Help on the Hill

[slimjim375]

Here are some shots taken 29 May 2000 on my road trip to Helper, Utah. The first is 6 units cut into the middle of a UP coal train at Utah Railway Junction heading west up Price River Canyon. The head end power was two UP SD90/43AC's and a SP C44AC.

http://www.geocities.com/slimjim375/webpictures/help1.jpg

Another shot at the same location.

http://www.geocities.com/slimjim375/webpictures/help2.jpg

This shot was taken as the help was heading into Nolan Tunnel. I caught them at both sides as the tunnel is only 400+' long but was in the shadows.

http://www.geocities.com/slimjim375/webpictures/help3.jpg

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Jim Harrawood
Utah Rails (http://www.geocities.com/utahrails/index.html)

[This message has been edited by slimjim375 (edited 02 July 2000).]

[Colonel]

Great pictures Jim, don't forget to keep posting on the UP forum http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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http://users.bigpond.net.au/railroad2000

[Mankind]

Manoman.....all those tunnelmotors....in black and gold......with no UP in sight....where's that plane ticket to Utah?!?! http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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Have A Nice Day!

[friscobob]

Nice shots! Was that the coal train off the Montrose Branch here in CO? I know UP sends one west out of here now & then......


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Ship IT on the Frisco!
Bob T.
http://hometown.aol.com/slsf1630/myhomepage/profile.html

[slimjim375]

Y-Bob,

This one was loaded out at Savage in Wellington on the CV spur.



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Jim Harrawood
Utah Rails (http://www.geocities.com/utahrails/index.html)

[slimjim375]

Mankind,

They run that way everyday. Just hop a plane to SLC, rent a car and head 110 miles south http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif.



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Jim Harrawood
Utah Rails (http://www.geocities.com/utahrails/index.html)

[Ron Carlisle]

Hey Jim, what a beautiful sight, and fairly clean for a change.
I am going to have to rob a bank or win the lottery soon and get back out there again.
(I last visited in 1993)

Keep up the good work

[Alan]

Like Ron, the rest of us Brits can only drool over such awesome sights! We can only get over there once in a while, and then it is difficult to know where to go http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif - No it isn't, I'm going back to Southern California, must have more of Tehachapi and Cajon http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif

Matt then wants to go to the North West, but those DRGW trains sure look tempting http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[Ben]

Anywhere in Colorado, Utah or California would be fantastic but a couple weeks railfanning on the Moffat Line or the Joint Line would be sheer heaven - don't suppose I shall ever get there though; so keep those fantastic photos coming; tunnel motors sure beat HSTs and Thameslink electrics for interest!

Ben

[ChrisDante]

Outstanding photos, nice job!!!

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When in doubt, empty your magazine.

[Ron Carlisle]

Oi Ben, Leave Thameslink electrics alone. I have to drive the darn things to earn holiday money. If you want to pick on anyone, pick on Connem er Connex. The've got as much idea of running trains as I have flying the space shuttle. And the trains are not much better.
Still if I win the lottery, I will be spending a long time on the Moffat Line and the Joint Line.
That is, if I can get she who must be obeyed to agree as well.

[Ben]

O K Ron, I suppose its just a question of what you are used to, but a bit more variety on some of the UK railways would help to keep interest levels higher. I know they've got to make money and you (and I) have to make a living doing what we know best.

I'm actually very fond of what I still like to call the Midland railway and am old enough to remember 2-6-4 tanks and trains of maroon suburban coaches and 8Fs and 9Fs that used to terrify me as they rumbled over the bridge at Mill Hill Broadway c1956.

Sorry, I've got off subject a bit; I would love to see more photos of DRGW motive power.

Ben

[Alan]

Ever since a friend showed me his photos of the DRGW lines, I have wanted to go there!

