Utah wildfire disrupts the Zephyr east of SLC

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

bmjhagen9426

OBS Chief
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
815
Location
North Sacramento, California
On Sunday, September 16, 2018, a wildfire just east of Provo Utah, right by the trackage caused a westbound Zephyr to backtrack for three hours to Grand Junction. The disruption is expected to last at least three (3) days, or longer, depending on how long it takes for the wildfire to be contained or controlled enough to the point that it is safe enough for trains to pass through.

Note: Because the source article has only a few short paragraphs each comprising one or two sentences, the article itself comprising of only six sentences, and the fact that the article is freely accessible and not behind a paywall, I will not include a quote from the article to comply with fair use and copyright guidelines, but only a link to the source article, as you can read it yourself for free by clicking on the link provided.

Link to source: https://www.nbc11news.com/content/news/493541211.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have friends currently on the westbound California Zephyr, who boarded in Denver. They were told this morning, prior to boarding, that due to fires, they would be taking a detour through Wyoming. However, immediately before boarding they were told that they were not going to be re-routed. This is their first train trip.
 
Yikes. Is this the first time this year that a wildfire has directly interfered with an Amtrak train?
Nope, remember the California Fires and the Starlight,weve discussed this,all year!
Oh right. But is this the first time that a fire has interfered with a train en route, though? All the other truncations and service suspensions have been planned and announced in advance, right?
 
Yikes. Is this the first time this year that a wildfire has directly interfered with an Amtrak train?
Not at all. Earlier this summer, the Carr Fire interfered with the Coast Starlight for a few days. A couple of weeks ago, the Delta Fire also interfered with the Coast Starlight. In both instances, services between KFS and SAC was impacted, and in both cases, it occured while the trains were enroute. And this is definitely not the first year for such interference. Last year, there was the Thomas Fire that affected the CS between EMY/OKJ and LAX, as well as the Surfliners between SLO and LAX. Two years ago, there was the Metz Fire near Soledad, CA which affected the Coast Starlight south of OKJ (there is a thread talking about this, I believe), as well as the Blue Cut Fire near Cajon Pass which affected the Southwest Chief between FLG and LAX, as well as a segment of I-15 in the area. That fire also consumed a historic Route 66 establishment. In the summer of 2014, a fire near Weed, CA affected the Coast Starlight, but I don't have much info about this. The Eagle Creek Fire last year would have affected an Amtrak train for several days, had the Pioneer still been running and not have been cut in 1997.
 
I have friends currently on the westbound California Zephyr, who boarded in Denver. They were told this morning, prior to boarding, that due to fires, they would be taking a detour through Wyoming. However, immediately before boarding they were told that they were not going to be re-routed. This is their first train trip.
Yikes, that would mean a dreaded GJT-SLC bus trip on US-6 or I-70. Where are/were they supposed to go? Looks like they "ran out of luck".
 
I have friends currently on the westbound California Zephyr, who boarded in Denver. They were told this morning, prior to boarding, that due to fires, they would be taking a detour through Wyoming. However, immediately before boarding they were told that they were not going to be re-routed. This is their first train trip.
Yikes, that would mean a dreaded GJT-SLC bus trip on US-6 or I-70. Where are/were they supposed to go? Looks like they "ran out of luck".
They are going to Emeryville. I guess I was not clear in my post. They are not being detoured or bused. They will be on the regular route.
 
I am looking at a map of current fires in Utah and do not understand why they would send the train all the way back to Grand Junction from Helper?
 
I am looking at a map of current fires in Utah and do not understand why they would send the train all the way back to Grand Junction from Helper?
Perhaps due to the difficulty of containment/control, growth speed, and proximity to trackage.

Also, GJT is staffed while the other stations are not. Plus, I think there are more hotels, restaurants, etc... in GJT then in Helper.
The nearest fire to Helper is 30-40 miles from Helper but it is windy so maybe you are right that it could travel fast. Also, GJT station is closed at that time of night, would someone be called to reopen?
 
I am looking at a map of current fires in Utah and do not understand why they would send the train all the way back to Grand Junction from Helper?
Perhaps due to the difficulty of containment/control, growth speed, and proximity to trackage.

