The Union Pacific Historical Society is pleased to welcome you aboard our special train known as the City of Yoder. At one time (1928-1932), a passenger train Numbers 53 (westward) and 54 (eastward) operated between Cheyenne and North Platte via Yoder. It was known as the North Plate Valley Express. This is a unique opportunity to travel on some very rare track mileage and we want you to enjoy the trip.
I arose and worked on this story then at 7:00 AM, checked out of Motel 6 and stopped for some doughnuts to go before driving to the Union Pacific Yard.
As I drove in, it was a nice change to see the train pointed the correct way to go to Yoder, unlike the last time I was here in 2003. I parked near the roundhouse.
Our train looked beautiful in the morning light of July.
Union Pacific E9A 951 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955. During 1974, UP 951 was repainted and used to pull the Preamble Express, a special train that was to be used in the final planning for the American Freedom Train, a special train that would tour the United States during the nation's bicentennial celebration during 1976. Both General Motors and Union Pacific were sponsors of the Preamble Express, and GM wanted a General Motors locomotive to pull the train, so UP arranged for one of its Amtrak protection units to be sent to EMD at La Grange in June 1974 to be repainted red, white and blue, to serve as lead unit on the Preamble Express. The special Preamble Express toured the country between August and November 1974.
UP 951, in its newly applied special red, white and blue paint scheme, took over duty pulling the Preamble Express at Omaha on August 11, 1974. The train arrived on Milwaukee Road tracks, and traveled to Denver on Burlington Northern tracks. The train remained on BN tracks for its tour of Wyoming and Montana, to Butte, where it travelled on UP tracks to Salt Lake City (Stop No. 28 on August 19, 1974). The train remained on UP tracks from Salt Lake City to Boise (Stop No. 29 on August 21, 1974), then on to Hinkle and Spokane where it was handed off to BN. The tour continued through the Northwest, south through California on SP and AT&SF tracks, and east along SP and AT&SF tracks to Kansas City (Stop No. 47). The Preamble Express continued touring Southeast and Eastern cites, still with UP 951 as the lead locomotive, until the tour ended at Baltimore, Maryland in mid-November 1974.
UP 951 was returned to UP in December 1974 and was used on UP's special trains during 1975 and 1976, still in red/white/blue paint scheme. It was repainted to full UP yellow and gray paint in August 1977 and was first retired July 31, 1980; reinstated on February 22, 1984 to stand-in on UP's special trains for steam 4-8-4 844 while that locomotive was on display at the New Orleans World's Fair; both generators on UP 951 were damaged during an Operation Lifesaver special, and were replaced using generators from retired SW7/SW9 units; UP 951 was returned to service in September 1984.
Union Pacific E9B 963B, ex. Feather River Rail Society, exx. Alaska Railroad, exxx. Amtrak 669, exxxx. Amtrak steam generator 1919, exxxxx. Amtrak 468, nee Union Pacific 970B built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955. It was originally retired in June 1972 then donated back to Union Pacific and arrived at Cheyenne in December 1990.
This engine was re-numbered from Union Pacific 970B on April 20, 1993 while being repainted at VMV upon completion of remanufacture. Although the unit is the former UP 970B, the frame number was misread by a railfan (frame number 2070-B4 vs. 2072-B4) and the unit was widely reported as being originally UP 963B. The frame number was later verified as being 2072-B4, making the unit UP 970B. Without any conflicting numbers on UP at the time, the new number was retained to both simplify records and to avoid additional costs of unnecessary changing of company records.
Union Pacific E9A 949, ex. Metra 511, exx. Chicagno and North Western 511 1972, nee Union Pacific 949 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955. Union Pacific re-acquired it (along with an former Union Pacific sleeper) from Kasten Rail Car Services in trade for Missouri Pacific business car "Houston" to have a second E-unit to operate with UP 951 on special passenger trains and it arrived at Cheyenne on September 11, 1990.
