UP Tracks Between Denver and Cheyenne

I've just read a couple of reports this morning that UP said they will have the track open between Denver and Cheyenne on Wednesday. Does that mean today? And if so, will Amtrak use them right away?

The CZ does not use the track between Denver and Cheyenne except when there is major trackwork west of Denver.

gn2276 said:

The CZ does not use the track between Denver and Cheyenne except when there is major trackwork west of Denver.

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Well, I would expect that, due to the recent flooding that took out several sections of track between Denver and the Moffatt Tunnel, this might be the case right now!

They are busing from Grand Juction to Denver.

I heard that the CZ will be using the Wyoming route when the connection from Denver is fully repaired instead of continuing the DEN-GJT bus bridge. Stations between DEN & SLC will be served by more bustitutes.

Yes. Amtrak has said that they plan is to run the CZ via Wyoming as soon as the Denver - Borie line through Greeley becomes usable. This may be as early as today or tomorrow.

This won't be the first time that the CZ has been rerouted via Wyoming due to a natural disaster. As a matter of fact the original move of the CZ from the Wyoming to the Moffat route was delayed due to the landslide at Thistle UT which required re-routing of the line there around a new lake that formed, including digging a new tunnel.

At the metropolitan lounge in Chicago. Taking the zephyr today. They're saying today's zephyr will be taking the Wyoming detour route. No more bus bridge.

You know I have to wonder, with as seemingly often as the Wyoming re-route occurs if Amtrak has gotten its Conductors and Engineers qualified on the route so they don't have to use UP pilots every time this happens.

battalion51 said:

You know I have to wonder, with as seemingly often as the Wyoming re-route occurs if Amtrak has gotten its Conductors and Engineers qualified on the route so they don't have to use UP pilots every time this happens.

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Good idea. The Wyoming route must be easier to run anyway, it's flatter and has less speed restrictions.

Many of us remember 1971-1983 when the SFZ operated through Wyoming or 1991-1997 when the Pioneer did.

xyzzy said:

Many of us remember 1971-1983 when the SFZ operated through Wyoming or 1991-1997 when the Pioneer did.

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Having lived in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado from the 1970s to the 2000s, I've ridden the Pioneer [Ogden, Ut/ Borie, Wy] and Zephyr [Chi/CA in each direction and other partial trips starting and stopping at Denver].

The Wyoming route is more subtle in its beauty and wilderness, at least to someone who is familiar with seeing the Rockies every day. I've seen more deer, elk, mountain sheep, and eagles on the Wyoming route, but of course, that was two decades ago.

Sadly, I've never had the chance for the Denver/Borie (Cheyenne) leg. I envy those who get to make this run. If I didn't have another trip [CS and EB] coming up in a few days, I'd be exploring flights to Denver today and riding the Zephyr to and from Salt Lake just for the chance to get that rare mileage.

The old Borie Amshack was torn down a few years ago. That siding is in the middle of nowhere in the hills west of Cheyenne.

So I have a question for anyone who got bustituted from there to/from Denver in the last few days - is there anything more than a concrete platform at Borie now?

xyzzy said:

Many of us remember 1971-1983 when the SFZ operated through Wyoming or 1991-1997 when the Pioneer did.

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Yep. The stops between Denver and Ogden were Greeley CO, Cheyenne/Borie WY, Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston WY, Ogden UT.
The SFZ for most of its existence did not go to Salt lake City at all.

I did enjoy that ride a lot in spite of its less than spectacular scenery. I remember one time when the Conductor announced the arrival into Rock Springs as arriving at the "Sin City USA". Don't know where that came from. There were at that time several adult establishments right along the track though.

Initially there was no car exchange between the SFZ and the Pioneer and the Desert Wind. It was cross platform transfer at Ogden. Did that many times from/to the Pioneer. That was another lovely ride that I miss to this day.

Golden grrl said:

So I have a question for anyone who got bustituted from there to/from Denver in the last few days - is there anything more than a concrete platform at Borie now?

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The bustitution was to Cheyenne, not to Borie.

jis said:

Golden grrl said:

So I have a question for anyone who got bustituted from there to/from Denver in the last few days - is there anything more than a concrete platform at Borie now?

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The bustitution was to Cheyenne, not to Borie.

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So where did the bustituted passengers embark/disembark the train at Cheyenne?

The station looked to have been long since taken over by non-rail private enterprise, at least the last time I was in downtown Cheyenne around 2010. There was a farmer's market occurring in the former station area, so I wasn't close enough to see whether the tracks and platform survived, but there were barriers blocking where they once had been.

