Seaboard92
Engineer
Well I've only had time to write parts of it. So I'll post it as I write it.
Planning
So after my good friend Malcolm and I heard the news that we were going to be on the Union Pacific Frontier Days Special from Denver to Cheyenne we started planning our trip. I want to hit all fifty states by rail in a year so we chose to take the AmBus to Raton then the Southwest Chief, City of Mew Orleans, and Crescent to get home. There was a good rate so I snagged it.
After that I priced what it would cost to take the Canadian in a sleeper across Canada Eastbound because we both get 75 percent off discounts for working with for a travel agency. But the stipulation is one must book within 21 days of the trip at the discounted rate. It was available so we grabbed it. Cost of the section was roughly $300 USD from Vancouver to Toronto. And the cost of Amtrak per person was $750 in the sleeper. So I quickly booked a flight from Denver to Portland to visit some friends followed by taking the Cascade to visit Charlie and the Cascade to Vancouver.
Day Zero: Packing late as always.
So I had planned to pack earlier than midnight like I intend to every time but that never happens. At two in the afternoon my coworker and girl I am now dating calls me to cover her shift. We just had her going away party and I texted her to ask if I had to be her for her own going away party because of how many shifts I've covered.
So I go in with no issue I love my job. Since Anderson and Gardner have placed moratoriums on private cars I've started working at a vet clinic as a kennel tech and vet tech apprentice. And honestly I miss the travel but I much prefer this. We're an eight person office and everyone gets along really well with each other. And we all care about each other a lot.
So when she asked me to cover I had to go in. I was also scheduled to do a video interview with United Airlines the same day. So after dinner, visiting my grandmother, and the United interview I finally got around to packing. At roughly 12:30 am.
Day 1: Flight to Denver and chasing a steam train
So I woke up at three AM after going to bed at one to have my dad drive me to the airport in Charlotte an hour and a half away for my 7 am flight. No large issues in driving this time thankfully. So made it there in about an hour and fifteen minutes with very light traffic. Again I had my usual stories from his military days. And instead of the same repeats I get a lot. I managed to get new ones for a change.
Got to the airport and checked my bag. Security at 5:45 had a massive line because they were only letting ten back at a time because they had a beautiful blood hound sniffing people. Eventually I get behind security, find my gate, then decide I should probably eat before flying. So I go to the airport Bojangles and pay way more than fair market value for a chicken biscuit.
Afterwards I board my flight on Frontier No. 199 to Denver on an A320. Easy quick flight to Denver where I attempted to sleep, or played risk on my phone. I had an aisle seat so nothing terribly exciting to look at. Arrived in Denver ahead of Malcolm who was supposed to arrive five minutes ahead of me but caught a bad headwind delaying him somewhat.
Went to the baggage carousel and waited forever for my bag to arrive. As soon as my bag arrived Malcolm and I took a bus to one of the exterior lots and got our rent a car from Truro(spelling) which was a Prius. I chose to let Malcolm drive the stress free trip north towards Wyoming opting to drive the much harder chase. As someone who has been around steam for a decade I'm used to the antics that go on. And felt it would be better if I drove that bit.
So we drove to just the other side of Greeley where we spotted the train and made a fast U Turn. We switched over at a McDonalds so he could use the restroom than continued south to find a good spot. Caught the train once then proceeded to attempt to get ahead of it.
Despite being a four lane road with a 65 mph speed limit and track speed being 60 mph I could not get ahead of it. This was simply due to the pacers whom block traffic so they can match the steam engine's pace perfectly with no regard to other people sharing the road. When the train slowed to thirty both lanes went to thirty making it really hard to get ahead.
The locomotive set off a detector so we were able to get ahead when it stopped. Afterwards we faced the same garbage the rest of the way in Denver. In total we caught the train four times I believe. And that's only due to stops. If you are going to chase please don't pace. Let others get their shots, and normal people on the road get where they are going.
After our chase Malcolm wanted to ride the South Platte Valley Trolley in downtown Denver. Which if I'm right is a replica trolley that runs on a scenic industrial spur. It's an open air car so on a hot day it can be loads of fun. After that we decided we wanted to see Amtrak emerge from the Moffet Tunnel knowing the line might be endangered by Anderson and Gardner.
So we drove up to the tunnel and within minutes out popped the Eastbound California Zephyr. After that we drove back towards Denver and we managed to catch it defending the loops down the Front Range. We lost it at the Cold War Horse.
After that we drove back to the airport where our hotel was turned in the car. And ate over priced and rather crappy airport food for dinner. After that we checked into the Westin for $72 a night not bad for a $300 hotel usually.
Day 2: Narrow Gauge and Steam Bliss
So we woke up and claimed our new rent a car which was a Sabb and went back to the Cold War Horse deciding we should photograph the Zephyr again on its way out of town. So we followed the westbound Zephyr up the Front Range again where it looks like a model trainset against the larger mountains.
