Rocky Mountaineer will launch a new train journey in the USA for 2021

https://www.rockymountaineer.com/media- ... y-usa-2021

Rocky Mountaineer plans to bring its luxury train journeys to a new route in the Southwest United States in 2021. The Rockies to the Red Rocks route will be a two-day rail journey between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Rocky Mountaineer operates multi-day, daytime train journeys that feature incredible scenery, regional cuisine, and attentive service in its spacious, glass-domed train coaches. The company has long had the goal of expanding its routes to bring its train travel experience to showcase new destinations. This new route will be in addition to the three rail routes that run in Western Canada, between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper.

“Rocky Mountaineer will bring a new luxury train tour to explore the historic rail route between Denver and Moab. Over the past 30 years, Rocky Mountaineer has become renowned for our world-class train travel experiences, and now we are opening our newest train experience in the region where train travel history began,” said Peter Armstrong, founder of Rocky Mountaineer. “This region, with its magnificent scenery, national parks, vast opportunities to explore, will delight millions.”

Rocky Mountaineer will launch the route with a preview season of 40 departures across 10 weeks from August 15 to October 23, 2021. The company is working with local tourism organizations, hotels and tour operators to curate custom vacation packages that feature tours, activities, and stays in Denver and Moab, so guests can experience even more of the region.
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Sounds like another attempt at LuxoTrain.

What will the fare be ?
What will the space be?
What will the food and libation be?

There’s a cheap segment of the tourist market (think Carnival) and an expensive, quality end (Paul Gauguin, Seabourne, WindStar). What does this want to be?

There also tentatively going to be tacking on a PV trip:

https://www.aaprco.com/travel-opportuni ... adventure/

Deep River Rail Ventures, LLC is pleased to announce a nine day, one-of-a-kind private rail excursion with railcars FRANK THOMSON & BERLIN. In addition to visits to numerous tourist rail excursions & museums, our trip includes the very first Inaugural Run of Rocky Mountaineer’s Rockies To The Red Rocks two day excursion from Denver, CO to Moab, UT via Grand Junction, CO. We will be enjoying the (now sold out) enhanced Silver Leaf Plus Class accommodations which include exclusive access to their newly renovated lounge car. Featuring signature cocktails, the lounge car offers additional space indoors to to relax and soak in the scenery as it passes you by, as well as a small outdoor viewing area.

The first day of this inaugural run includes spectacular scenery of the the Front Range, Moffat Tunnel, and the Byers, Gore, Red & Glenwood Canyons.

The second day scenic highlights include the Colorado River, Mount Lincoln, and traversing the 25 mile long Ruby Canyon, which can only be accessed by rail or water. The final miles of the Cane Creek Branch to Moab will be “Rare Mileage”, having never before seen a passenger train. You can be the first to experience one of the major rail passenger events in 2021.

This nine day excursion also includes admission to the Colorado Railroad Museum, Georgetown Loop Railroad, The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Railroad, Pueblo Railroad Museum, Royal Gorge Scenic Railroad Dinner Train, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Be a part of history by being “All Aboard” this unique trip! This trip may sell out quickly.

and: http://www.sleeponatrain.com/trip-itinerary.html has a detailed itinerary. Looks phenomenal.

Must not be just tacking on the PV cars since RM has no sleepers or else the RM guest sleep in a hotel while the PV passengers sleep on the train at overnight stops? Just wondering. Haven't really studied the itinerary yet.

"Hey buddy, can you spare seven Grover's?"

Too many "Unk, Unks" on that one, starting with the Pikes Peak Ry and of course the Rocky Mountain Denver-Moab junket.

Would the sponsors simply "take the loot and busteetoot"?

BLET opposes exemption: https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/ ... 301750.pdf

Good find, Mr. Smith.

Soooooo………………...; they plan to operate this "Desert Mountaineer" with NON-AGREEMENT, presumably Rules Qualified, Train and Engine employees.

I can't believe they have "tried to pull that stuff" up on the CP.

Good luck; yes I spent my eleven year railroad career holding non-Agreement positions, but three of those years were in Labor Relations. There is where I learned there were two sides of every story.

I would think they'd have to conform over a common carrier line that is organized. ACRE, MNRR's union, is very strict about that.

Apparently, they're getting quite the bookings:

July TRAINS has an informative article regarding the D&RGW line to Moab over which this proposed service would operate.

The photos depict a very scenic line; also shows that the UP operates a fair number of trains over it.

Bets, anyone, if this ARM actually operates?

To my utter astonishment, first departure from Denver was Sunday August 15:

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/08/16/ ... d-springs/

Here is a further detailed article:

London Daily Mail Courtesy of MSN

Fair Use:

The inaugural run of the Rocky Mountaineer in the United States barreled its way across the stunning landscapes of two Far Western states as the Canadian company known for luxury overnight train travel debuted its service on August 15.

The two-day luxury excursion between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah - Rockies to the Red Rocks - took guests on a journey along the Colorado River and through canyons with steep rugged walls. The custom-fitted train stops for the night at the approximate halfway point in Glenwood Springs, Colo., where the route features mountain vistas, desert cliffs and rock formations.

Suggestion: if you go and they offer a choice of Glenwood Springs hotels, select The Hotel Denver if you want a "room with a view".

So this is a one-way junket on the train, leaving a passenger on their own to find their way home or to Moab?

Now with only "two a day" for flights on puddle jumpers at that, as well as only one "four star" (Hilton) in town, that will be "sport" for these folks, while maybe not to the level as those in the TV show "The White Lotus", who are used to being pampered.

Now of interest to me is how did Rocky Mountain get on to UP's rails? OK, they negotiated a bilateral agreement; but are they on there at Amtrak's bargain basement rates thereby being complicit with a Taking, or they paying something that I consider fair - the opportunity cost of whatever train the UP (or BNSF with their trackage rights) cannot run account their usage of the tracks?

Of further interest is by whom and under what Agreement are the Operating crews employed?

Enquiring mind wants to know.

Has it ever been announced where the train left from in Denver?

A good point, Mr. ExCon.

Must say that TV clip certainly suggests the journey is originating somewhere other than DUT.