Denver visit by Jack May

[MidlandMike]

The east side of Denver, out on the prairie, is where there's developable land.  I have been doing ski trips thru Denver for years.  Since they built the new airport out in the prairie, every year there are developements sprouting up in the sagebrush.  I thought the airport rail line would put a station at Tower Road where a dozen hotels had sprung up at the first exit from the airport.  However, they put the station a little further away, but I see Mr. May found a new hotel built right near the station.

[daveklepper]

 

10-Breaking COVID's cabin fever Denver light-rail

 

Jack May

Continued from part 1.

The final segment of our survey of Denver's light rail system covers our activities of Thursday, May 6, which mostly consisted of riding and photographing the newest portions of the R and E lines, specifically the R from Peoria to Nine Mile (2017) and the extension of the previously-built Southeast line from Lincoln to RidgeGate Parkway (2019).  The forecast was for perfect weather (which turned out to be correct), so we moved ahead quickly after checking out and leaving our bags with the hotel's concierge.  We had our usual breakfast along the 16th Street Mall and then continued on to Union Station, where we rode the A line to Peoria in order to connect to the LRVs on the R line (see map at https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map).  We were now only two, as Russ had left Bruce and me early in the morning to travel from Union Station to Salt Lake City on Amtrak's California Zephyr.

I had ridden the R line (in the rain) after checking in at the hotel on the previous Monday afternoon, and had noted some locations that I felt were good for photos.  Thus we rode to Aurora Metro Center, and then later continued southward to the Iliff stop.  For the most part the R's trackage runs through relatively undeveloped territory until it reaches that area, although there is a long elevated structure where it crosses busy Colfax Avenue at the station of the same name.  Metro Center is adjacent to a large shopping mall, but the east side of the line is almost totally devoid of structures (although one could argue that it is a residential neighborhood as the line runs south from there along a field that is home to many colonies of prairie dogs).  We spent more time than we wanted here because of the 30-minute headways on the single route that operates over this trackage.



The rear end of an R-line train entering the Aurora Metro Center stop.  The surface of this plot of land is rather uneven, and when walking through it we had to be very careful of the mounds and holes left by the coteries of prairie dogs who call the area home.  But our presence also drove the cute little rodents that we originally admired underground.



A southbound train of LRVs approaches Exposition Avenue, where it will turn to the west and run in pavement.  Metro Center is in the background.




Above and below: Looking westward along Exposition Avenue.  A low curb separates the light rail line from automobile traffic, while a fence prevents pedestrians from crossing the street at places other than intersections.


Exposition Avenue ends at the I-225 freeway and at that point the line makes a 90-degree turn to the left to run alongside the multi-lane limited-access highway.  As the line approaches the Florida stop its right-of-way widens to make provision for a center layup track that serves route H LRVs that terminate at the station's island platform.  South of that point service is much more frequent with 3 trains every half hour in each direction (one on the R and two on the H).  The line is placed on a curved elevated structure as it approaches Iliff station to allow motor traffic to reach the highway unimpeded via on and off ramps, but it soon regains its regular alignment at the side of the interstate.

Above and below:  What goes up must come down.  The right-of-way of the H and R lines provides a mild roller coaster ride as it passes over roadways that access I-225.  In the upper view, the fact that an automobile has broken down in front of the camera raises the question of whether this incident adds to or detracts from the photo, but the players in the drama couldn't care less as they try to start the offending vehicle by jumping its battery.  In the lower view a northbound train of LRVs approaches the pinnacle of the overpass.







 
A southbound R train heading for Lincoln is shown arriving at the Iliff station.  We boarded it.

