RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 A number of people had expressed an interest in our trip this year. I had started to post in our request for information on in Rail fanning around Denver. However I hope this new thread will provide some useful information for others who might be thinking of doing some of the places that we will be visiting. In order to make these posts we are using free wifi provided by many of the hotels but also via a Virgin USA mobile wifi no contract device that we purchased last year for 99 dollars. On our arrival in the USA this year we picked up a Virgin mobile scratch card for 35 dollars from Best Buy but Target and other stores do them. Adding this to the mobile wifi device gives us 2GB worth of data for up to a month. This allows us to use Google maps on the move to help with finding a track side locations when we spot a train when out and about in the rental car. I will repeat a couple of posts from the other thread but it will all be new after that. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Saturday night morning we departed Heathrow for Toronto on Air Canada. Quite impressed with the legroom in the economy is seats in this 777-200. US immigration is carried out in Toronto and if you arrive and depart terminal 1. This saves quite a bit of time when you eventually land in the USA. Our next flight was on an Air Canada Embraer 190 and having flown on one of these modern Brazilian built jets we were looking forward to the 2+2 seating and iin flight seat back entertainment and system which is not normally found on Canadian and US internal flights. I highly recommend these Air Canada planes. Upon arrival in Denver it was straight to the car rental where this time, and they managed to persuade us to upgrade. I Normally you pay more these days for an upgrade when doing this rather when booking at home but as they had a Dodge charger the 60 bucks (plus taxes) swayed us. First nights hotel was a Stalybridge hotel South of Denver and within walking distance of of a brewery and we'll worth the decision to! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 This morning we drove the 50 or so miles to Silver Plume in the Front Range of the Rockier where the Georgetown railroad depot is. I The journey to Georgetown is 3.5 miles by train but quite a bit less by freeway due to the he many turns the track takes. Once part of the much longer Colorado and Southern route from Denver Union, and this short stretch is all there is left along with the rebuilt trestle at the Georgetown end of the ride. At Silver Plyme the Shay was having some work done to it hence why we were hauled by diesel today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 After a ride on the Georgetown line we retraced our steps back down the slopes then headed strwight past Goldens big Coors brewery and managed to catch a BNSF trsin climbing up the foothills towards Moffat tunnel. These photos are on my DSLR so will add these later. We arrived in Cheyenne late aftetnoon and soon found out how good this place is for the railroad fan Big Boy 4004 in Holliday Park in the West end of town Back in the centre of town is the old HP passenger depot which is now a museum and micro brewery and pub Next to the depot there are two road over bridges. The one nearest the depot offers views ofcthe old roundhouse where the Challenger and FEF3 ars kept. Also UP locos can be seen stabled this side Some spare bits lying around Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Is that a "car" repair center in Cheyenne? Thanks for starting this, Ian... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Pete I think it's where they repair the passenger cars and support vehicles or the two steamers. The box cars might now just be used for storage but not a 100% sure. The hotel owner was telling me that they keep pushing for the roundhouse to be opened regularly for visitors but I would need a footbridge to get across the mainline tracks plus other safety mods in the roundhouse. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Saturday night morning we departed Heathrow for Toronto on Air Canada. Quite impressed with the legroom in the economy is seats in this 777-200. US immigration is carried out in Toronto and if you arrive and depart terminal 1. This saves quite a bit of time when you eventually land in the USA. Our next flight was on an Air Canada Embraer 190 and having flown on one of these modern Brazilian built jets we were looking forward to the 2+2 seating and iin flight seat back entertainment and system which is not normally found on Canadian and US internal flights. I highly recommend these Air Canada planes. Upon arrival in Denver it was straight to the car rental where this time, and they managed to persuade us to upgrade. I Normally you pay more these days for an upgrade when doing this rather when booking at home but as they had a Dodge charger the 60 bucks (plus taxes) swayed us. First nights hotel was a Stalybridge hotel South of Denver and within walking distance of of a brewery and we'll worth the decision to! Ian If you get really lucky on car rentals they will upgrade you for free because they have run out of the class of car you reserved. One time my 'compact' was an F150 Crew Cab pickup... Air Canada usually has nicer aircraft than the US airlines. I hope your return flight (if you are retracing your path going home) isn't the code-share (AC/United) Shuttle America flight, also an Embraer, but night and day. On one trip I intentionally booked my return (from Portland) through Dallas on American instead of Denver on United/AC to avoid that particular flight. The pre-clearance at Toronto is very useful, and is for every US-bound flight. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Its early morning here in Cheyrnne and whilst getting a goid nights sleep its grest to hear the locos horns avery so often. Some more photos from yesterday in Cheyenne. How about this truck for moving the layouts. I suspect exhibition managers might have issues with the fuel expenses though! The UP control tower sits between the two road bridges which looks rather odd An Eastbound train pulling in alongside the historic depot for a crew change Interesting new equipment on the cab roif of the loco. I wonder if this is a new type of air con. