FRA Takes An Interest In Georgetown Loop Operations

While lawmakers continue debate and gas prices reach new record highs four times in as many weeks, the Georgetown Loop Railroad finds itself in a unique situation. The Federal Railroad Administration is taking the uncommon step of overseeing the tourist railroad.

Normally, the FRA doesn't usually involve itself in the tourist railroad business beyond the usual Federal boiler regulations because most tourist railroads are "insular." However, Warren Flatau with the FRA says that they are not insular as tourist railroads go because of the occasional freight movements and other operational aspects of the line. Because of one or two incidents last year that would be reportable under FRA guidelines, the FRA has decided to more closely monitor the railroad's activities. Though the Colorado & Southern engines 12 and 9 add a great deal of curb appeal, the FRA needs to not only inspect the locomotives for public safety, but to oversee other operational aspects such as brake mechanisms.

This new attention by the FRA may indicate a renewed interest in tourist railroads by the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, an industry expert panel for the FRA. According to Flatau, the committee is going to look at extending Federal regulations to the tourist railroads where the FRA deems it necessary for public safety. On the other hand, the open feuding between the former operator of the loop and the Colorado Historical Society has certainly played a role in getting the FRA to inspect the railroad. How it will impact Railstar's operations is still unclear, but it's obvious Railstar did not send invitations to the FRA. Number 12 is still to be inspected and hopefully it will be ready for the opening day festivities on May 24th, Memorial Day weekend.

Times And Seasons In The I-70 Corridor

It seems like another era when I was a kid in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. My dad would take me hiking, camping and jeeping. What I enjoyed most was fishing. There were days when we took our eight-per-person limit of fish from places like Lake Ivanhoe, Allen's Basin and Yamcola Reservoir. We learned that there were times and seasons when the fish were biting. Some times we happened to hit it just right and we couldn't keep our lines in the water for all the fish we were catching. More often, however, we had between few and none to show for our travels.

Right now, articles like this are common because the time and season is right to fund and build a rail-based solution for the I-70 corridor. This is the time that the Interstate 70 driver has nearly every reason to ditch his car and board a train bound for the Colorado high country. Crowding on the highway is at an all time high and likely will continue to climb for at least the next 20 years. Gasoline prices are prohibitively expensive, causing families to cancel or scale back their plans. These same prices are fueling an employment boom on the western slope, which sits on a vast reserve of oil and gas. I-70 figures to be the one highway everyone is talking about and trading in rubber on asphalt for steel on steel sounds more and more reasonable with every penny-per-gallon and every car-per-day.

Though it pains me as a consumer to say this, the worst thing that could happen as far as I-70 rail proponents are concerned is for gas prices to drop or remain at it's present level. Consumer demand would adjust and prices would normalize, and the numbers of voters and drivers willing to support a rail-based option would not expand but contract. Talks of a solution would shift to paving or other low-cost quick fixes.

Strategically speaking, the push for rail needs to grow and change from promoting a "gee, isn't this a good idea" aspect to advocate a lasting, growth-minded improvement that will offer Colorado a 50-80 year solution instead of a 10-20 year fix. Opponents of rail really don't have anything to compete with that, and their only gripe will be the price involved in any lasting change. Colorado has put off this solution for too long and we are reaping the results of such deference today. Our choice is, do we perpetuate the cycle and produce the same-old tired approach of more lanes in finite space or do we end it by instituting an improvement that will last longer and go further to build our economy?

I don't get up to the mountains as much as I used to. That's a refrain we'll hear more and more as the Rockies become our biggest liability, rather than our biggest asset if we continue to pave our way with good intentions. Rail offers true options, and the season has never been better to start building.

Colorado's Newest Steam Locomotive In Action!

As a follow up to my Thursday post, Stirrings of Summer This Weekend, I have one cool link to pass on to you. Nathan Zachman was one of the lucky ones to catch San Luis & Rio Grande #18 out this first weekend in May. Please take a look. Yes, that is a standard gauge engine on welded rail. Yes, that is a flying Rio Grande logo on the side of the tender. Yes, standard gauge steam is alive and well in Colorado!

Colorado's Railroads Driving Fuel Efficiency, Clean Energy

The Denver Post picked up an article titled Rolling With the Wind by Steve Raabe on the ways railroads in Colorado are not only fuel efficient movers of freight. They are also building the clean energy industry by serving a windmill manufacturer in Windsor, Colorado by way of the Great Western Railway. It's a good read, especially for those who want to understand why rail is so vitally important to Colorado's economy, especially in light of the energy boom.

A Hogger Shares His View Of The Moffat Route

When Cyrus Osborne of EMD sat up in a locomotive cab in 1944, he mentioned to the engineer that a lot of people would pay good money to have a seat up front, taking in the grandeur as they rolled through Glenwood Canyon, east of Glenwood Springs. Later that day, Osborne would design the first draft of what would become the Vista Dome car.

The views of western Colorado continue to inspire, as you can see from the photos from an engineer on the Moffat Route available here. These are rare photos that are worth a look!

Amtrak's California Zephyr Detoured, Then Stopped

There's going to be at least three posts today, including this one. Rather than put it all under one mega-post and make you read through all of it. I decided to split them up.

Kevin Morgan, who runs ColoradoRailfan.com, was out photographing some rare power and unique sidings when he heard Amtrak's California Zephyr on his scanner. This particular train was detoured off the normal Burlington Route rails because a barge rammed a bridge in Iowa. Kevin caught up with the CZ at Leyden, already nine hours late.

It seems this train made it as far as Reno, Nevada, before it was turned around and sent back to Chicago because it was over 12 hours late due to the detour and traffic delays. Whether it's in or out of service on it's return is not known. Because the train was not provisioned at Emeryville, California, stocks on board the dining car will likely be near empty for the return trip. If it is running as number 6, I imagine it's probably going to be making a Harvey House stop (or three) on the way back.

Stirrings Of Summer This Weekend

Despite the previously mentioned canceled work session, this first weekend in May is shaping up to be a busy one for railroads in Colorado. Tomorrow (Friday), Durango will be having their Annual Narrow Gauge Day with BBQ and western music by the Bar D Wranglers out in front of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot. This ceremonially kicks off the summer runs to Silverton, which will increase to four trains a day from June to August to accommodate the demand for the black engine and yellow cars so symbolic of southwestern Colorado and of narrow gauge railroading.

On the Front Range, the Colorado Railroad Museum will open it's doors wide to the public on Saturday, offering a free admission day. For families strapped for cash, this is a nice break on the price, although the museum can always use more support. Trains will not be running Saturday. A list of their scheduled steam ups are available at the museum site and are listed on the Colorado Railroads Calendar.

Finally and most importantly, this is the weekend of the La Veta Pass Explorer expedition from Trains Unlimited. According to their site, steam engine #18 is going to make its first revenue run over La Veta Pass with this excursion. Obviously, this trip is sold out, but there is no limit on photographers on the photo line. Good luck and good hunting, gentlemen!

C&TS Cancels One Work Session, Still Offers Charters For 315

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is reporting that the special work session S1 is canceled. The work session was scheduled for the week of May 5-9, 2008.

Additionally, the C&TS reports that the Friends' Locomotive 315 Charter on Saturday June 21, 2008 is sold out. However, the Cumbres & Toltec is still offering a number of 315 charters during its three-week visit to the C&TS. Please call the railroad's toll free number 1-888-CUMBRES for information and reservations.

Local Steam Favored As Gas Prices Climb

The Pueblo Chieftain recently ran this travel feature on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. With gas prices at all time highs, many vacations are going to be scaled back or canceled altogether this summer. Many Coloradoans will be looking for something close to home for a vacation spot. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic combined with the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad as well as the Great Sand Dunes makes Alamosa an attractive offer, especially being less than 4 hours away from Denver and the northern Front Range.

What makes Alamosa even more attractive is the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad's newest addition to its line up, former LS&I steam engine #18. Because of their second steam engine, RGSR is able to advertise a daily steam train over La Veta Pass rather than just weekend steam service with a weekday diesel stand-in. The Rio Grande Scenic seems to be a railroad committed to making Colorado the steam capital of the western United States. It is a welcome thought to many railfans and photographers. The San Luis Valley trains are hidden gems that are finally getting the attention they deserve.

Visit the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad site (sound is enabled) or the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad site for more information.

Royal Gorge Route Offers Rafting Package

Echo Canyon River Expeditions has combined with the Royal Gorge Route Railroad to create a Raft & Rail package. See below for their promotional video, including shots from the train, inside the domes and a shot of the cab.



Looks like a fun time! Just be careful. The Arkansas River is likely to be more of a challenge this year because of the high snowpack.

Video: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Digging Out Slowly

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is turning to some unique snow clearing equipment to dig out from this winter's record snowfall. With up to 15 feet and no rotary snowplows in useable condition, the C&TS has contracted out with one of its part time locomotive engineers to clear the snow by opening day. See the video below to watch the converted runway plow in action.

With the snow settled in, rather than being cleared routinely as it was in days gone by, the snow has the consistency of wet concrete or worse. Good luck, guys! Here's hoping opening day will be a full run of the line.

A Note To My Regulars

To my regular readers, thanks for continuing to read Colorado Railroads. I'm starting to really enjoy this work.

As a reminder, I am continuing to update the special events calendar on Google calendars. The original post continues to show the upcoming events automatically, so you might want to bookmark it and check back there often. In terms of events, I added the swap meet at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds next weekend and a "Big Boy" day at the Forney Transportation Mueuem, along with several other "just announced" events. If you have an event, or you see one that is missing, please drop me a line at coloradorailroads@gmail.com about it. I'll be glad to put it up if it meets the guidelines.

I have also added more links, such as an expanded model railroading listing. Check out the new sites and maybe even visit one.

Finally, check out the store I've set up with Amazon. I continue to hand-pick all the items that relate to Colorado railroading, not just railroading in general. I am accepting reviews of products as well.

Highball!

Steve