Now it was time to get to the former terminal of the Southeast line at Lincoln (built 2006) and explore the 2.3-mile three-station extension that opened in May, 2019.  Like so many rail lines that are now planned to foster development (rather than to serve existing neighborhoods), this line was originally advanced by the City of Lone Tree, which is south of Denver, in order to enable growth in planned manner.  Thus it was not surprising for us to see the outer reaches of the line consist of vast open spaces--with a big 1,300-space parking garage at the RidgeGate terminal.  (Such planning for the future was also the case in the Salt Lake City area for the Red Line extension to Daybreak Parkway--see upcoming segment 12--where upon their construction, some stations served very little more than a population of rattlesnakes.)

I suspect the developers of the planned communities that are now sprouting up along the Lone Tree extension, specifically the Coventry Development Corporation, may have ante'd up part of the funding or its equivalent in real estate that helped comprise the local share for this federal New Starts project.  The plan is to run 3 lines to RidgeGate, the E, F and R, but for now only the E runs beyond Lincoln while, as mentioned earlier, the F has been suspended because of COVID.



 
Above and below:  Lincoln station, the former end of the southeast line.  The parking garage shown on the left side of both views is an excellent vantage point for photos.  The upper photo was taken from platform level, while the lower one is from the pedestrian overpass that stretches across the 10 lane-wide I-25 highway.  Lincoln is actually at the northern edge of  the City of Lone Tree.






Sky Ridge is the first stop south of Lincoln.  The TOD (transit-oriented development) at right is brand new.  The Google street maps and satellite views currently on the internet (dated 2018) just show the stop surrounded by acres of brown sand and dirt.



There was little more than scrub in the vicinity of the Lone Tree Town Center station and its approach.  This reminded me of the first time I saw the Santee Town Center terminal of the San Diego Trolley.  If development of that area is a precedent, there will soon be the makings of a city at this location.



An E-line train of LRVs has just left its RidgeGate Parkway terminal and approaches an overpass spanning the thoroughfare of the same name here in the middle of nowhere.
 



I'd noticed this reflection on many of my rides through this area over the years and finally remembered to ready my camera to record it as my LRV approached the I-25/Broadway stop on our return from Lone Tree.  The E train is curving along a pair of office buildings at 900-990 South Broadway.  The structure to the right carries Littleton-bound cars.


Upon returning to our hotel to pick up our luggage, we rode the 16th Street Mall bus to Union Station and the A train to its penultimate stop, 61st & Pena, where we checked in at to our "Airport Hotel" after a short walk.  Bruce would fly back home on Friday morning, while I'd make a one-day round trip to Salt Lake City on Delta Airlines.

Segment 11 will begin the coverage of my visit to Salt Lake City

[daveklepper]

And the answer:

Jack May	Mon, Sep 27, 6:24 PM (1 day ago)
to me

Don't know, but suppressed due to COVID.

[daveklepper]

Electroliner, I'll ask Jack.

[MidlandMike]

Denver really blew it when they let the rail corridor south from Union Station be developed for buildings.  Thus the two stub ended operations facing each other.

[Electroliner 1935]

What passenger load did you observe? Sparse, or Heavy?

[daveklepper]

 

	6:26 PM (2 hours ago)
09-Breaking COVID's cabin fever Denver light rail part 1

 

 

After a photo or two out of our hotel window, we began our coverage of Denver's light rail system.  Between Wednesday and Thursday we had sufficient time to ride the entire network of 8 routes serving 6 branches, but concentrated on photographing the newest lines and extensions.  See https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map for a map.  Frequencies had been cut back in some cases because of COVID, and one route, the F, which is entirely overlapped by other services, was entirely suspended during this period of reduced riding (eliminating one-seat rides between certain points).  The remaining lines, except for the relatively new R route, were running every 15 minutes (the R every 30 and also cut back from RidgeGate Parkway to Lincoln on its southern end).



A parking lot behind the hotel allowed for an unobstructed view of the contra-flow westbound track along Stout Street between 17th and 18th Streets.  The location is at the western edge of the downtown loop, used by the D, H and L lines, which were providing a combined 5-minute headway (which would even be less in rush hours had the F been running).