Our train consisted of E9A 951, E9B 963B, E9A 949, business car 119 "Kenefick", power car 208, dome 8004 "Colorado Eagle", coach 5464 "Katy Flyer", dome 7011 "Missouri River Eagle", coach 5480 "Sunshine Special", baggage 5769 "Council Bluffs", dome 7001 "Columbine", coach 5473 "Portland Rose", dome 7015 "Challenger", coach 5469 "City of Salina" and concession car "Sherman Hill". I chose a seat in the lower level of "Columbine".
My ticket for today's trip on the City of Yoder. The train departed Cheyenne at 9:11 AM.
We headed east down the yard track past all the parked cars, including mine.
A glimpse of Denver and Rio Grande Western F7B 5763.
The Cheyenne roundhouse.
The Union Pacific Steam Shop building.
The Cheyenne Yard tower.
Exiting the yard onto Mainline 4.
Looking back at Cheyenne station.
Rounding the curve near the east end of the yard.
Union Pacific 5443 East with a ballast train was waiting to depart.
The east end of the yard.
An oil refinery.
We made our way out of the city into open spaces.
The train climbed Archer Hill with the E units putting out enough smoke to make one think they were steam engines. Archer, at an elevation of 6,023 feet, was named for William Archer, member of an engineer corps attacked by Indians while surveying for the railroad in 1867. Archer was wounded by escaped. This area is being developed as home sites (acreages) for country living.
The railfans were out on the bridge at the top of Archer Hill.
Scenes from along the way.
Hillsdale, Wyoming at an elevation of 5,640 feet, was named for Lathrop Hills, who on June 11, 1867, was leading a Union Pacific survey party. Near this site, they were attacked by indians and Hills was killed.
Passing a grain elevator.
Burns, at 5,455 feet, was established in 1907 and named Luther by Iowa people. The Union Pacific station was named Burns for one of its officials. The post office changed the name in 1910 to match the railroad station located nearby. The depot was closed in 1977 and was moved to Greeley, Colorado, as part of their Centennial Village.
Open countryside on the way to Egbert.
The train has switched off the mainline at Egbert.
Egbert, at 5,284 feet, was named by Dan and Augustus Egbert, both railroad workers. Augustus later became a Union Pacific superintendent of the Colorado Division in the 1880's. There was a depot and a water station located here; the depot was closed in 1965 and removed in 1969.
A westbound Union Pacific freight was waiting for us to clear the mainline.
Entering the North Platte cut-off. In 1928, the Union Pacific built a connector line to shorten the distance to and from the west into the North Platte Valley. The fertile farmlands along the North Platte River were developing and the area was named "America's Valley of the Nile" where sugar beets and other agricultural producers were raised. Livestock raising especially provided large revenues for the railroad. With this connector, the Union Pacific was able to compete with the Burlington (who had built along the north side of the river) handling shipments overnight between Denver and points in this region. Today, coal trains routed westward from the great Wyoming Powder River area mines use this line saving great distances in line haul. Egbert is the point where the line switches off the main line.
The Union Pacific freight that was waiting for us to clear.
The terrain was prairie until we neared Albin when farming took over. Albin is at 5,340 feet and a post office was established here by John Albin Anderson. At one time, a depot, along with a water and coaling station, was locatd here. The depot was mobilized in 1977 and the building was retired in 1979. The line is gradually descending from the Lodgepole valley to Goshen Hole.
Then the hills became interesting.
We had hills on the east side of the train.
With farming on the right. We cleared the hills and at MP 231.5,e stopped for the first photo runby of the trip.
All the photographers detrained, then the train reversed.
The reverse move.
Photo runby 1 at Milepost 231.5, after which we all reboarded.
A lonely road out in the middle of nowhere.
The scenery quickly changed and I liked this countryside better than the flat land through which we had just passed.
The train entered Tunnel 1, a concrete lined 565 foot affair. It was the only tunnel on the Nebraska Division. The terrain changes as the water drainage flows toward the north and the rugged terrain was the reason for the tunnel. To the north is the North Plate Valley.
Exiting Tunnel 1.
The rocks were interesting to look at.
Rounding a curve.
What a view!
This line has many curves.
A curve to the left.
A view to the right.
A curve to the right.
A curve to the left.
Looking north.
The view back to where we had been.
Curving to the left.
Rounding another curve on this rare mileage excursion.
