Booked California Zephyr in May. Just saw major detour described. Our train will not go into the Rockies nor follow the Colorado river. It will be detoured through Wyoming. I am totally, totally bummed. Will probably cancel trip altogether. This is AWFUL. Have just been so pumped about the scenery that I have been pouring over.
Detour on California Zephyr
- Thread starter rlaz
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This is what is posted on Amtrak website. We are booked for May 16.
May 16 - 22 and June 1 - 7, 2012
Detour Affects Service between Denver and Salt Lake City
On May 16 - May 22 and June 1 - June 7, Trains 5 and 6 will operate on an alternate route between Denver and Salt Lake City. Both trains will detour through southern Wyoming affecting service at stations between Denver and Salt Lake City, as described below. To accommodate this project, service changes have been made that will affect passengers boarding or detraining at Fraser-Winter Park, Granby, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Green River, Helper and Provo.
During this period, Trains 5 and 6 will not travel through the Rocky Mountains or follow the Colorado River. The detour will follow a portion of the historic transcontinental Union Pacific route completed in 1869 that offers views of broad vistas, wildlife and high plains.
May 16 - 22 and June 1 - 7, 2012
Detour Affects Service between Denver and Salt Lake City
On May 16 - May 22 and June 1 - June 7, Trains 5 and 6 will operate on an alternate route between Denver and Salt Lake City. Both trains will detour through southern Wyoming affecting service at stations between Denver and Salt Lake City, as described below. To accommodate this project, service changes have been made that will affect passengers boarding or detraining at Fraser-Winter Park, Granby, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Green River, Helper and Provo.
During this period, Trains 5 and 6 will not travel through the Rocky Mountains or follow the Colorado River. The detour will follow a portion of the historic transcontinental Union Pacific route completed in 1869 that offers views of broad vistas, wildlife and high plains.
zepherdude
OBS Chief
Do "broad vistas, wildlife and high plains" mean typical Wyoming landscape with little or nothing to see? I seem to remember this reroute before as this is do to track work on the normal track always the same time of year.
I can understand being upset and disappointed, as the Rockies are gorgeous. that said, it's a great opportunity to travel a route you don't normally have the chance to ride, plus i'm sure the scenery, while not quite the Rockies, will still be very pretty. I'm tempted to go! 
M
memphisdoug
Guest
I have reservations for the CZ during this timeframe too. I'm sort of disappointed that we will be missing this section but am hoping for the best
ParrotRob
Service Attendant
Having spent a lot of time in Wyoming, I'm pretty sure "broad vistas, wildlife and high plains" means "a bunch of buffalo standing in a field of tall grass".
Well, its not a lot of buffalo in tall grass. There's devils slide, Sherman hill, and the descent into Utah is spectacular and if you are going west, you will get it in daylight. No, its not Colorado, but its definitely better than north Dakota. So its not terrible at all.
bretton88, have you taken this detour? Can you tell me about the trip as compared to the normal route? Is it a lot of plains with nothing much to see or are there plenty of scenic views on this route too? I don't want to cancel too soon.
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The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Were my time not already committed I'd jump at the opportunity to ride the detour and view the route by rail. Team Whooz followed this section of the original transcon eastbound by auto last summer as part of the Ragin' Rails Raid and found it quite tourist-worthy and scenic. The current Sherman Hill alignment is not the original, though. IIRC about 6 miles away, and the grade is down to .85% from the original 1.55% or so. UP's big steam power - like the 4-8-8-4 "Big Boys" - was built for that part of the country.
Trainmans daughter
OBS Chief
I was on this detour 3 summers ago on our first Amtrak trip. Having heard all the wonderful things about the route through the Rockies, I was disappointed at first. However, we ended up thoroughly enjoying the detour and the beauty of the high plains. While it may not have the drama of the Colorado River route, Wyoming isn't exactly shabby! We loved the wide open spaces, the green hills and valleys, the old snow fences, the buffalo and antalope, watching a thunderstorm roll across the plains. Think "Home on the Range" and "Don't Fence Me In".
I have several pictures I took along the route that you might enjoy. PM me with your email and I'll send them to you. I can't post them here since they aren't on Flickr or Photobucket.
What is the purpose of your trip? Is it specifically to see the Rockies, or is it to spend special time for your 40th anniversary? If it is just for the Rockies, then cancel. If it is to have a great trip, go for it!
I have several pictures I took along the route that you might enjoy. PM me with your email and I'll send them to you. I can't post them here since they aren't on Flickr or Photobucket.
What is the purpose of your trip? Is it specifically to see the Rockies, or is it to spend special time for your 40th anniversary? If it is just for the Rockies, then cancel. If it is to have a great trip, go for it!
G
guest
Guest
IMHO you should not cancel your reservation.
Yes, the CZ route through the Colorado Rockies and Glenwood Canyon is the most scenic of all Amtrak routes.
BUT any train ride through the Western US, be it the EB, SWC or SSL, offers fabulous scenic vistas along with the thrill that comes from being on a long-distance train!
I've never ridden the Wyoming rail route but have driven most of the route and the sights are at all times interesting and, at times, captivating.
SO keep your reservation! You will enjoy the trip and who knows? you'll get the Colorado routing the NEXT time you book the CZ!
Yes, the CZ route through the Colorado Rockies and Glenwood Canyon is the most scenic of all Amtrak routes.
