Zephyr reroute this summer

It has been reported on a another web site that the Cal Zephyr will be rerouted over the UP "mainline" for a few weeks this summer, presumably due to some part of the ex-Rio Grande's being out of service for maintenance.

I kind of wish I had some excuse to take a trip out west again --- would be great to have a chance to ride the UP main line across Wyoming again! You mingle with some of the greatest (and highest-traffic) railroading on earth.

See [www.railpace.com/hotnews] for details.[/url]

"Been there done that" both pre-Amtrak as well as once during 1981 (lest we forget, the Zephyr was not routed over the DRG&W until 1983).

Those travelers affected by the reroute will find the Wyoming "moonscape' quite intersting. Railfans cannot help but be "shocked and awed" by trains literally running on "headway".

An added plus: timekeeping should be a "no problem".

OK. (???) Well, if timekeeping over the UP main isn't a big deal and the timekeeping over the ex-Rio is a problem, why don't they make a permement change back to the UP main?

I believe that the Zephyr was re-routed over the DRG route due to the scenic aspects of the trip (which are substantially better than UP through Wyoming, if you ask me. I'd rather be late through Colorado than timely through Wyoming)

Of course, the late great Pioneer took the UP Overland route until it was axed in the late 90's.

The Overland route racetrack is one of the busiest in the nation. UP freight traffic from Seattle, Portland, the Bay Area and LA come together at Ogden.

There is also the matter of buying new station property in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Ogden (all of whose stations are closed as rail facilities) and building new Amshacks.

Further, the selling point of the CZ is the view. It certainly isn't speed.

My thoughts

Let us also not forget the lucrative traffic to the resort areas in Colorado -- none of which exists along the UP route as far as I know....

What dates will the reroute occur?

For the record, historically the pre-Amtrak CZ(from 1949 on) did go via the Rockies, rather than Wyoming. From Salt Lake City, it also went on the Western Pacific RR through the Feather River Canyon.

Under Amtrak it began going via Wyoming, since the D&RG RR did not want to join Amtrak. That changed later.

And I'd like a feature that blocks repetitive flamers!

queenlnr8 wrote:OK. (???) Well, if timekeeping over the UP main isn't a big deal and the timekeeping over the ex-Rio is a problem, why don't they make a permement change back to the UP main?

When it comes to scenery, comparing the former Rio Grande (Moffat route) with the UP Overland Route is like comparing Nicole Kidman with Bjork.

Another issue regarding the Overland Route is access to Cheyenne, Wyoming's largest city. Since the line from Denver connects with the UP west of Cheyenne, a backup move (or reverse running) would be required to gain entry to that city. It would be an operational nightmare both from Amtrak and UP's perspective.

In fact, Amtrak pretty much abandoned Cheyenne, replacing it with a platform and shelter at a place called Borie, where a bus connection to/from Cheyenne was available. Given the brutal Wyoming winters, this was a lousy place to catch a train in January or February.

I was on one of those Zephyr re-routes last summer. The Overland Route was thoroughly congested with a two-hour backup outside of Green River Wyoming, for example. We didn't get up to track speed until we headed south towards Denver. I wonder if things have gotten any better up there?

So far this summer, marginally better, but inconsistent. For example:
7/17 - Dp DEN 0842 Ar GNR 1822
7/18 - Dp GNR 1208 Ar DEN 0047
7/26 - Dp DEN 1009 Ar GNR 1820
7/27 - Dp GNR 1225 Ar DEN 2117
Dispatching has been okay by UP standards, but it's still a far cry from, for example, the 7:05 DEN - GNR and 7:35 GNR - DEN running times from fall 1991.
At least this year, for the most part, UP has had their pilots ready for us in a timely manner; last year they couldn't seem to figure that out.

cbaker wrote:Let us also not forget the lucrative traffic to the resort areas in Colorado -- none of which exists along the UP route as far as I know....

Winter Park/Fraser with nearby Mary Jane there. Nothing like snowboarding down WP seeing the CZ comin' atcha out of the tunnel.

updrumcorpsguy wrote: Of course, the late great Pioneer took the UP Overland route until it was axed in the late 90's.

Ah, yes the Pioneer. That is a both a favorite and sore topic of discussion between BobbyS and myself. They need to bring that one back, maybe divert it further westward to the BNSF between Denver and Cheyenne for more scenery and also more people.

So I'm assuming the time keeping on the Zypher is going to go down, down, down?

I will measure the distances (by way of pre-Amtrak PTT) and get the distance difference between Denver and SLC by way of the Borie Cutoff and Ogden, as well as by way of the D&RGW.

As far as the Overland Route goes, it's double tracked, so 5/6 should just slip right into the lane.