 PM arr SALT LAKE CITY lv 4:45 PM

3:00 PM lv SALT LAKE CITY arr 4:35 PM

3:40 PM lv MILFORD(CEDAR CITY)(MT) lv 1:05 PM

10:45 PM arr LAS VEGAS(PT) lv 7:00 AM

11:15 PM lv LAS VEGAS arr 6:30 AM

7:00 AM arr LOS ANGELES lv 11:00 PM

 

[DesertRat]

I thought there was a thread about the DW. I really hope it comes back. It would be a good additional route besides the SWC.

 

[TN Tin Man]

Thanks for reviving this topic,

I for one would love to see both the Desert Wind and the Pioneer come back. I have always thought that Amtrak missed the boat by not using Denver as a point to split-join routes. Keep in mind that the demise of these routes led to daily service on the Empire Builder. That route now is solidly established. Amtrak could really score a hit with a well advertised route through Las Vegas to LA. Not to mention a Pioneer that provides service Denver -(Through Wyoming) SLC/Ogden - Boise - Portland - Seattle. That would give my home state service again and also open the Pacific Northwest to easy access to Utah and the Colorado front range. These population bases are outdoor oriented and train friendly I think these routes could become profitable if you market the short routes to Denver with connections east. The Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief can still provide direct service west. The California Zephir needs to go back to being the Chicago- Denver- and all point west train.

These are just my dreams of the past and wishes for the future of west coast Amtrak service.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

If there's going to be a conventional speed train from Los Angeles to Los Vegas that terminates at Los Vegas, it ought to be an overnight train with sleeping cars.

 

[sunchaser]

There was a feasibility study done back in October, but I just did a quick search to see if there is any update on it, nothing so far.

Unless somebody out there has some inside info.

After taking the California Zephyr & Coast Starlight from SLC-->OLW round trip last June, I'd love to take the Pioneer up to OLW, then return via Coast Starlight-California Zephyr. We really enjoyed the Parlor Car!

The question is not just money, but whether or not the powers that be really want it to be reinstated.

 

[TN Tin Man]

There was a feasibility study done back in October, but I just did a quick search to see if there is any update on it, nothing so far.Unless somebody out there has some inside info.

After taking the California Zephyr & Coast Starlight from SLC-->OLW round trip last June, I'd love to take the Pioneer up to OLW, then return via Coast Starlight-California Zephyr. We really enjoyed the Parlor Car!

The question is not just money, but whether or not the powers that be really want it to be reinstated.

Sunchaser

Your correct there was a study done late last year. Amtrak, for some reason looks at the East as a "serve as many as we can" and the the west as Long distance only.

They have no intrest breaking the West into shorter, possibly more profitable, segments. Let alone altering the old routes. Think of the ridership possibilities if you change the old Pioneer route in Colorado from Denver - Greeley- Cheyenne. To Denver - Boulder - Ft. Collins - Cheyenne. AMTRAK's study didn't even consider Timetable changes. They used the old time table that served Ogden and Boise in the middle of the night. Those are large population centers that, if serviced during the day could make the route work. There is a counter AMTRAK -study posted on either Friends of AMTRAK webpage or Or Track Online. Just search AMTRAK Pioneer, you can find it

 

[sunchaser]

There was a feasibility study done back in October, but I just did a quick search to see if there is any update on it, nothing so far.Unless somebody out there has some inside info.

After taking the California Zephyr & Coast Starlight from SLC-->OLW round trip last June, I'd love to take the Pioneer up to OLW, then return via Coast Starlight-California Zephyr. We really enjoyed the Parlor Car!

The question is not just money, but whether or not the powers that be really want it to be reinstated.

Sunchaser

Your correct there was a study done late last year. Amtrak, for some reason looks at the East as a "serve as many as we can" and the the west as Long distance only.

They have no intrest breaking the West into shorter, possibly more profitable, segments. Let alone altering the old routes. Think of the ridership possibilities if you change the old Pioneer route in Colorado from Denver - Greeley- Cheyenne. To Denver - Boulder - Ft. Collins - Cheyenne. AMTRAK's study didn't even consider Timetable changes. They used the old time table that served Ogden and Boise in the middle of the night. Those are large population centers that, if serviced during the day could make the route work. There is a counter AMTRAK -study posted on either Friends of AMTRAK webpage or Or Track Online. Just search AMTRAK Pioneer, you can find it

It would be good if it came through Salt Lake too. Especially if it came through some time during the day & daily service.

I've read the studies-what I was saying is no decision has been made on it yet.

Since we have been taking the train & talking to friends & neighbors about it, it is surprising how many people do not know that Amtrak stops here twice a day. We talked to one friend, & because of us telling him about Amtrak, he took a RT around Christmas!

 

[RailDreamer]

I rode the DW in 1993 from LA to CHI and it was great. I'm a song writer...wait, I was a song writer at the time, and wrote a song called Dessert Wind with my guitar during the trip. I remember playing it for a group in the club car one night. That was magical. Miss this train.