After a brief hour long chase up the front range we had planned to use a dirt road to get to the next stop of Black Hawk for casinos. Well the road had large boulders as its pavement and in our low Sabb proceeded to take ten minutes to go 200 ft before deciding we should turn back. Of course one side had a rather large drop off so I got out to navigate us on a three point turn.
No the process we managed to put one tire off of the cliff but kept three on so we changed direction crisis averted. Once I got back in the car the check engine light came on but we decided to get to civilization first. So off we giro Black Hawk the most gaudy town I've ever seen. We parked and photographed the steam engine they had before going across town to another steam engine.
I had read that one of the Casinos was doing a free hundred dollar promotion. So I thought I could easily waste $100 of their money and not mine. Turns out one must read the fine print. So we left town without playing a game and went to Idaho Springs down Two Brothers Road. Which was quite the harrowing experience. I believe we dropped down over 1,000 ft in elevation in a handful of miles down a steep dirt road. That had several small wash outs. Definitely a bonding experience.
Afterwards we walked around Idaho Springs had lunch at a local lunch counter. Visited another steam locomotive in this town before driving to the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Which I highly recommend as a unique place to visit. We pulled in right before the downhill train crossed the viaduct.
Malcolm purchased our tickets and I relaxed in the mountain air. Shortly thereafter we boarded a converted box car for our short three mile trip up the mountain. At the top I went to the head end to get a photo of our train taking water before Reboarding in a slight rain. On the way back we rode the last car a converted gondola and made our way back down the grade.
After we detrained we both waited around to get photos of the train departing with the raging river next to the station and crossing the viaduct.
Afterwards we drove to the Colorado Railroad Museum but arrived too late to go in so we photographed thru the fence before driving to a real relic. Lakeside Park in Denver is an old trolley park amusement park. It looks like it was last upgraded in 1965 with every ride or facade being before that.
Cameras are banned there but phones are not so I did get some photos to show you guys. We walked around the park initially just to take in the mid century ambiance. Honestly walking around it made me feel like I was walking around Pipyet in Ukraine somewhat as some parts looked completely abandoned and didn't have people.
We rode the one ride the Cyclone Roller Coaster which was built in 1940 and it had the most advanced form of restraints. A seat belt, not a lap bar, or over the shoulder, just a plain Jane seat belt. The ride had a decent amount of airtime too for a ride with just a seatbelt. If you are in Denver I highly recommend Lakeside Park because it's just plain cool.
After that we drove back across town has dinner and turned the rent a car in. By this time the check engine light had turned off so I guess we didn't mess the engine up.
Part two coming soon and photos.
Planning
So after my good friend Malcolm and I heard the news that we were going to be on the Union Pacific Frontier Days Special from Denver to Cheyenne we started planning our trip. I want to hit all fifty states by rail in a year so we chose to take the AmBus to Raton then the Southwest Chief, City of Mew Orleans, and Crescent to get home. There was a good rate so I snagged it.
After that I priced what it would cost to take the Canadian in a sleeper across Canada Eastbound because we both get 75 percent off discounts for working with for a travel agency. But the stipulation is one must book within 21 days of the trip at the discounted rate. It was available so we grabbed it. Cost of the section was roughly $300 USD from Vancouver to Toronto. And the cost of Amtrak per person was $750 in the sleeper. So I quickly booked a flight from Denver to Portland to visit some friends followed by taking the Cascade to visit Charlie and the Cascade to Vancouver.
Day Zero: Packing late as always.
So I had planned to pack earlier than midnight like I intend to every time but that never happens. At two in the afternoon my coworker and girl I am now dating calls me to cover her shift. We just had her going away party and I texted her to ask if I had to be her for her own going away party because of how many shifts I've covered.
So I go in with no issue I love my job. Since Anderson and Gardner have placed moratoriums on private cars I've started working at a vet clinic as a kennel tech and vet tech apprentice. And honestly I miss the travel but I much prefer this. We're an eight person office and everyone gets along really well with each other. And we all care about each other a lot.
So when she asked me to cover I had to go in. I was also scheduled to do a video interview with United Airlines the same day. So after dinner, visiting my grandmother, and the United interview I finally got around to packing. At roughly 12:30 am.
Day 1: Flight to Denver and chasing a steam train
So I woke up at three AM after going to bed at one to have my dad drive me to the airport in Charlotte an hour and a half away for my 7 am flight. No large issues in driving this time thankfully. So made it there in about an hour and fifteen minutes with very light traffic. Again I had my usual stories from his military days. And instead of the same repeats I get a lot. I managed to get new ones for a change.
Got to the airport and checked my bag. Security at 5:45 had a massive line because they were only letting ten back at a time because they had a beautiful blood hound sniffing people. Eventually I get behind security, find my gate, then decide I should probably eat before flying. So I go to the airport Bojangles and pay way more than fair market value for a chicken biscuit.