The first business of our Wednesday, after breakfast along the 16th Street Mall, was to cover portions of the W line, which runs from Union Station to Golden (but not to the center of that city*).  Service to the last two stops, Jefferson County Government Center and Red Rock College, is limited to every half hour because of single-track west of Federal Center and only one passing siding (at Red Rock).  The day started out sunny, but in the late morning clouds encroached, and then we had alternate periods of sun, clouds and even some downpours.

* That will have to wait for the extension of the G commuter line from Wheat Ridge, which might also serve the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Clouds can be seen over the foothills of the majestic Rockies in this view from the parking garage at the W line's Jefferson County Government Center terminal in Golden.  With the capability of running no better than a 15-minute headway, one could argue that having three stub-end tracks is a little bit of overkill, but it is what it is.




Above and below:  Two views from a platform at the Federal Center stop, which is in the City of Lakewood.  Every other W light rail train terminates at this three-track two-platform station.  The upper photo shows the first two cars of a train rounding a sharp curve coming eastward from Golden, while the lower one captures one of the short-turns laying over while the operator takes a break, before moving from one end of the train to the other.




Working our way inbound we stopped at the next station, Oak, where this mural on a signal box is highly photographable.  It depicts one of the Denver & Inter-Mountain interurban cars that once ran to Golden along portions of this right-of-way.  Electric rail service on this line and Denver's urban streetcar network quit on June 3, 1950, although the narrow gauge interurban line to Golden (as mentioned in the previous segment of this report) held on for another month to July 2, 1950, thereby ending legacy electric rail service in the Mile High City.  It wasn't until October 7, 1994 that streetcars returned to Colorado, now in the form of modern light rail (although this line, the W, didn't begin operating until April 26, 2013).  In the meantime, starting in 1989, part of the right-of-way (east of Sheridan Blvd.) was used by a heritage rail line, the Platte Valley Trolley, utilizing diesel-powered Gomaco-built open-bench car 1977.  When work on the W line began in 2007, the Platte Valley route was cut back; its 5-day-a-week operation over a shorter section of route from Confluence Park during the warm weather months was suspended last year due to COVID.




Above and below:  The lower photo, copied from the internet, shows the beautifully-restored D&IM interurban depicted in the mural.  We attempted to get to see the finished product, but were unable to accomplish that.  The Woeber Carriage Co. built this car and about 6 others for the D&IM in 1911.  Preserved by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, it was sold to the West Corridor Rail Historic Cooperative.  It has operated for short distances on rare occasions pulling/pushing a generator that supplies power to its motors.





The cover of a brochure to publicize the D&IM's rail line is displayed in one of shelters at the W line's Perry station, along the former interurban's right-of-way.




Above and below.  Two views on the former D&IM (and Platte Valley Trolley) right-of-way between the Sheridan and Perry stations of route W.  This is my favorite section of the line, through Dry Gulch Park, which also extends further eastward, past the Perry and Knox stations to Decatur-Federal.  Bicycle and pedestrian paths made it easy to obtain these two photos.  The line is also attractive west of Sheridan.






A train of wrapped LRVs is about to come to a halt at the Perry station.  The overpass in the background is easily accessed from the walkways within Dry Gulch Park.

You may notice from these photos that the skies were clouding up, so we elected to do some riding before continuing our photo expedition on the W line.  We eventually found ourselves downtown after a journey to the outer terminal of the C and D lines at Littleton-Mineral via the C and then returning on the D.  After reaching the Theatre District-Convention Center stop we changed to the L line, a relatively new service on the network, created at the beginning of 2018 when the RTD decided to separate the single-track section of the D line to 30th & Downing from the remainder of the route through Denver's city center and Littleton.  The result was a new route, but not any new trackage.  LRV trains trying to navigate the single-track along narrow Welton Street were often delayed because of the lack of a passing siding, making it difficult to meet schedules and connections for the bulk of the service.  Thus the creation of the L, which loops at the southern end of downtown, while the D and H loop at the northern end.  When the system first opened, the neighborhood along Welton was incredibly run down, but as a result of the investment in light rail (good transit), the area has now been improved, a process that is still going on.  While we were riding the skies opened up, but we were dry inside our LRV.



