Rocky Mountaineer - Rockies to Red Rocks (Denver to Moab)

[Guest]

I’ve just finished a 2-day tour on the Rocky Mountaineer from Denver in Colorado to Moab in Utah. It is a fantastic journey (which shares much of its route with Amtrak’s Californian Zephyr service) with good food and attentive, friendly service.

 

While Amtrak’s service’s Denver stop is at the fabulous Union Station, Rocky Mountaineer start from the rail yard next to 38th & Blake station on the city’s A-Line route to the airport and close to the Forney Museum of Transportation (which houses Big Boy 4005 which was involved in a fatal accident in 1953 and still bears some scars). - you can sometimes see the RM coaches in the yard.

 

Like the Vancouver services through Kamloops, the Denver Mountaineer service starts by reversing out of the yard, before taking the route through Arvada out of the city and via the Big 10 curve s-shaped bend into the mountains. 

 

Scenery is spectacular to Glenwood Springs (where the train stops overnight and passengers go to their hotels) and then on the second day the scenery is possibly more spectacular as the train heads into Utah and, finally, onto the route towards Moab’s potash mine.

 

 

Negotiating the Big 10 Curve

 

 

Negotiating the Big 10 Curve

 

 

Beside the Colorado, west of Kremmling

 

 

Leaving Glenwood Springs on Day 2 - the truck in front of the train had just returned from lifting a boulder off the tracks after heavy overnight rain. We’d reversed back across the level crossing after coming across the boulder to allow the maintenance team to access the track.

 

 

Passing Amtrak’s Californian Zephyr at Grand Junction

 

 

Passing through Utah towards Moab

Edited October 14, 2023 by Guest
Adding photos & clarity