Here is the second installment of Ski Train photos from my archives. The date was February 10th 2002, and I was in the throes of writing a book on the Rio Grande railroad. Accordingly, since I viewed riding the Ski Train as an opportunity to get some imagery for the book, I loaded the camera with slide film instead of print film. Boy, what a difference!
Note: Click any of the images to see a much-LARGER version!
On this particular day, midway through the second season with the Ski Train F40PH locomotives, the leader was once again down with mechanical issues. Ansco borrowed a unit from Union Pacific, an older SD40, to sub for it. Although the aesthetics were off, the train was able to run so few were complaining.
First up: a few shots of the train waiting to depart Union Station. The train was completely in shadow, making for tricky lighting conditions, but fortunately the slides captured sufficient detail for Photoshop to bring out.
This trip I didn’t bother with any shots from the moving train, opting instead for shots with higher publishability value. When we got to Winter Park I experimented with a bunch of artsy views as well as the usual roster-type shots.
The conditions were perfect and pristine, and I got several bookworthy images; two made it into the final selection. One of them, which is a favorite of mine, is below. The three private cars were on the back of the train today, and the venerable business car KANSAS (formerly D&RGW WILSON McCARTHY) brought up the markers. This photo also appeared in the book Always a Cowboy.
Late Addition: Some Non-Ski Train Photos
West Portal’s little maintenance siding, known as Crane Spur, was usually a place for the railroad to spot maintenance equipment. A pair of old Rio Grande boxcars had stood there for many years, serving mostly as portable sheds for the section crews. Here are two photos of the cars.
In the course of the day, a massive eastbound coal train climbed the hill to the Moffat Tunnel and rumbled into the mountain. I took a sequence of photos of its passage, standing near the portal to get a clear vantage. The right-hand photo made it into my book.
Here are the mid-train and rear remote sets. Note that the SP AC4400 locomotives were still in original paint here. That would soon change, as some would be repainted in full UP colors and many others would be renumbered with the application of a yellow patch over the cab number. But that was still in the future.
Action Road 