What are the best places to see rail action, and what are the traffic levels like? (I am used to the high traffic levels in so.cal. http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[slimjim375]

There is a lot of non-Rio Grande action on the Moffat Tunnel line between Denver and Bond. For true Rio Grande, the only place is Helper, Utah. there are 11 SD40T-2's there as of 0900MDT today. I post a list of all Rio Grande units in the states of Colorado and Utah every day on the Daily Trace page on my site. As far as sheer beauty, you can not beat Colorado.



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Jim Harrawood
Utah Rails (http://www.geocities.com/utahrails/index.html)

[Ben]

Alan, I'll lend you my "Trains on Location" "Moffatt Line" video next time we meet and you can get some idea of the best train watching spots and other relevant information.

Ben

[Alan]

Thanks, Ben. Look forward to that treat http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[Ron Carlisle]

To Alan & Ben

Ben - I too can remember numerous kinds of steam engines throughout the country!!! - So we are both giving our age away.

With reference to the Rockies and where the best place to see them in Colorado is, see if you can get hold of the following videos:

"Rails along the Rockies" for the Joint Line
"Rio Grande Odyssey" for Colorado and Utah
"Rio Grande Today" for the Moffat Road

I got these from Steam Powered Video.

"Rails along the Rockies" deals mainly with trains during the late 1980s, but it does give an idea where the best locations along the Joint Line are situated.

Another set of videos is the SPV "Cab Rides"
between Denver and Grand Junction. This is a set of 4 tapes but you do get a good look at the Moffat Road and the old Rio Grande Road from Dotsero to Grand Junction. These should help in conjunction with the new Joint Line video from Kalmbach.

Hope this information is of some use to you.

Rio Grande - Main Line thru the Rockies

[Ben]

Thanks Ron, I'll keep a look out for those videos. I'm not worried about how old I am - I wld have missed an awful lot of interesting stuff on the railways if I had been younger.

Ben

[Alan]

Same here, Ben. I don't like getting older, but at least we have experienced 'real' steam http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[friscobob]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by slimjim375:
There is a lot of non-Rio Grande action on the Moffat Tunnel line between Denver and Bond. For true Rio Grande, the only place is Helper, Utah. there are 11 SD40T-2's there as of 0900MDT today. I post a list of all Rio Grande units in the states of Colorado and Utah every day on the Daily Trace page on my site. As far as sheer beauty, you can not beat Colorado.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
BINGO! You hit on the ONE main reason why I moved back out West after 32 years! And to me, not only Colorado, but Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and the other states of the intermountain West.
I miss the shortlines and Class 1s I chased & shot down South, and will treasure those memories & photos all my life, but I'm
having a ball acquainting myself with the local RR scene.




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Ship IT on the Frisco!
Bob T.
http://hometown.aol.com/slsf1630/myhomepage/profile.html

[Ron Carlisle]

Alan and Ben
Something I forgot to add yesterday.
Something that it just as important as the videos is to get hold of a copy of the DeLorme "Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer. This will show the railroad routes in the state along with the various roads, highways, dirt tracks and roads throughout. A word of warning though, so of those "roads" require a 4x4 jeep, Land Rover or Army Tank, so I would advise that you doe a little "recce" before starting out. The local police were very helpful in advising what type of vehicle to use.

But as FriscoBob and Jim say, Colorado is beautiful. Helen, myu wife, and I fell in love with it, the first time we saw it. And until then we had no interest in U.S. Railroads. We spent a month in the state, and only saw about a quarter of it. But luckly our good family friends in Fountain, who were looking after us, knew of my interest in trains, and ensured that most of the time we followed the rails. I would recommend Colorado to anyone, and if we had the chance, Helen and I would move out there tomorrow, Lock, stock and model railroad.

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Rio Grande - Railroad through the Rockies.

[friscobob]

Ron,
Should you move out this-a-way, I for one would extend a big Western howdy to you &
the missus http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif mountains, plains, desert, canyons- couldn't ask for more than that!


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Ship IT on the Frisco!
Bob T.
http://hometown.aol.com/slsf1630/myhomepage/profile.html