from the Denver Post:

The last Ski Train to Winter Park has left Union Station.

A spokesman for Denver businessman Phil Anschutz confirmed late Tuesday that the train operation is being bought and moved to Canada by a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway Co.

The subsidiary, Algoma Central Railway Inc., already operates a Snow Train from its headquarters in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

The sale ends ski train service between Denver and Winter Park that began in 1940.

The reason for the sale was a "combination of things," said Anschutz Co. spokesman Jim Monaghan.

"There is common knowledge that the train consistently lost money in its operation, yet profitability never really was the driving issue," Monaghan said. "It was something a subsidiary of the Anschutz Co. wanted to do."

Monaghan would not identify the transaction's sale price.

He said a number of "dramatic things" arose recently that imperiled the operation, including "overall cost increases, particularly for liability coverage."

The Ski Train also has had "operating issues with freight trains," Monaghan said, referring to the need for the tourist train to lease track from the Union Pacific Railroad for its route.

He said uncertainty surrounding the redevelopment of Union Station and the Ski Train's place in that development also was a factor leading to the sale.

The Regional Transportation District and the city and county of Denver are spearheading Union Station redevelopment as part of RTD's plan to add six new FasTracks trains to its passenger rail network in metroDenver.

These challenges that the Ski Train faced, coupled with a weakened overall economy, helped lead to this decision, Monaghan said.

The train will not operate its summer schedule.

The Ski Train operation had at least 14 railcars, according to its website.

The 69-year-old run started when Denverites took mail trains to Routt County to enjoy the slopes, and the venture grew into an tourism tradition.

----

suck. i loved seeing the ski train at Union Station. Took it once to go shred at Winter Park, it dropped you pretty much right next to the lifts.

funny twist in this, the ski train was made up of cn Tempo coaches, so its sort of a homecomming, those tempos were butt arse ugly!

Stolen from Canadian Railway Observations....july 2009
"AMBX 283 and 289 (two of the recently purchased Ski Train F40PH-2’s) arrived at Mac Yard on M 31451 on May 29th for wheel work and departed Mac Yard on M 30131 06 June 6th at 1032. The whole time at Mac Yard they were elusive and remained inside the shop as Phil couldn't even catch a glimpse, never mind a shot of them. The train coaches numbered in the AC 5700 series still shows at Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. Again, many thanks to Phil Hall for including his photo's."

Units 242, 283 and 289 are now CN 104, 105, 106. They've been assimilated!