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Heber Valley Railroad Provo Canyon Limited 8/17/2021

Last night after our dinner, Elizabeth texted Greg who came and picked us up and told us of the trains he had seen in Evanston. We drove to where he left Marty and parked then we all walked over to the roundhouse complex to watch trains. We had an eastbound green signal and the far track turned red.

The sun going down over the roundhouse.

The moon and the machine shop.

Union Pacific 8577 west came through after sunset. We returned to our room, did Internet things and called it a night.

8/17/2021 We got up and went to have breakfast where Elizabeth partook in the complimentary buffet and I had French Toast and sausage patties which I paid for since I cannot eat eggs. After breakfast I checked the Internet before packing up the car then we waited for Greg and Marty to appear. Once that happened we checked out and Greg drove us back into Utah with no trains to be seen. In Echo Canyon we stopped at the rest area to show the boys where we photographed the Big Boy in 2019.

The view of Echo Canyon from one of our photograph locations. We then drove into Heber City and looked around.

The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 passengers a year.

The railroad line is approximately 16 miles long. A typical round trip ride on the train takes about 3 hours. There are a total of four passing sidings outside of the Heber yard limit. Notable landmarks seen from the train include Mount Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain, Deer Creek Dam and Reservoir, Provo River, Sundance Ski Resort, Tate Barn, and Soldier Hollow. A variety of wildlife including deer, eagles, fox, moose, turkeys, hawks, mountain lions and beavers have all been seen from the train as well.

The line operated by the HVRX was formerly part of a Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad branch line that connected Heber City to Provo, Utah. The branch line was completed in 1899 and operated freight and passenger service until the line's abandonment in 1967.

The line was saved for tourist use and was reopened in 1970 when steam engine 618 and other equipment was brought up the line from Provo. The track between Provo and Vivian Park was later removed and converted into a recreational trail. During the 1970s and 1980s the railroad operated as the "Heber Creeper". In the late 1980s this railroad went out of business.

Citizens in the Heber area successfully petitioned the State of Utah to help save the railroad, leading to creation of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority in the early 1990s. Since this time the railroad has seen considerable growth. The railroad operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

During the 2002 Winter Olympics the railroad was part of the Olympic Steam Team, carrying spectators to the Soldier Hollow Olympic venue. The railroad's No. 618 and 75 steam-engines, were joined by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum's No. 93 steam-engine, in pulling eight-car trains full of passengers, to the Soldier Hollow depot where they disembarked and continued to the venue entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh. The day prior to the Opening Ceremony of the games, all three locomotives were combined into one triple-headed train, and used to transport the Olympic flame from Soldier Hollow to Heber City as part of the torch relay.

The railroad's main depot is located in Heber City. Other passenger terminals are located at Soldier Hollow (near Midway, Utah) and Vivian Park. The railroad operates year-round, and features special event and evening train rides. Among its named trains are the Provo Canyon Limited, a three-hour round trip excursion to Vivian Park and the shorter Deer Creek Express to Deer Creek Reservoir. The railroad can be seen from various points along U.S. Highway 189 between Heber City and Vivian Park and the whistle can be heard throughout the valley.

We first took pictures of the entire trainset as it was on Monday.

Maine Central GP9 52, originally Boston and Maine 1726, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1957, was on the point of this trainset.

Heber Valley observation car 112 "Dennis Daugherty", ex. Southern Pacific rules instruction car 112, nee Southern Pacific 2914, built by Pullman in 1930.

Heber Valley coach 801 "Utah", ex. Canadian Pacific work car 411676, Canadian Pacific coach 1319 built by National Steel Car and Canadian Pacific in 1930.

Heber Valley coach 802, ex. Victoria Pacific Railway 1854, nee Canadian Pacific 1854, built by National Steel Car and Canadian Pacific in 1930.

Heber Valley coach 803, ex. Canadian Pacific work car 411266, nee Canadian Pacific colonist car 2806 built by National Steel Car and Canadian Pacific in 1924.

HVRR coach 4966 "John L Martinez", ex. Canadian National 27818, nee Canadian Northern 7237, built in 1919 by Pullman as a colonist sleeper and re-built into a coach.

Heber Valley open car 360 "Grand View", ex Canadian Pacific rules instruction car 49, nee Canadian Pacific 14-section sleeper "Grande Pointe" built by Canadian Car and Foundry and the railway in 1928.

The rear of the train set.

Great Western GP9 296 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1954 as Union Pacific 296.

Minerva Scenic "Village of Minerva" coach 3227, originally Delaware, Lackawanna and Western 327 built by Pullman in 1925. It was converted to "low roof" M.U. trailer 1930.

United States Steel Corporation 0-6-0 300 built by Baldwin in 1925 which became Geneva Steel. This is the last picture from Monday.