The 30th and Downing terminal of today's L line.  This spot is about a 20-minute walk from the 38th & Blake station of commuter route A.  Plans call for the RTD to extend the light rail line to that point.  One of the original Siemens SD-100 cars is shown on the south end of the two-car lashup.

We returned to the W line on Thursday, when weather conditions became favorable again, taking up where we had left off--at Decatur-Federal station.  Mid-afternoon is a good time for well-lighted photos of the LRVs with Denver's downtown skyline in the background.



A three-car train of Siemens S -160 cars is shown approaching Decatur Street and the Decatur-Federal station after crossing the South Platte River and its mostly industrialized valley.  The attractive skyline of Downtown Denver looms in the distance.



The Auroria West station is the junction of the W line with the C and E routes, which run to Denver's southern suburbs.  As such it contains three tracks and three platforms to minimize interference between the services, which all begin at Union Station.



Another station with a view of the skyline is Empower Field at Mile High.  This stop has had several names through its history, changing with the sale of naming rights to the Denver Broncos' football stadium.  Since its opening in 2002 the station has also been called Ivesco Field, Sports Authority Field and Broncos Stadium, all with the suffix "at Mile High."  You'd think Mile High Stadium would be good enough for a station name, but I'm sure the sign makers would disagree.  There is only one other stop, Pepsi Center/Elich Gardens, between here and the Union Station terminal of the three routes.  Interestingly enough, the Decatur-Federal station, two stations further out on the W, also serves that stadium.  But, as it turns out, the closest football fans can get to the field is by riding aboard the stadium specials operated by the Platte Valley Trolley (now called the Denver Trolley), which will no doubt return to service on game days once COVID is defeated. http://www.denvertrolley.org/schedule--fares.html


This ends my coverage of the W.  I took plenty of photos of light rail at Union Station on a previous trip.  Nor have I discussed the light rail system's rolling stock, which is now unique as the only non-legacy system without some floor height loading.  It is not clear clear (to me) why Denver has not moved away from high-floor cars, as systems like Portland, Salt Lake City and many others have done; certainly the use of ramps and lifts, with operator assistance, is more complicated than level loading.  The existing all-Siemens fleet consists of 49 SD100s and 152 similar SD160s (the latest 29 ordered in 2015).

I occasionally think of the degree to which Denver's network of rail transit may have fit into the European tram-train concept.  If one looks at the existing system, with the four electric commuter lines stub ending at bumper blocks at the south end of Union Station and three light rail lines likewise stub ending on the north end of their terminal in the vicinity, it might have made a great deal of sense to have through routed them.  (I say this at the risk of being accused of being someone who likes to draw lines on maps.)  On the other hand, one also has to consider that the main reason that these mostly dual-voltage tram-trains have been a success in Europe has been because of the elimination of a modal change for passengers heading to the city center, saving them both time and effort.  Except for the leisure activities served by the C, E and W stops just south of Union Station (Elitch Gardens, Mile High Stadium, etc.), it is more likely that the geographical demand for commuters arriving at Union Station would be in the direction of downtown, probably over the alignment of the 16th Street Mall bus.  So I'd have to guess that if that bus line were converted to light rail, only then could the case be made for the nation's first tram train.


The other light rail lines will be featured in part 2

 

 

 

 

[MidlandMike]

daveklepper

The extra rail on CB&Q/C&S line through Arvada was lifted when the narrow gauge line to Georgetown was abandoned in 1938-39

While the NG line was cut back from Georgetown, it continued to run to Idaho Springs until the early war years.  One of the plaques shows C&S 71 in Arvada circa 1942.  Engine 71 didn't have the usual C&S NG "Beartrap" smokestack, as it was converted to oil so it didn't have to take on coal on the Clear Creek line.

