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Load Balancing
Aug. 17th, 2022 03:55 pmAs I mentioned in my previous post, a few days ago, there appears to have been a washout on the Union Pacific (ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western) line west of Green River UT. From what I read on Facebook, and trying to interpolate from those posts and from the various delay postings, it looks like what happened was that the westbound California Zephyr was dragged back east by a UP locomotive to Grand Junction, the next station to the east. Grand Junction is a crew-change point and is a much easier place to annul a train. (We stayed one night in Green River UT, and one was more than enough. Green River WY is much nicer, but has no regular passenger train service.)
I think the eastbound train was annulled at Salt Lake City. Amtrak then bused people east and west around the washout (thus serving Green River UT, Helper UT, and Provo UT by bus) and turning the trainsets back at Salt Lake City and Grand Junction while Union Pacific worked to fix the washout. It would still have been annoying and uncomfortable, but it would still be better than trying to bus people all the way to the endpoint cities and other points in between, and the equipment would be more or less where it should be. It sounds like the lesser evil. I just hope I don't have to experience such a thing myself.
Lisa and I have been on the California Zephyr when it was diverted, but that was a planned diversion due to scheduled track work on the former D&RGW line. That meant we missed the incredibly scenic Glenwood Canyon and the climb up and over the Rockies and through the Moffat Tunnel, but instead we got to ride on the former UP main on their "City of Everywhere" route last regularly served by the Amtrak Pioneer through Echo Canyon, Green River WY, and Laramie WY, broadly paralleling Interstate 80 and US-30 before turning south just before Cheyenne and heading south to Denver, where we picked up the regular route. I'd take that trip again if I could. While it didn't have the mountains and canyons of the regular route, there were antelope and bison to make up for it.
I think the eastbound train was annulled at Salt Lake City. Amtrak then bused people east and west around the washout (thus serving Green River UT, Helper UT, and Provo UT by bus) and turning the trainsets back at Salt Lake City and Grand Junction while Union Pacific worked to fix the washout. It would still have been annoying and uncomfortable, but it would still be better than trying to bus people all the way to the endpoint cities and other points in between, and the equipment would be more or less where it should be. It sounds like the lesser evil. I just hope I don't have to experience such a thing myself.
Lisa and I have been on the California Zephyr when it was diverted, but that was a planned diversion due to scheduled track work on the former D&RGW line. That meant we missed the incredibly scenic Glenwood Canyon and the climb up and over the Rockies and through the Moffat Tunnel, but instead we got to ride on the former UP main on their "City of Everywhere" route last regularly served by the Amtrak Pioneer through Echo Canyon, Green River WY, and Laramie WY, broadly paralleling Interstate 80 and US-30 before turning south just before Cheyenne and heading south to Denver, where we picked up the regular route. I'd take that trip again if I could. While it didn't have the mountains and canyons of the regular route, there were antelope and bison to make up for it.
