Colorado Ski Train closed down

[mtuandrew]

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stori ... ily35.html

It seems that the D&RGW's famous Ski Train has carried its last passenger.

The Ski Train that has run between Denver's Union Station and Winter Park for 69 years has come to an end, a spokesman for the Anschutz Co., the owner, confirmed Wednesday.

The equipment has been sold to the Algoma Central Railway Inc., a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway, and will no longer operate in Colorado, Anschutz Co. spokesman Jim Monaghan said.

He said the train has operated "at a consistent loss over the past 21 years."

The article further states that although it was a money-loser, their biggest problems were conflicts with freight traffic, reduced traffic from the economic downturn, and remodeling of Union Station.

[Otto Vondrak]

!@#$#!$!!! I was planning a trip out to Denver to photograph this train! I didnt hear any mumblings in the press that this might be the last year... wtf?? @#$%(@#$%*!!

[conrail71]

Scratch one railfan weekend... That was one of the things I wanted to shoot once we moved out there. Are they disposing of all of the equipment or is there a chance it could restart someday? DUH, I just read the above quote, that answers that question...
Mike

[atsf sp]

When is the equipment moving? I saw the coaches last year. They were sitting at the Denver Union Station. But I did not catch it in action or catch the F40s.

[TB Diamond]

Otto:

There was nothing whatsoever about the dropping of the Ski Train in our local paper (Fort Collins) or on any of the Denver TV stations. Bums me out, as well as I last photographed the train back in 1984 and was going to reshoot it. Snooze and loose.

[AmtrakRider]

Wow.

Sure glad I got some shots of this (albeit sitting at DEN) when I was in the Rockies year-before-last. I had a trip on that in my "wishlist" too, although I didn't expect to do it soon.

Guess it'll never happen now. Bummer.

[Otto Vondrak]

http://skitrain.com/

The Ski Train has been sold and will no longer operate in Colorado.
Recently, the Ski Train has faced additional, serious challenges including, escalating costs - particularly liability coverage; operational conflicts with freight train traffic, substantial uncertainties posed by redevelopment of Denver's Union Station; as well as long-term impacts resulting from this nation's economic crisis.
Regrettably, the Ski Train could no longer be operated under these conditions.

Seems like a pretty lame excuse... a lame response to a temporary condition. Didn't want to look for a new operator? Seek financial assistance? Offer "one last run?" This still really annoys me, sorry to bring up old business.

[Komachi]

This is news to me as well.

Ditto me for having that on my "bucket list" too.

I'd let loose with some "blue materal" right now, but the censoring beep would be so long, people would think it was an announcement from the Emergency Alert System. So, I shall hold my tounge, save for one word.


DAMN.