Does anybody know of any changes being made between Chicago and Denver? This morning, I received a note from Amtrak telling me that the schedule for my trip from Chicago five weeks from tomorrow (26 September) #5 will leave Chicago at 3:35 in the afternoon and arrive in Salt Lake City Thursday morning at 3:35. Something is going to not only be delaying the departure but also slowing the arrival here.
Johnny
The title of the Thread should be "California Zephyr #5.
The NEWS today gave me a partial answer to my question: trackwork in Colorado in September. It did not tell me, however, how it is that two more hours will be lost between Chicago and Salt Lake CIty despite running across Wyoming. Perhaps the poor condition of the track between Utah Jct. and the Beltline Connection?
The item also tells us that the train will be detoured through Fort Collins, yet will use UP track all the way. If it does go through Fort Collins, it will have to run into Cheyenne to get back on the UP. I will know for certain 27 September after I go through Denver.
That NewsWire story left me scratching my head. Fort Collins is on the BNSF Cheyenne line, but is also on a stub ended branch line of the UP.
Mike, I have the impression that the person who wrote the story for Trains is not really familiar with the track layout between Denver and Speer/Cheyenne, and thinks that the UP goes through Fort Collins on its way to Speer. Considering that I have ridden between Denver and Speer a few times--and never went through Fort Collins, the statement really struck me as odd, and so, using SPV atlases, looked it up and saw that that routing is somewhat difficult. I commenting on the matter in Newswire.
Incidentally, I now have the impression that because #5 will be leaving Chicago about an hour and a half later than the current schedule shows, it loses time before reaching Denver because BNSF is not making adjustments in their freight movements to give Amtrak the opportunity to maintain the current time. I will have to take a taxi to get home from the station since I am not going to ask anybody to meet me at 3:30 in the morning (I have not driven for more than two years). Three years ago this fall, I left Chicago more than two hours late--and lost time all the way to Denver, and arrived here, via Grand Junction, about seven hours late (so I had a second night in my roomette).
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