[daveklepper]

 

08-Breaking COVID's cabin fever - Denver Commuter Rail part 2

We continue our survey of Denver's Commuter Rail system with some photos at various outer stations; you may follow along using the map at https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map.  The B and the G lines share the rails leading northward from the western end of Union Station to 56th Avenue, where the right-of-way bends to the northwest, leading into Pecos Junction, the second stop.  This is where the two lines split, with the B continuing straight, and the G turning to the west.

 

Under the road overpasses that define the Pecos Junction station of the merged B and G lines is a mural entitled Roots Crossing, painted by a certain Bimmer Torres as part of the RTD's Arts in Transit program.  Each station has some artwork, but this is the only one I saw that features transportation.  A surreal train occupies most of the station's retaining wall, flanked by four examples of road transport, but also with a steam train and airplane at its top.


On this sunny Tuesday we had decided to stop at Pecos Junction because after riding a G train to that point it would only be a short wait for the frequency-challenged B line to Westminster, which runs only once an hour, so we jumped at the opportunity to ride that line out to its terminal at Westminster without a long wait.  The train laid up beyond the station, which offered a good angle for a photo, but it turned out the sun was not shining on the side that was accessible without trespassing; the early afternoon would be the right time for that photo.  We returned aboard the same train and then transferred to a two-car G line train outward to Olde Town Arvada, one of the way stations en route to its terminal at Wheat Ridge. 



 
Above and below:  Two photos from a parking deck adjacent to the Olde Town Arvada station.  This is in the city's downtown district, which is home to a cluster of charming shops, galleries and restaurants, trying to take advantage of the historic significance related to Colorado's first gold strike, which occurred in this area in 1850.  The track in the foreground is not electrified, and is used by BNSF freight service, while passenger trains run under catenary in both directions on the far track.  There are grade crossings at both ends.  The camera is pointing eastward in the lower view.






An eastbound freight surprised us as we were waiting for the next outbound train.  We were also taken aback by the livery of the BNSF locomotive (not orange and black), but later found out that this EMD-built SD70MAC is painted in the company's "Executive" paint scheme.  The track on the south side of the right-of-way mainly exists to serve the Coors Brewery in Golden.

At this point it might be worthwhile to look at Arvada and the rails that helped it to prosper.  The history of city and its transportation is displayed on the station's platform in a number of informative panels (see photos below), but bears a bit of research for those interested in more details.  With the gold rush the municipality grew significantly, and that resulted in the construction of a railroad to connect it with Denver and the east in 1870.  The standard gauge Colorado Central was controlled by the Union Pacific and ran from Golden (you can figure out the etymology of that name) through Arvada to a junction with the UP-owned Denver-Pacific and Kansas-Pacific Railroads.  Between 1882 and 1887 the Colorado Central was extended further west from Golden to Silver Plume to support silver mining, but as a 3-foot narrow gauge railway, reaching the famous Georgetown Loop (now a tourist rail operation powered by steam).  To support that the tracks through Arvada were converted to dual gauge around 1884. 

But after the UP transcon failed during the Panic of 1893, the Colorado Central was picked up by the Colorado & Southern (in 1899), which a decade later became a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (in 1908).  The extra rail on CB&Q/C&S line through Arvada was lifted when the narrow gauge line to Georgetown was abandoned in 1938-39 and probably remains today only because of business generated by the Coors Brewery in Golden.  The RTD wants to extend the G line from Wheat Ridge to Golden along that right-of-way in the future.

But even the dual-gauge rail service was insufficient to meet the needs of growing Arvada.  The solution: an interurban.  The Denver & Northwestern opened a narrow-gauge electric line to the center of Arvada in 1901 and on to Leyden in 1903.  It stimulated Arvada's growth further, providing frequent passenger service to Denver, especially compared to the few trains operated over the steam route.  The interurban was built by Denver Tramways as part of its narrow-gauge streetcar system and lasted until the end of rail service in the Mile High city on July 2, 1950.  The line had been extended to Golden in 1904 from a junction a little bit south of Arvada's city center.  As it was, Golden ended up being served two interurban lines from Denver, the second being a standard-gauge line, the Denver & Intermountain, which was acquired by the Tramway company in 1909, and whose right-of-way was eventually used for RTD's W light rail line (which we rode on Wednesday).  Arvada now has a population that is over 120,000.
 
