3 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

All Fest activities in Denver on Tuesday, 9/17/19 can be posted here.

[KevinKorell]

Day One in Denver was very successful.   Even though our group, with all different faces, did all that existed at that time in 2014, all of us rode the rails solo to cover routes not officially on the Fest.   Given our reasonably late train, it was still early in the morning.   Figuring I would get my money's worth from the most expensive Day Pass (and I did!), I rode several lines.  First, from Union Station I took the C Line to Littleton/Mineral.  Then back on the C Line to I-25/Broadway, where I switched to the H Line. I took that to its terminus at Florida station, and waiting for an R Line train to continue onward. Just one stop later at Aurora Metro Center station, there is a large shopping mall across the street.  I went in there to have lunch. After lunch, back on the R Line again up to its northern end at Peoria, and then the A Line back to Union Station. This solo trip got me directional movements that the official trip later in the day would miss.

 

Meeting up with Bill and Bruce again before departure, we boarded an RTD A Line (our only commuter rail route of the day) for the first Fest trip together to the Denver Airport.  The trip went smoothly. I was impressed by all the near wilderness this line traverses getting from its east-west axis to the airport itself.  I was also unimpressed by how it bypasses a major hotel district just outside the airport property that could be a good passenger generation source.  A stop there could also save on fuel and the like in that each hotel would not have to operate its shuttle since there would be trains every 15 minutes.

 

Once at the airport we went across the platform to get on the next A Line train that would be returning towards downtown. We left on time and this time headed for the Peoria station.  Here we were back to light rail as we boarded the R Line. This would be our longest run of the day, taking just over 1 hour end to end.   The segment beyond Lincoln to Ridgegate Parkway would be new trackage as the line was recently extended there. It turns out that while one of the new stations serves a regional medical center, after the line crosses to the other side of I-25 there is absolutely nothing to serve.  Open fields abound at the Lone Tree City and Ridgegate Parkway stations. The latter does have a large parking garage presumably as it accommodates travelers coming from points further south on I-25.   But there is no destination yet at either of these stations. They appear to have been built on pure speculation that someday there will be development.

 

At Ridgegate Parkway we waited for a while as other routes boarded and left, and then as scheduled took an F Line train back downtown. It took us to 16th & California.  End of the rail part of our day. Since we had decided to have dinner in or around Union Station, we then took the free 16th Street Mall shuttle bus back to Union Station.   We ended up having dinner at Next Stop restaurant, eating at outdoor seating near the fountains since it was a nice and warm day.  Very nice ending to a busy day of train riding.

 

We'll be riding two more commuter rail lines tomorrow.

 

After Monday & Tuesday activities, the actual times have been updated in the itinerary thus far.

 

Personal itinerary was also updated through Tuesday night, reflecting not only that day's activities but also my travels up to that point including Milwaukee.

[BillMagee]

I filled the morning with a ride on the W Line from Union Station to Jeffco Government Center and return.  Nice ride into the foothills reaching an elevation just over 6000 feet.  After dinner I did the G Line to Wheat Ridge-Ward and back, mostly in the dark.  Had considered going to the Rockies game, but the forecast was a little chilly for only having short sleeve shirts.  Nice day.

[bratkinson]

Arrived with Kevin in Denver about an hour late.  We met briefly Bill on the platform and then left him there as Kevin and I trekked 5-6 short blocks to the hotel to drop our luggage.  As the days' activities had been planned to commence in the afternoon in the event of a 3-4 hour late arriving #5, each of us was on our own for a couple hours.  Not having been on the ground in Denver for 40 years, and knowing we were not going to be riding every rail line, I figured out from the planned days itinerary which lines I had to get in before all 3 of us returning to Union Station to start the days scheduled activities together.