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 If you get really lucky on car rentals they will upgrade you for free because they have run out of the class of car you reserved. One time my 'compact' was an F150 Crew Cab pickup... Air Canada usually has nicer aircraft than the US airlines. I hope your return flight (if you are retracing your path going home) isn't the code-share (AC/United) Shuttle America flight, also an Embraer, but night and day. On one trip I intentionally booked my return (from Portland) through Dallas on American instead of Denver on United/AC to avoid that particular flight. The pre-clearance at Toronto is very useful, and is for every US-bound flight. AdrianAdrian Our booking was with United but I believe that all the flights are Air Canada ones excrpt the internal flight in a few days when we head to Portland Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Adrian Our booking was with United but I believe that all the flights are Air Canada ones excrpt the internal flight in a few days when we head to Portland. Ian Denver to Portland on United usually isn't bad - 757 on the times I've done it. They seem to only manage to break the airplane on my way back... Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Adrian I think our flight is a 737. Those Embrear 120 twin prop planes are very cramped inside. Luckily we have only done flights in then that were about 45 minutes. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 After being up on the road bridge jt was tine to go inside the UP depot. We werr too late for the museum part but the Shadows bar and brewpub was open. Many of yhe original fittings from the 1920s refit have bern restored The beer and puzza are good too! There is an outside seating area However we generally stayed inside sitting at the bar At eone point we knew we had to leave the depot. And without a pint in our hands! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Never mind the trains,more photo's of the pubs!!! Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Ray Heres the inside of the Lone Tree Brewery that we did on Saturday night near Denver Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 mmmmm....IPA. not been to that part of the world yet , but those pics are giving me reason to. Hope you're having a great trip so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Nice updates, Ian. Keep them coming...!! If you get really lucky on car rentals they will upgrade you for free because they have run out of the class of car you reserved. One time my 'compact' was an F150 Crew Cab pickup... I nearly fell for the "Would you like to pay for an upgrade" once.... Quick thinking told me they'd run out of compacts, and they tried offer me a 300c. We ended up with a Sebring at the compact rate. mmmmm....IPA. not been to that part of the world yet , but those pics are giving me reason to. Hope you're having a great trip so far. I am surprised....!! Give it a month... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2013 Years ago we often got a free upgrade but in recent times even when we have declined the upgrades sat nab etc we have ended up with the size car we booked. More often than not we are happy with the smaller cars as its easier to park especially when chasing trains. The beer scene in Colorado has improved massively since our last visit. We passed quite a few on our trip today but as we don't drink and drive we had to give them a miss. Anyway back to trains, this time model ones. Just done some damage to the credit card in Caboose Hobbies. Could have been much worse. However we still have tomorrow to go back there! It's as good as our last visit some years ago. A shot of the three new Fox Valley NS heritage locos. Luckily my other half bought one of them. She likes the Central of Georgia one. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Caboose Hobbies Its like a tardis It has a car park but can also be accessed via light rail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Anyway back to trains, this time model ones. Just done some damage to the credit card in Caboose Hobbies. Could have been much worse. However we still have tomorrow to go back there! It's as good as our last visit some years ago. A shot of the three new Fox Valley NS heritage locos. Luckily my other half bought one of them. She likes the Central of Georgia one. image.jpg Ian Very nice. I have the Southern one. With the new cab FVM have now almost got it right. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted June 4, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 4, 2013 You are obviously having a good trip. It brings back memories of being in Cheyenne on my road trip last year. deid you find the 1st floor viewing room at the west end of the depot with model railway room attached. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Jamie We arrived in Cheyenne too late to do the museum so that will have to be done next time. The bead and breakfast called Nagel Warren has its own tower where you can grab a cold drink (no beer) and sit and watch trains move. Not a cLear view but still very relaxing watching the sun go down. This morning I fitted the six pin decoders in the new locos but testing will have to wait till we get home Photos of yesterday's train chasing to follow, Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Yesterday we drove from Cheyenne to Laramie via Sherman Mountains Unfortunately each time we saw a train we were in the wrong place for the sun. We didnt see that many deepite hearing liads of them during the night and early morning. I did get plenty of photos to do a backscene for 'Roundhouse' as this is the area its meant to be setin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BMacdermott Posted June 4, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Glad you're enjoying the trip - it's bringing back good memories for me! Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Laramie Some plinthed items The old UP depot is in goid condition The public footbridge that spans the yard which gives a great veiwing point Then it was up onfto the footbridge when this trsin came through heading West There was a solitary switcher in the yard A large rail welding plant has bern built on part of the old roundhouse All that rrmains of the old steam depot is this smoke stack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2013 Today we are out riding Denvers light rail system Line C and D run parrallel with the joint line to Colorado Springs. This 10 freight certainly has enoigh power Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.4c59e9ed8cd5a16b2054832ed4a31648.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.