I suspect what drove me to look all this all up was the sight of the BNSF freight train going through downtown Arvada shown above.  But it might be appropriate now to mention the rights-of-way used by Denver's other three commuter lines.  The B line's history paralleled that of the Colorado Central as the Denver, Marshall & Boulder Railway.  It was built in 1885 under UP control and then after the panic/bankruptcy, was also picked up by the Colorado & Southern.  This line, through Westminster to Boulder became the C&S's mainline to Longmont, Fort Collins and Cheyenne, and still is an important part of the national railway network, competing with the Union Pacific line through Greeley to Cheyenne.  It is hoped that the B will be extended to Boulder and Longmont. 

The RTD's N line is laid on a former UP branch that connected with other offshoots to Boulder and Fort Collins.  There is no longer any freight service on it, but the right-of-way extends for some 33 miles to Erie.  The inner portion of the A-Airport line, as far as Airport Boulevard (where it reach its totally new right-of-way), is located along the Union Pacific's mainline to Kansas City.  Although now owned by separate entities, only a fence separates them.

Back to Arvada.




Above and below:  Two of the panels on the platform of the Olde Town Arvada station.  They are pretty much self-explanatory, especially with respect to the more detailed information above.




We now take brief looks at the N and A lines to finish our survey.  After coming back from Wheat Ridge, where trains reverse on tail tracks, we rode back to Union Station and then sampled the N line.  With a half hour headway and no particular station seeming to be exceptionally photogenic, we rode through the 5 way stations to the terminal at Eastlake-124th.  Interestingly, the N is the only one of the four commuter lines that is officially operated by the RTD itself.  The other three (A, B and G) are part of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that financed and built the lines, and include the carbuilder and various major construction and engineering companies.  This is all transparent to the public, which deals only with the RTD. 



A three-quarter view of the two-car Hyundai Rotem train we rode laying up on a tail track of the Eastlake-124th terminal of the N line.  RTD's Commuter Rail track occupies the original Union Pacific right-of-way as the line was purchased after freight service was discontinued.

It was getting late when we returned to Union Station (again) so we called it a day and decided to go out on the A line on Wednesday.  We chose to do it in the afternoon, but when we arrived at 38th-Blake for some photos (one stop out from Union Station), we were disappointed as the skies had clouded up.  That station is an excellent spot for photos, so we finessed that opportunity and made plans to come back on Thursday to complete the job.  The two photos below are from this second attempt.




Above and below:  Two photos looking northward at the 38th-Blake station of the A line to the Airport.  This station is very photogenic if you like overhead views, as there are two pedestrian overpasses straddling the wide swath containing both the Commuter Rail and freight tracks at this point.  The station is on a southwest to northeast trajectory, making it a good location for pictures at almost anytime of the day.  It is also less than a mile from the northern end of light rail line L at 30th/Downing, so can be part of a circle trip (with a 20-minute walk in between).  A three-car outbound train is shown in the upper photo, while the lower one features a four-car lashup.  In the background the right-of-way shared with the Union Pacific line curves eastward.





All in all we agreed that Denver's commuter rail system is a spit-and-polish operation, and hope that it thrives in the long run, once the pandemic is over and more people travel.

Segment 09 begins our look at Denver's Light Rail System

[daveklepper]

 

Jack May

 

I hadn't been to Denver since the E. R. A. Convention in 2013, and since then a great many additional lines and extensions were opened--including a whole new regional rail (or commuter rail) system.  Thus if there were one area in the United States that would offer me opportunities to break my fast with the opportunity to explore new lines, it would be the "Mile High" city.  And air fares were particularly low in April when I started to investigate the possibility of putting together a trip of that nature.  I let it be known that I was contemplating such an adventure and a couple of friends decided to accompany me.

