The revival of the venerable Winter Park Ski Train over the weekend thrilled riders and bolstered the chances for a return next season of the historic link between Denver and its Grand County ski resort.
“There is so much demand for this thing, it’s going to be hard for them to say no,” Gary DeFrange, the longtime president of Winter Park ski area, said as he prepared to board one of Amtrak’s seven Superliner cars at Union Station early Saturday.
“I know there are going to be hurdles, but we will work through them. I’m pretty confident we will get something going,” DeFrange said.
About 900 people rode the trains over the weekend, according to Amtrak.
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican Sen. Cory Gardner joined Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Amtrak executives at Union Station before dawn on Saturday to kick off the return of the ski train.
The train had run every ski season between the city and Winter Park from 1940 to 2009.
Bennet called the train “part of our legacy, part of our history. It’s part of who we are.”
Gardner said it was “an exciting day for Colorado.”
“This has the political support, the economic support and the support of all these people who are in for a really great day up at Winter Park,” Gardner said. “Anytime you can get people excited about trains, it’s going to be helpful to all our efforts across Colorado.”
The weekend’s trains ran smoothly and mostly on-time. A parade of colorful skiers and snowboarders filled Lower Downtown early Saturday, well before the St. Patrick’s Day revelers arrived for their panoply of green.
“What an impeccable day. So perfect,” said Jack Wheeler, whose dad, Eric, first rode the Ski Train as a 12-year-old in 1972.
“He has shared so much of trains and the love of trains with me and our family,” Eric said, noting trips to Sacramento, Calif., and Chicago. “With our appreciation and love of trains, we knew we had to be here today.”
It’s one thing to love trains and a rare weekend trip. It’s another to sculpt a business model that will keep seats filled on weekend trips throughout the ski season.
It’s not likely Amtrak will run the ski train — officially crowned the Winter Park Express, although most people still call it “the ski train” — in the early ski season, when holiday train travel marks the busiest time of year for the rail operator.
Things slow down, however, from January through March, and the bi-level Superliner passenger cars and locomotives are available.
Amtrak hopes to run regular weekend service in those months, making Winter Park the state’s only ski area with direct rail service.
“We are going to take a hard look at this because obviously there is demand,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
The company sold out the Saturday and Sunday trains in less than 14 hours, revealing a pent-up eagerness among skiers to escape the gridlock of Interstate 70 ski traffic as well as ride the rails.
“I think, with the way people are wanting to address the congestion and challenge of I-70, that we should be able to find a way, with the kind of interest we are getting on trains, to find a regular train to move not just throughout the metro area but also up in the mountains,” Hancock said.
The Union Pacific Railroad is the owner of the 56 miles of tracks between Denver and Winter Park.
The company runs freight on the tracks along with Amtrak’s California Zephyr trains to California. The company allowed the ski train to run over the weekend but has not publicly joined the chorus of supporters.
Still, they haven’t said no.
“They were pretty quick to OK that second train after the first one sold out,” Magliari said.
Hancock said he’s worked with train companies over the years and they seem more amenable to new ideas these days.
“I think what we are seeing is their willingness to come to the table and be a little more of a partner nowadays and that’s exciting,” Hancock said. “While this window is open, why don’t we figure out a way to get people moving up to the mountains?”
There’s a meeting scheduled for April that will host Denver officials, Winter Park executives and teams from both Amtrak and Union Pacific. The meeting will decide the fate of regular ski train service next season.
Jim Brzezinski, Amtrak’s route director for the train, said the first two trains “took a lot of work” to negotiate.
“Here’s the question so many are asking: Will Amtrak want to do this again after this weekend? Well, the answer is, You betcha,” Brzezinski said.
On Saturday afternoon, he was the first to leap from the train on to Union Station’s Platform 5. He was beaming as sunburned skiers shouldered their skis and strolled into downtown.
Calling the inaugural journey “an absolute success,” Brzezinski started riffing on ideas for next season. How about a dining car? What about overnights? Maybe a Friday night trip? He wasn’t wondering “if” as much as dreaming up ways to make it better.
“Imagine this: A Winter Park wine-and-cheese car?” he said. “We are going to work very hard to do this again and more next season.”
Saturday’s 450-plus ski train riders mingled with the weaving, cheerful St. Patty’s revelers on Saturday afternoon, sharing the giddiness of a long, festive day. Many lined up at the light-rail station across the tracks, heading home.
“Train, train, ski. Train, train, home,” said Josh Winstead, shouldering a pair of skis and boots en route back to his place near Sloan’s Lake. “Gotta love that.”
Winstead said he wonders if $75 is a price that will keep the train filled every weekend. Other families, who spent $225 for two kids and two adults, echoed the sentiment.
“I think the price would have to come down if they wanted to do this regularly,” Winstead said. “But this gives you an idea of what it could look like if CDOT and everyone else involved really made this happen. It’s a great alternative to I-70. I’ll definitely do it again.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins
