Ski Train
Encyclopedia
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado, a heritage railway, began operations in 2006, operating both steam and diesel locomotives in the San Luis Valley. Located south of Denver, Colorado, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad operates out of Alamosa, Monte Vista and La Veta...
in the period 1940-2009. Starting in 1988, the train was operated by the Ansco Investment Company, which had in turn purchased the Ski Train franchise from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
in that year.
History
The train was instituted by the railroad in 1940 and ran from Union StationUnion Station (Denver)
Union Station is Denver, Colorado, USA's historic train station at 17th and Wynkoop in the LoDo district. The station first opened in 1881.-History:...
in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
for 56 miles (90.1 km) to the ski resort
Winter Park Resort
Winter Park Resort is an alpine ski resort in Winter Park, Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. Located just off U.S. Highway 40, the resort is about an hour and a half's drive from Denver, Colorado....
town of Winter Park, Colorado
Winter Park, Colorado
Winter Park is a Home Rule Municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 662 at the 2000 census, although tourists and seasonal workers significantly increase the population....
. The train's scenic route left Union Station and traveled through northwest suburban Denver, generally parallel to South Boulder Creek, past Pinecliffe
Pinecliffe, Colorado
Pinecliffe is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Boulder County and Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. The Pinecliffe Post Office, in Boulder County, has the ZIP Code 80471.-Geography:...
and Rollinsville
Rollinsville, Colorado
Rollinsville is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office located in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 181.It is located in the mountains southwest of the city of Boulder, on the flank of a hill above South Boulder Creek along State Highway 119...
.
The route climbed about 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) and passed through 29 tunnels before reaching the final mountain underpass, the 6.2 miles (10 km) long Moffat Tunnel
Moffat Tunnel
The Moffat Tunnel is a railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. Named after Colorado railroad pioneer David Moffat, the tunnel's first railroad traffic passed through in February 1928....
. This is the highest railroad tunnel in the United States and passes under the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
.
The train stopped less than 100 yards (91.4 m) from the base of the ski lifts of Winter Park Resort
Winter Park Resort
Winter Park Resort is an alpine ski resort in Winter Park, Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. Located just off U.S. Highway 40, the resort is about an hour and a half's drive from Denver, Colorado....
. There was one trip in each direction per day, with a travel time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, assuming no delays from freight rail traffic.
The Ski Train carried skiers to Winter Park Resort from December through March each ski season between 1940 and 2008-2009.
2009 Change of Ownership
The Ski Train made its final run to Winter Park on March 29, 2009. The Ski Train equipment was sold to Algoma Central RailwayAlgoma Central Railway
The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads...
Inc., a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
.
The Ski Train operated at a consistent loss for over 21 years. More recently it had faced additional serious challenges. These included escalating costs such as liability insurance coverage, operational conflicts with freight traffic, and substantial uncertainties posed by redevelopment of Denver's Union Station. These reasons combined with the worldwide economic maladies in 2009 meant that the Ski Train could no longer be operated.
Future
Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, which owns several short line railroads including San Luis & Rio GrandeSan Luis and Rio Grande Railroad
The San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Colorado.The SLRG began operations in 2003 using 154 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa, Colorado. The SLRG operates an eclectic variety of equipment from the...
in southern Colorado, made a bid to revive the Ski Train using an improved business model that utilized idle equipment from SL&RG's subsidiary, Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado, a heritage railway, began operations in 2006, operating both steam and diesel locomotives in the San Luis Valley. Located south of Denver, Colorado, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad operates out of Alamosa, Monte Vista and La Veta...
. Unfortunately, the Ski Train never left the station in what was hoped to be its 70th season. One reason the plans fell through is that Amtrak, who would be supplying staff for the train, considered the Ski Train to be a commuter operation and not an excursion train. This would mean a liability insurance double that of a excursion operation would be placed on the operators. Many people are skeptical at Amtrak's timing to settle this matter at court on December 23, 2009 when the first run of the season was scheduled to leave on 27 December 2009. Full refunds were made by Iowa Pacific.
The former Ski Train F40PH locomotives and passenger cars are now in use on the Algoma Central Railway's
Algoma Central Railway
The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads...
Agawa Canyon
Agawa Canyon
The Agawa Canyon is a shallow canyon located deep in the sparsely populated Algoma District in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and then enlarged by the erosive action of the Agawa River...
tourist train and the equipment has been refurbished and repainted to Algoma Central livery.
See also
- List of Colorado historic railroads