According to a UP engineer friend I knew when I lived in Cheyenne in the 1990s, UP did everything it could to keep passenger traffic out of that busy yard back then. Unless the UP attitude has changed, I'd expect they will be in a rush to get Amtrak back to its normal routing in Colorado.

The few photos I have seen suggest it was somewhere in UP's Cheyenne facility. I don't know exactly where though.

Either way, UP would want the CZ back on the Moffat Route ASAP. They don;t need an extra train mucking up their very heavily used transcon.

Golden grrl said:

So I have a question for anyone who got bustituted from there to/from Denver in the last few days - is there anything more than a concrete platform at Borie now?

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As of a few years ago, there was a concrete pad with some floor tile stuck to it where the Borie "station" was located. The station was actually halfway nice for the time, it included mens and women's restrooms and a small waiting room. As for a platform, the asphalt that was laid for the platform wasn't real long, and it has crumbled in most places.

jis said:

The few photos I have seen suggest it was somewhere in UP's Cheyenne facility. I don;t know exactly where though.

Either way, UP would want the CZ back on the Moffat Route ASAP. They don;t need an extra train mucking up their very heavily used transcon.

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Agree about UP. Where were the photos of the bustitution posted? I'd love to see them.

MikeM said:

Golden grrl said:

So I have a question for anyone who got bustituted from there to/from Denver in the last few days - is there anything more than a concrete platform at Borie now?

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As of a few years ago, there was a concrete pad with some floor tile stuck to it where the Borie "station" was located. The station was actually halfway nice for the time, it included mens and women's restrooms and a small waiting room. As for a platform, the asphalt that was laid for the platform wasn't real long, and it has crumbled in most places.

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Thanks for the info. Actually, the last time I was actually on [not meeting someone on] the Pioneer, there wasn't anything but the platform. In an era predating cell phone availability, 'twas tough to get actual arrival info. What few taxis were available in Cheyenne did not care to make the drive there to meet the trains. Laramie was a much more amenable stop, and was widely used by University of Wyoming students and personnel for intrastate trips.

We are on the 5 currently at the Denver station. We are the first train to use the Wyoming detour today so I am excited about that as I've been through the normal route several times. They are bussing anyone who's destinations are between Denver and Salt Lake City. For anyone going between grand junction and Denver you get bussed from Denver. Any stops between grand junction and Salt Lake City get bussed from SLC. We are going to emeryville so being able to stay on the train and not do a bus bridge is fantastic!

So you will pass by the crumbling Borie Amslab. You might even get to see it if you know where and when to look!

Oh Guiness, lucky you!

I'm eager to hear whether and where you make any rest/exercise/smoke stops in Wyo. Enjoy that trip!

Golden grrl said:

Oh Guiness, lucky you!

I'm eager to hear whether and where you make any rest/exercise/smoke stops in Wyo. Enjoy that trip!

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On Wyoming detours, if they happen to stop in Green River on the platform track for the crew change, they get a smoke stop, otherwise not. UP does not allow people off the train if the crew change happens on any of the other mains (i.e. not the one by the platform) in Green River WY. Normally they will not stop anywhere else, except for adverse signals in the middle of nowhere, on that route.

Borie AmSlab still there, at least when Google imported their most recent set of satellite images. [One can still see the ramp for the baggage cart into the "garage" on the left; and the ramp on the right for the passengers into the waiting area.]

Thanks jis.

I should have guessed that - my Tehachapi loop on the CS last year worked that way. Just one stop for a crew change, and no one was allowed off the train there. For the few passengers unaware they'd be on the detour, the lack of stops was a surprise. I think all the passengers in my car and the adjacent one were riding just to have the Tehachapi experience, so we expected to bypass all the intervening stations in the Central Valley.

I sure hope the attendants for the CZ through Wyo remember to warn the passengers about the lack of smoke breaks - not a smoker myself, but I've seen some desperate people on a few trains that had abbreviated or non-existent smoke stops.

Wyoming's Version of the Old Beaumont and Now Sanderson "Stations!

The depot in Cheyenne has been totally renovated.

http://www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org/

At least last week, this is where Amtrak was accommodating passengers. There was a picture in the local paper about it. Really neat art deco station to peek at if there's time. There's a brewpub in it and the local visitor's bureau, as well as the museum.

gmushial said:

Borie AmSlab

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Thanks gmushial, that's one to remember.