 

I didn't have nor see the need to have any light rail schedules with me, but I did have a map that I printed out at home and kept in my pocket.  My first objective was the W line to Jefco/Government Center/Golden.  It took me a minute or so to figure out the ticket machine and after not seeing a discount/senior ticket for 'all day all routes including airport' option, I quickly chose an unlimited local ticket as it appeared the ticket offered for airport was airport only, not the entire system.  Of course, I was under pressure as the W train was ready to go at the platform.  Riding after the morning rush hour resulted in all trains being only 20-30% full.  I enjoyed a seat to myself all day.  After about a 10 minute layover at Golden, I was on the way back to town.  I knew I wanted to get C/D line to Littleton/Mineral and then catch the 'downtown loop' L line to 30th & Downing.  So, I got off at Auroria West and waited for a C line train to Littleton/Mineral.  Crossed the platform there and boarded a D line train for downtown which left about 2 minutes later.  I figured out I'd get off downtown at 18th and California and switch to the L line to 30th & Downing.  I don't think I waited more than 5 minutes before an L car showed up.  At the end of the line, like at the C/D end of the line, a train on the adjacent track was getting ready to depart. But it was perhaps 10 minutes before we left 30th & Downing.  It was interesting to see the neighborhood turnaround in progress on the 'tail' end of the L line outside of the downtown loop.  Based on what I had seen in Denver 40 years ago, this appeared to be one of the later areas to be redeveloped/cleaned up/improved/etc.  40 years ago, downtown Denver was largely a dump, especially near Union Station.  Not any more!  It's all newly developed apartments & businesses and bustling with people.  I switched routes downtown again at 16th & Stout and boarded whatever showed up next to ride to I-25/Broadway stop  where I reversed course to board an E line train back to Union Station.

 

I met up with Kevin and Bill at Union Station and we quickly boarded an A line train to the Airport.  That train looked like a very new version of SEPTA cars in Philadelphia rather than light rail like the rest of the system.  Once we were 'out in the country', I think they were flying along about 65-70 mph.  Why the new Denver airport is so far out of town is anybody's guess.  But 'build it and they will come' is already in evidence as new office plazas and even a college is 'out in the sticks' a short distance from the tracks.  This was my first time in Denver to get my ticket examined.  I knew I was lacking the airport ticketing 'add on' and told the officer I'd pay up at the airport which I did.  The officer let me go with just a smile.  The outbound train was on the other side of the platform preparing to leave when we arrived.  So I hurriedly walked into the airport area without going up the escalator to get my ticket. 

 

Returning, we were off at Peoria (I always thought Peoria was in Illinois!), switched platforms and boarded an R line train to Ridgegate/Parkway.  I was amazed at all the newly constructed shopping areas, highways, and the biggest VA Hospital I've ever seen!  It was larger than both Springfield MA medical centers together!  Must have been 1,500 beds or more in my opinion.  And it had it's own stop, too!  For me in Springfield, it's a 45 minute drive on a good day to get to the VA Hospital for tests, etc.  The last third of the route was alongside a brand new-looking freeway that was fully lined with 3-5 story office buildings, shopping areas, etc.  But the last two stops were in the middle of bare fields!  There was some under construction offices near the 2nd last stop, and at the last one, only a brand new 4 story parking lot!  It was the only building in sight other than the light rail station.

 

As 3 different lines terminate at Ridgegate/Parkway, we had to wait maybe 12 minutes total for trains to the other 2 routes to come to the platform and depart before 'our' F Line train to the downtown 'loop'.  We exited the train at 16th and California and boarded a nearly-packed, free, mall-ride electric bus.  It must run on batteries.  There was a bus about every 2-3 minutes as far as I could tell.  Maybe 10 minutes later, we got off at Union Station.

 

Kevin, Bill, and I looked for a place to eat dinner in the various restaurants inside Union Station and settled on one that handled our diverse tastes.  After a pleasant meal outside on the 'patio' with its 30-40 water jet 'fountains', Kevin and I returned to our hotel and Bill to the hotel inside the train station.

Edited by bratkinson, 19 September 2019 - 09:26 PM.