As it turned out the number of mileage 'points' I could use for payment also was low, so I chose to go that route, flying round trip on United between Newark and Denver.  I also saw a similar low expenditure for flying between Denver and Salt Lake City, where I had yet to ride Trax's streetcar line and the area's most recent light rail extension, so took advantage of that as well, setting up a day trip, so I would not be burdened by luggage or the need to find a hotel room.  As part of the logistics to minimize the inconvenience of arriving at airport security very early for morning flights, we decided to move out of our centrally located lodgings to a hotel near the airport toward the end of the trip.  My itinerary is attached.  In effect, I spent 3 full days in Denver and 1 in Salt Lake City.  One item of note:  on both ends of the round trip to Denver and the return trip from Salt Lake City the flights were full, but also very quiet and subdued.  Regular beverage and snack service was offered in coach class, with the removal of masks permitted only while passengers ate and drank.  I felt very safe and comfortable--and the flights operated virtually on time.

This report is split into three sections:  Denver Commuter Rail, Denver Light Rail and Salt Lake City, and these are further subdivided into segments to keep the size of these messages relatively small.

Arrival at Denver International Airport was at 12:26 in a driving rainstorm, but the weather had moderated somewhat by the time I reached the wide center platform for Denver RTD's A-University of Colorado (naming rights) Airport line, having ridden the underground people mover and making my way through the baggage area.  It would continue raining on and off for the rest of the day, but the remainder of the trip would see mostly sunny skies.  I quickly purchased a senior discounted day ticket (half fare) at the very reasonable rate of $5.25.  A one-way fare for the Airport zone costs the same amount; the other zones have lower fares.  It should be noted that day passes for all the zones are the equivalent to two one-way fares.  Even lower fares than those are charged to young people between the ages of 6 and 19.  The fares are broken down into travel through 2 zones (local), 3 zones (regional) or the Airport zone.  (I should mention that several of the light rail lines are sufficiently long to operate between zones A and C, so those that want to cover the entire system, but do not plan to go the airport, should probably buy Regional Day Passes.)  See map showing fare zones at https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map (route FF on the map is operated with buses).

This segment of my report deals with Denver's system of regional rail routes, called Commuter Rail by the Denver RTD (Regional Transit District).  The equipment is FRA compliant, enabling operation at speeds up to 79 mph over a mixture of single and double track, which is electrified with 25 kV 60 hz catenary.  Oddly enough, although operating over these rights-of-way purchased or leased from freight railways, the system does not share any track with them (nor any used by Amtrak).  The rolling stock consists of a fleet of 66 Hyundai Rotem electric MUs that are very similar to the Silverliner V cars running in Philadelphia suburban service.  However, they have a different seating pattern from their Philadelphia counterparts, and include large baggage racks to serve airport riders, and unfortunately, a solid door separating the main body from the engineer's full-width cab, thereby preventing a forward view from inside.  These cars are equipped with two doors on each side, spaced similar to rapid transit cars.  There are no vestibules.  None of the doors have traps, as all access is via floor-height station platforms.  The cars have annunciators that scroll messages indicating the next station, as well rectangular TV screens that provide additional appropriate information.

The commuter system consists of 4 lines, all radiating from Denver Union Station: A-Airport (the first, in 2016); B-Westminster (2016, eventually to be extended to Boulder and Longmont); G-Wheat Ridge (2019, named for the Gold that was discovered along its route); and N-Eastlake (2020, eventually further North to Weld County).  Here are the base/rush hour headways, end-to-end running times, number of stops and approximate length:

A    every 15 minutes   37 minutes    7 stations      23.5 miles
B    every 60 minutes   15 minutes    3 stations      6.2 miles
G    every 30 minutes   27 minutes    7 stations      11.2 miles
N    every 30 minutes   28 minutes    6 stations      13 miles


Above and below:  After stowing my bag aboard the train shown above, I took these photos in a slight drizzle.  The building looming in the background is the Westin Denver International Airport Hotel. 