BUT any train ride through the Western US, be it the EB, SWC or SSL, offers fabulous scenic vistas along with the thrill that comes from being on a long-distance train!
I've never ridden the Wyoming rail route but have driven most of the route and the sights are at all times interesting and, at times, captivating.
SO keep your reservation! You will enjoy the trip and who knows? you'll get the Colorado routing the NEXT time you book the CZ!
I just got an E-Mail regarding the detour. I´m really disappointed that I can´t see the Rockys, because I "know" the route from Train-Simulator and love it. The route was one of the main reasons for the trip. But I´m from Germany and so its really difficult to change flight, hotel, car rental and so on. The sad thing is, yesterday I booked, today I got the mail notifying me about the detour...
But what I can´t understand, my train is leaving on may 15th, and should be at Denver on may 16th. So I just thought, what if I´m leaving one day earlier, so my train should be at Denver on may 15th, on day before track-work begins. But the man on the Amtrak hot-line said to me, I have to leave on may 13th already to avoid the detour. But thats the day my plane will arrive in Chicago, so its to early to enter the train on Sunday. Do I miss anything or could this work like I wrote?
thank you,
René
But what I can´t understand, my train is leaving on may 15th, and should be at Denver on may 16th. So I just thought, what if I´m leaving one day earlier, so my train should be at Denver on may 15th, on day before track-work begins. But the man on the Amtrak hot-line said to me, I have to leave on may 13th already to avoid the detour. But thats the day my plane will arrive in Chicago, so its to early to enter the train on Sunday. Do I miss anything or could this work like I wrote?
thank you,
René
- Joined
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The Amtrak person was wrong. The train that leaves Chicago on May 14 and gets to Denver on May 15 will take the usual route through the Rockies. This can be confirmed by making test bookings to Grand Junction. The Chicago departure of May 14 is train all the way to Grand Junction. The Chicago departure of May 15 uses a bus from Denver to Grand Junction.I just got an E-Mail regarding the detour. I´m really disappointed that I can´t see the Rockys, because I "know" the route from Train-Simulator and love it. The route was one of the main reasons for the trip. But I´m from Germany and so its really difficult to change flight, hotel, car rental and so on. The sad thing is, yesterday I booked, today I got the mail notifying me about the detour...
But what I can´t understand, my train is leaving on may 15th, and should be at Denver on may 16th. So I just thought, what if I´m leaving one day earlier, so my train should be at Denver on may 15th, on day before track-work begins. But the man on the Amtrak hot-line said to me, I have to leave on may 13th already to avoid the detour. But thats the day my plane will arrive in Chicago, so its to early to enter the train on Sunday. Do I miss anything or could this work like I wrote?
thank you,
René
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Great, thank you! I will contact the hotline again and see if I can change the reservation. So I can still see the route I was hoping to see...
Devil's Advocate
⠀⠀⠀
Wow, thanks for the heads-up AU!
I've been looking to travel the usual CZ route but this Wyoming detour doesn't sound appealing enough for the money (or points).
How often does the CZ detour over to the original Feather River Route, if ever?
I've been looking to travel the usual CZ route but this Wyoming detour doesn't sound appealing enough for the money (or points).
How often does the CZ detour over to the original Feather River Route, if ever?
Tracktwentynine
OBS Chief
I'm actually excited about the detour. I still haven't ridden the Zephyr through the Rockies, and I plan to do that soon.
But I've also never been to Wyoming and the opportunity to ride via the Overland Route doesn't come around too often. So, I'm making the trip out in June to take the Zephyr via Wyoming from Denver to Salt Lake City. Of course, if the work gets finished early and we take the normal route, that's fine too. I'll get to see even better scenery (though I will be disappointed to miss Wyoming).
But I've also never been to Wyoming and the opportunity to ride via the Overland Route doesn't come around too often. So, I'm making the trip out in June to take the Zephyr via Wyoming from Denver to Salt Lake City. Of course, if the work gets finished early and we take the normal route, that's fine too. I'll get to see even better scenery (though I will be disappointed to miss Wyoming).
F
Freddy64
Guest
Well issn't it terrible!! We are flying in from The Netherlands and so will have to take the train on the 21st, because we have to be in Salt Lake City on the 22nd...I have read somuch about this train going through the Rockies especially after reading Henry Kisor's ZEphyr, that I am really disappointed. Is Wyoming scenery really as bad as I read here?
the_traveler
Engineer
I haven't taken the detour route, but while not the Rocky Mountain canyons scenery, the Wyoming scenery has a beauty of it's own.
As an added bonus, because the train runs non stop between Denver and Salt Lake City, many times, it arrives in SLC many hours early!
As an added bonus, because the train runs non stop between Denver and Salt Lake City, many times, it arrives in SLC many hours early!
johnny.menhennet
Conductor
While I think it could make it hours early if it left on-time, the train is running 3 hours behind. Could it really be a full 5 hours faster so as to get into SLC 2 hours early?I haven't taken the detour route, but while not the Rocky Mountain canyons scenery, the Wyoming scenery has a beauty of it's own.
As an added bonus, because the train runs non stop between Denver and Salt Lake City, many times, it arrives in SLC many hours early!
the_traveler
Engineer
Maybe not 5 hours, but since it doesn't have to stop at every town, doesn't have to go 30 MPH (or whatever) around curves and for long stretches, can run at 79 MPH most of the time, etc..., etc..., it may be in SLC on or near on time.
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