California Zephyr detour?

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(Sorry, I think I posted this in the wrong place earlier!!)

Since Amtrak could not answer my question, is the CA Zephyr detour still in effect? One Amtrak agent said he thought the work was not yet finished. I thought it was supposed to end some time in August. We will be taking the Zephyr from Sacramento to Grand Junction on Sept. 21 and from Denver to Sacramento on September 30. The main reason for this trip is to see the beautiful Rockies scenery!

Also, any suggestions on which side of the train we should sit to see the best scenery?

Any other hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.
 
(Sorry, I think I posted this in the wrong place earlier!!)Since Amtrak could not answer my question, is the CA Zephyr detour still in effect? One Amtrak agent said he thought the work was not yet finished. I thought it was supposed to end some time in August. We will be taking the Zephyr from Sacramento to Grand Junction on Sept. 21 and from Denver to Sacramento on September 30. The main reason for this trip is to see the beautiful Rockies scenery!
I don't have the answer, but I do have basically the same question. I'll be on the westbound Zephyr leaving Chicago on the 19th, passing through Denver on the 20th (a Thursday) en route to Grand Junction. In another thread (from 24 July), AlanB said the detour only affected Zephyrs passing Denver or Salt Lake City on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. He also said track work was definitely supposed to be finished by now, though, so if Amtrak is now unsure of that... I would hope at least for both our sakes that the days-of-the-week predictability remains! Anyone know?
 
While I don't know about the trackwork/detour stuff, I CAN say that the best scenery option is to hang out in the observation car. Certain parts of the ride the best scenery is on the right, other portions it's on the left, so the observation car offers the best shot.
 
(Sorry, I think I posted this in the wrong place earlier!!)
Since Amtrak could not answer my question, is the CA Zephyr detour still in effect? One Amtrak agent said he thought the work was not yet finished. I thought it was supposed to end some time in August. We will be taking the Zephyr from Sacramento to Grand Junction on Sept. 21 and from Denver to Sacramento on September 30. The main reason for this trip is to see the beautiful Rockies scenery!

Also, any suggestions on which side of the train we should sit to see the best scenery?

Any other hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.
I tried to book a trip to Reno for November on the California Zephyr. It listed the summer maintenance times and not the regular times. I am assuming they are still in effect, because I heard from another person that the track workers had to work on the washouts in the midwest. I may not be correct though.
 
There are two issues.

First, the detour around the Rockies and through Wyoming is over. That was a special situation caused by the owner railroad (Union Pacific) doing maintenance on the scenic Moffat line. The detour ended last month. The Zephyr is back on its regular route through the mountains.

The special maintenance schedule is still in effect and will be for a year or two. This reflects the Union Pacific's desire to repair the tracks in western Utah and Nevada. The repairs do not require detouring, but can result in delays. The special schedule is longer than normal to account for the delay potential.
 
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Thanks, PRR60 for clearing up this issue. So glad we will not have the detour! We are quite prepared for delays!
 
The special maintenance schedule is still in effect and will be for a year or two. This reflects the Union Pacific's desire to repair the tracks in western Utah and Nevada. The repairs do not require detouring, but can result in delays. The special schedule is longer than normal to account for the delay potential.
Is this why the original arrival time in Emeryville used to be 4.30 and it's now 7.50?

That makes a lot of sense, mind you I suppose it also helps with the delay stats! But saying that when I looked the other day there'd been very few delays over the last month, in fact lots early!
 
The #6 has been running "on time" alot here in LNK and it blows me away. I know they have added time, but the old ETA was 3:56am and I once asked the station manager if it had ever been on time and he just smiled and said, "once I believe". The new ETA is 4:56am and its been early or nearly on time quite frequently. Remember, this is a train that used to be in here at 6am if it was a "good" day and habitually around 7:30-10am in the morning. So I have seen alot of improvement over the ETA for the CZ #6. The #5 is generally within the 1 hour of the ETA.

Al
 
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