riding the CZ in January

[iowa train fan]

After being bused this summer from Omaha to Denver for my trip to Glenwood Springs, I am going to try again. We are going from Omaha to Salt Lake and would like to know if this is a good time to travel, mid January? Obviuosly flooding should not be an issue or track or tunnel work. Is there anything other than heavy snow to worry about? If this is not a good time to travel by rail over the mountains, please let us know now so we can schedule another date. Thanks to all for your great advice.

 

[the_traveler]

I personally think it would be a great time to travel! Scenery wise, it should be great!

Although flooding should not be a problem, the only thing I can think of is avalanches. (But I don't think of it too much.) As far as heavy snow, when roads and airports are shut down, trains usually keep going! (And at times, even on schedule! B))

 

[Montanan]

In general, I think that riding the western trains in midwinter has much to recommend it. Depending on the specific weather when you ride, the snowy and frosty scenery can be pretty spectacular, and the onboard experience is likely to be more laid-back and less crowded. And it's easier to find low-bucket fares! The downside, of course, is that the days are quite short and you'll traverse a larger portion of your route in darkness.

I rode the CZ in early January the winter before last, and it was an excellent trip. There'd been some significant blizzards in the Rockies a couple of days earlier, and Amtrak was running a little late, but they were doing better than most other transport modes were ... and the morning trip up the snowcovered Front Range was spectacular. It got dark somewhere around Grand Junction, though, so I missed the scenery of the Book Cliffs and Soldier Summit, but so it goes.

 

[PRR 60]

My wife and I rode the CZ last January and it was a great trip. We were on-time, more or less, and the train was not crowded at all. The dining car was not stressed the lounge was wide-open even in the more scenic areas, and the on board service was great. I would not go as far as to say that Amtrak is reliable all-weather transportation. Amtrak is at least as susceptible to weather-related delays as any other mode: maybe more so since they can be affected by the weather not just at the end points but everywhere in between. So, if you book winter travel on Amtrak, have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case. But with that in mind, a January trip on the Zephyr is highly recommended.

Here are some photos from our trip.

1. Passing through Byers Canyon (CO) with the frozen Colorado river.

2. A cold, snowy stop at Glenwood Springs.

3. The snow-covered Sierras in Northern California

 

[Rail Freak]

My wife and I rode the CZ last January and it was a great trip. We were on-time, more or less, and the train was not crowded at all. The dining car was not stressed the lounge was wide-open even in the more scenic areas, and the on board service was great. I would not go as far as to say that Amtrak is reliable all-weather transportation. Amtrak is at least as susceptible to weather-related delays as any other mode: maybe more so since they can be affected by the weather not just at the end points but everywhere in between. So, if you book winter travel on Amtrak, have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case. But with that in mind, a January trip on the Zephyr is highly recommended.
Here are some photos from our trip.

1. Passing through Byers Canyon (CO) with the frozen Colorado river.

2. A cold, snowy stop at Glenwood Springs.

3. The snow-covered Sierras in Northern California

What month does the snow and river thaw out, usually?

 

[iowa train fan]

Thanks for all the great feed back. One other question please, we have the family bedroom reserved for our trip. How will the heat be on the train? Should we bring extra blankets?

 

[AlanB]

Thanks for all the great feed back. One other question please, we have the family bedroom reserved for our trip. How will the heat be on the train? Should we bring extra blankets?

That shouldn't be necessary. First you can adjust the heat to some extent on your own for your room. Second, your attendant should be able to provide extra blankets if you think that you'll still be too cold.

 

[RailFanLNK]

When I travel by train I always take a blanket and stuff it into my favorite pillow from home and then bungee strap it to my carryon. I then have my favorite pillow and I then have an extra blanket in case things get chilly....ie: Such as getting a seat by the vestibule doors that open and shut whenever someone walks through if I'm riding coach. The extra blanket is never a big blanket from a bed but the kind I wrap up in while laying on the coach watching football etc.

 

[AlanB]

But you're talking about coach Al, the OP is going to be in a sleeper. So they'll already have blankets available to them, as well as temperature control, not to mention a door that they can close and lock.