My first view of the stub-end track area of Denver's Union Station.  The A line train that I arrived in (the 1:12 from the Airport aboard lead car 4063), is shown on track 1, loading for its return trip.  An N line train to Eastlake is awaiting passengers on track 2.  Note that the rear unit is adorned with a wrap displaying the University of Colorado's CU emblem and its "All Four One" slogan (which is supposed to denote that there are four campuses).  That institution of higher learning, which is actually headquartered in Boulder, has obtained the naming rights for line A so I found it interesting that MU 4011 was assigned to the N line instead of the A--but does it really matter.

After alighting on-time from the less than 40-minute ride aboard the three-car train, a trip that seemed a bit too leisurely in places, I coincidentally ran into one of our threesome at Union Station, who had arrived a day earlier, and we discussed plans for dinner.  My roommate would be late due to airline complications, but we would wait for him to arrive.  I rode to our hotel at 17th & California on a battery powered electric bus operating on Denver's 16th Street Mall.  The buses loop at the station, but not at a stop totally convenient to the commuter train tracks; for trips to the station it is handier to get off one station before the bus loop.  The service is free--not that it mattered as I had a day ticket.  After checking in and freshening up I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon riding some light rail, but would take no photos because of the inclement weather.

We all duly got together for dinner--and breakfast the next morning.  We would spend Tuesday mostly riding and photographing commuter trains.  The weather had cleared up and remained partly cloudy for most of the day.  So the first order of business was to get day tickets and return to Union Station, which we accomplished using the 16th Street Mall bus.

Now we had the opportunity to photograph RTD trains running into and out of the station.  The terminal has 8 consecutively numbered tracks, as shown in the figure below.
 


There are 4 high-level platforms used by passengers (south of track 1, south of track 4, north of track 5 and north of track 7) and a low-level service platform between Amtrak tracks 4 and 5, those two being the only ones not equipped with overhead wire.   Tracks 3, 6 and 8 are inset tracks, meaning they do not run all the way to the pedestrian walkway at the western end of the station.  As mentioned earlier, all passenger loading is at car floor level from high-level platforms.  The tracks assignment are generally:  Track 1 (A line); Track 2 (N line); Track 3 (inset, for layovers on the A and N lines); Tracks 4 and 5 (Amtrak, and any special non-RTD rail moves); Track 6 (inset, for layovers on the G and B lines), Track 7 (G line); and Track 8 (inset, but used by short B line trains).  The icons shown on the map refer to the location of ticket machines and the elevators/escalators down to the underground bus terminal concourse and better yet, up to an overpass that well-serves the needs of passengers and railfan photographers alike.

Here are some better photos of the station, taken on Tuesday morning, before we began riding.

Trains of Hyundai Rotem MU cars are shown on tracks 1, 2 and 3 under the pedestrian bridge.  The one on track 3 (furthest right) is a spare train that could be pressed into service if there is a foul up in normal operations.




Amtrak 194 is spotted at the far (eastern) end of the station.  Note the absence of catenary over the GE-built P42AC locomotive and tracks 4 and 5.  I suspect Amtrak trains are normally loaded from the leftmost platform, which also serves track 3 (and track 2 out of range of the camera).
 



The soaring roof of the station is emphasized in this photo from a stairway between tracks 5 and 7.  Track 6 begins behind the photographer and track 8 has only a short loading area.  The wrapped G line train on which we had ridden back to Union Station is being loaded from the platform on the left, although it could just as easily open its doors facing the right side platform (which it may have done).  The lightly populated station and security staff looked on with amusement as we ran around taking photos.

Photos and descriptions of the outer stations on the system are featured in part 2.