Afterwards I board my flight on Frontier No. 199 to Denver on an A320. Easy quick flight to Denver where I attempted to sleep, or played risk on my phone. I had an aisle seat so nothing terribly exciting to look at. Arrived in Denver ahead of Malcolm who was supposed to arrive five minutes ahead of me but caught a bad headwind delaying him somewhat.
Went to the baggage carousel and waited forever for my bag to arrive. As soon as my bag arrived Malcolm and I took a bus to one of the exterior lots and got our rent a car from Truro(spelling) which was a Prius. I chose to let Malcolm drive the stress free trip north towards Wyoming opting to drive the much harder chase. As someone who has been around steam for a decade I'm used to the antics that go on. And felt it would be better if I drove that bit.
So we drove to just the other side of Greeley where we spotted the train and made a fast U Turn. We switched over at a McDonalds so he could use the restroom than continued south to find a good spot. Caught the train once then proceeded to attempt to get ahead of it.
Despite being a four lane road with a 65 mph speed limit and track speed being 60 mph I could not get ahead of it. This was simply due to the pacers whom block traffic so they can match the steam engine's pace perfectly with no regard to other people sharing the road. When the train slowed to thirty both lanes went to thirty making it really hard to get ahead.
The locomotive set off a detector so we were able to get ahead when it stopped. Afterwards we faced the same garbage the rest of the way in Denver. In total we caught the train four times I believe. And that's only due to stops. If you are going to chase please don't pace. Let others get their shots, and normal people on the road get where they are going.
After our chase Malcolm wanted to ride the South Platte Valley Trolley in downtown Denver. Which if I'm right is a replica trolley that runs on a scenic industrial spur. It's an open air car so on a hot day it can be loads of fun. After that we decided we wanted to see Amtrak emerge from the Moffet Tunnel knowing the line might be endangered by Anderson and Gardner.
So we drove up to the tunnel and within minutes out popped the Eastbound California Zephyr. After that we drove back towards Denver and we managed to catch it defending the loops down the Front Range. We lost it at the Cold War Horse.
After that we drove back to the airport where our hotel was turned in the car. And ate over priced and rather crappy airport food for dinner. After that we checked into the Westin for $72 a night not bad for a $300 hotel usually.
Day 2: Narrow Gauge and Steam Bliss
So we woke up and claimed our new rent a car which was a Sabb and went back to the Cold War Horse deciding we should photograph the Zephyr again on its way out of town. So we followed the westbound Zephyr up the Front Range again where it looks like a model trainset against the larger mountains.
After a brief hour long chase up the front range we had planned to use a dirt road to get to the next stop of Black Hawk for casinos. Well the road had large boulders as its pavement and in our low Sabb proceeded to take ten minutes to go 200 ft before deciding we should turn back. Of course one side had a rather large drop off so I got out to navigate us on a three point turn.
No the process we managed to put one tire off of the cliff but kept three on so we changed direction crisis averted. Once I got back in the car the check engine light came on but we decided to get to civilization first. So off we giro Black Hawk the most gaudy town I've ever seen. We parked and photographed the steam engine they had before going across town to another steam engine.
I had read that one of the Casinos was doing a free hundred dollar promotion. So I thought I could easily waste $100 of their money and not mine. Turns out one must read the fine print. So we left town without playing a game and went to Idaho Springs down Two Brothers Road. Which was quite the harrowing experience. I believe we dropped down over 1,000 ft in elevation in a handful of miles down a steep dirt road. That had several small wash outs. Definitely a bonding experience.
Afterwards we walked around Idaho Springs had lunch at a local lunch counter. Visited another steam locomotive in this town before driving to the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Which I highly recommend as a unique place to visit. We pulled in right before the downhill train crossed the viaduct.
Malcolm purchased our tickets and I relaxed in the mountain air. Shortly thereafter we boarded a converted box car for our short three mile trip up the mountain. At the top I went to the head end to get a photo of our train taking water before Reboarding in a slight rain. On the way back we rode the last car a converted gondola and made our way back down the grade.
After we detrained we both waited around to get photos of the train departing with the raging river next to the station and crossing the viaduct.
Afterwards we drove to the Colorado Railroad Museum but arrived too late to go in so we photographed thru the fence before driving to a real relic. Lakeside Park in Denver is an old trolley park amusement park. It looks like it was last upgraded in 1965 with every ride or facade being before that.
Cameras are banned there but phones are not so I did get some photos to show you guys. We walked around the park initially just to take in the mid century ambiance. Honestly walking around it made me feel like I was walking around Pipyet in Ukraine somewhat as some parts looked completely abandoned and didn't have people.
We rode the one ride the Cyclone Roller Coaster which was built in 1940 and it had the most advanced form of restraints. A seat belt, not a lap bar, or over the shoulder, just a plain Jane seat belt. The ride had a decent amount of airtime too for a ride with just a seatbelt. If you are in Denver I highly recommend Lakeside Park because it's just plain cool.
After that we drove back across town has dinner and turned the rent a car in. By this time the check engine light had turned off so I guess we didn't mess the engine up.
Part two coming soon and photos.
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