Salt Lake Garfield and Western box car 100 was built as one of an order for the Salt Lake & Utah interurban railroad in 1924. (The Salt Lake & Utah Railroad ran from Salt Lake City, Utah to Payson, Utah. It was abandoned in 1946.) The cars were held on the property of the Salt Lake, Garfield & Western Railroad until paid for, but the Salt Lake & Utah could not pay for the boxcars, so they were eventually resold with the SLG&W purchasing one, the 100. The SLG&W used the car between its station on 1000 West South Temple and Saltair. At the end of service on the SLG&W it had been reduced to hide storage. (Sheep hides were stored in the car until the hides were sold. A very smelly business, the lowest job a boxcar is subjected to).

In 1979 the boxcar was sold to a Western-theme amusement park near Las Vegas, Nevada. The park was not successful. It was closed in 1986 and the property sold to a real estate company. Salt Lake, Garfield & Western boxcar Number 100 sat abandoned on the property until 1999 when the property was sold again The new owners were going to destroy the historic car but the Heber Valley Railroad rescued it and shipped to Heber City, Utah.

Once on the Heber Valley Railroad property, some work was performed on the car then in 2001 an Eagle Scout project was initiated to repaint and reletter the car to the colors and lettering it had in Las Vegas. The lettering has not been finished.

This new paint is only the third paint and lettering job the car has ever had. The Number 100 was originally painted by the SLG&W with a very large, yellow "SALTAIR" on the left side, all other lettering was gray. Prior to 1963, while in hide service, windows had been cut in the walls and the lettering was all yellow with a small ''The SALTAIR Route'' on the right side. After the car was in Las Vegas, blue was added around the "Saltair". The car has no brakes and, while it has been used on some photo freight specials in the past, it is now on static display only.

The above information taken from Don Strack's Utah Rails website.

Northern Pacific box car 11111 built by American Car and Foundry in 1923.

Maine Central GP9 52 was still on the point of the train.

Heber Valley Utah coach 801 was off our train.

Tender 982 on a flat car. This is from Southern Pacific 2-10-2 3651 built by Baldwin in 1919. It became Texas and New Orleans at some point. The locomotive was at Minute Maid Baseball Park in Houston, Texas, and was donated to the Texas Railway Preservation Association on April 9, 2021 for restoration to operation. The tender was sold to the Heber Valley Railroad in 2017 to be used behind Heber Valley 2-8-0 618. The new tender for 3651 will come from Great Northern 2-10-2 2100.

Denver and Rio Grande Western caboose 01418 built by the railroad in 1941 and came to Heber Valley in 2011 after being displayed in a park in Spanish Fork.

Great Western GP9 296 and Rio Grande caboose 01418.

Great Western GP9 296.

NRHS steam generator car 15429, ex. VIA 15429, nee Canadian National 15429, built by Canadian Car and Foundry in 1956.

Heber Valley Railroad coach 3571, originally Delaware, Lackawanna and Western 2568 built in 1930 by Pullman/General Electric, later became Conrail 2568 then New Jersey Transit 2568 in 1979, before going to the Knox and Kane Railroad and finally Heber Valley Railroad in 2005.

Now it was time for some pre-trip pictures of our group.

Marty, Greg and Elizabeth.

Marty, Chris and Greg.

Marty, Elizabeth and Chris. We walked to the open car and were escorted inside. The consist of this train was Maine Central GP-9 82, Heber Valley observation car 112 "Dennis Daugherty", Heber Valley coach 803, Heber Valley heavyweight coach 4966 "John L Martinez" and Heber Valley open car 360 "Grand View". Now sit back and enjoy a trip on the Heber Valley Railroad.

The trip from Heber City to the Deer Creek Reservoir Dam and beyond. We returned to Heber City and we waited at the car while Greg and Marty were given a tour of the first class car with the piano. Elizabeth then drove us east and we found a train heading east while the boys were napping in the back seats.

Union Pacific 4016 East at the Castle Rock exit of Interstate 80. She drove us to Green River and I gave her directions to get to the station.

Union Pacific Green River station from the ground, built in 1910.

Union Pacific Green River station from the walkway across the yard.

The view of the Union Pacific yard in Green River.

Another view of the Union Pacific Green River station.

The old engine house here.

Union Pacific switchers at the Green River yard.

Union Pacific SD40M 1790 and 1729 at Green River.

The walkway across the Union Pacific yard. Next Elizabeth drove us east to Rock Springs.

Union Pacific Rock Springs station built in 1900.

Union Pacific freight house in Rock Springs that was home to a model railroad club.

The first mining diesel engine in the State of Wyoming.

Information plaques on the diesel engine.

Union Pacific caboose 25351, built by the railroad in 1955 as Union Pacific 2751.

The Rock Springs Coal banner over the walkway under the tracks.

Rock Springs coal information board. I drove us to Rawlins and we had dinner at the County Pride Restaurant.

After dinner, the setting sun was red from all the western fires. I drove us to the steam engine.

Union Pacific 2-8-0 533 built by Baldwin in 1903 as Oregon Short Line 973. In 1936, 533 was leased to the Union Pacific Railroad and in 1958, was donated to the City of Rawlins, and went on display on West Elm Street. Next I drove us to the station.

The Rawlins Union Pacific station, built in 1901, after sunset.

Union Pacific caboose 25617 built by International Car in 1967. We checked into the Econo Lodge and I started this story before we called it a night.

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