Also, GJT is staffed while the other stations are not. Plus, I think there are more hotels, restaurants, etc... in GJT then in Helper.
The nearest fire to Helper is 30-40 miles from Helper but it is windy so maybe you are right that it could travel fast. Also, GJT station is closed at that time of night, would someone be called to reopen?
According to my source article, the fire was just east of Provo.
 
I'm a bit confused about the actual impact on the Zephyr here. This is what I can glean from the status maps:

5 (15) was returned to DEN and then ???

5 (16) was detoured via Wyoming

5 (17) is currently on regular route in Utah

6 (16) operated regular route

6 (17) operated to Reno and started again at DEN ???

6 (18) started out of Reno ???

The only logical explanation here is that 5 (15) turned for 6 (17) out of Denver, one day ahead of its normal turn, and the real 6 (17) was held in Reno to make 6 (18).

Bizarre if true.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm a bit confused about the actual impact on the Zephyr here. This is what I can glean from the status maps:

5 (15) was returned to DEN and then ???

5 (16) was detoured via Wyoming

5 (17) is currently on regular route in Utah

6 (16) operated regular route

6 (17) operated to Reno and started again at DEN ???

6 (18) started out of Reno ???

The only logical explanation here is that 5 (15) turned for 6 (17) out of Denver, one day ahead of its normal turn, and the real 6 (17) was held in Reno to make 6 (18).

Bizarre if true.
That would belong in bizarroland. Only way to confirm/deny/debunk these claims and speculations is to check with the powers that be within Amtrak (e.g. conductors, OBS crew, and engineers that worked for the said trains).
 
I'm a bit confused about the actual impact on the Zephyr here. This is what I can glean from the status maps:

5 (15) was returned to DEN and then ???

5 (16) was detoured via Wyoming

5 (17) is currently on regular route in Utah

6 (16) operated regular route

6 (17) operated to Reno and started again at DEN ???

6 (18) started out of Reno ???

The only logical explanation here is that 5 (15) turned for 6 (17) out of Denver, one day ahead of its normal turn, and the real 6 (17) was held in Reno to make 6 (18).

Bizarre if true.
That would belong in bizarroland. Only way to confirm/deny/debunk these claims and speculations is to check with the powers that be within Amtrak (e.g. conductors, OBS crew, and engineers that worked for the said trains).
Or ask any of our members who work for Amtrak. The people onboard are not the only people who know, or can find out, what happened.
 
Actually, no CZ was turned. Those that looked like they turned actually traveled between Denver and Utah via Wyoming which is the original Zephyr route and often used as a detour when needed due to Colorado track work, etc. One westbound train 5 did make it to Helper, UT, and then was backed up to Grand Junction. From there the train may have either backed up to Denver or somehow traveled from Grand Junction into Wyoming to avoid the wildfire between Provo and Helper. The wildfire must be under control as the Zephyr has resumed its regular route through Colorado and Utah.

Incidentally, there is no station stops between Denver and Salt Lake City when the train is routed through Wyoming therefore, not station stops reported on "track a train". That is why it looks like the train disappeared.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No way to get a train from GJT to Wyoming without going east to Denver or west to Salt Lake City. If the westbound CZ was taken back to GJT from Helper, this was probably done for train servicing convenience.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There's an interactive map of the fires. The tracks follow US-6 for much of the trip through Spanish Fork canyon, and as of today (Wed, Sep 19), it appears US-6 is still closed. If it's closed to car traffic, I imagine it's closed to rail traffic. At least intermittently.

Edit to add quote from Sep 18 9pm update: "Highway 6 and Highway 89 will remain closed indefinitely." as the fire on the north side of the freeway is currently quite active. Source from the Spanish Fork side of things.

It's frustrating that Amtrak's service alerts page is seldom ever updated for the Zephyr. This is a pretty significant disruption affecting many stops and people's sightseeing expectations! One would think Amtrak could keep a blurb or two up there daily to alert people to what is going on. I guess it's run through there OK today, at least eastbound.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If it helps, Amtrak #6(17) went through Iowa today with its cars in reverse order. Looks like the engines were run around the train somewhere.

 
If it helps, Amtrak #6(17) went through Iowa today with its cars in reverse order. Looks like the engines were run around the train somewhere.


This is the train that was 5 and backed backed to Grand Junction. It is possible that it did run in that reverse order all the way back to Denver. I'm not sure why it was not turned in Denver since there are ample tracks in the yards to allow a reversal.
 
Back
Top