#Heber Valley Railroad

[inthekitchenwithmatt]

Exploring Utah: Heber Creeper Train Ride | Heber Valley Railroad

[collinthenychudson]

Day 4: Union Pacific 618

Info from Wikipedia:

Union Pacific 618 is a class "C-57" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive previously owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The engine is now located in Heber City, Utah and owned by the Heber Valley Railroad. Built in July 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) of Eddystone, Pennsylvania, No. 618 is one of 12 surviving C-57 Series locomotives. The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1958. It was then donated to the State of Utah, where it sat on display for many years. In the mid 1960s, a full restoration effort began on the locomotive with the promise of heading up Utah's first tourist railroad in Heber City after the state donated the engine to the National Railway Historical Society. Today, it is one of UP's oldest locomotives and the first steam locomotive to be removed from a Public Park, and put back into operational condition in excursion service. The engine currently is out of service in Heber City, Utah undergoing restoration back to operating condition.

In July 1907, the Oregon Short Line Railroad received #1068. The 2-8-0 locomotive was part of the C-57 Class of locomotives for the OSL, which was a subsidiary of the Union Pacific. The 2-8-0 was part of a three locomotive order from the Oregon Short Line Railroad built that month by Baldwin and numbered 1066-1068.

During World War II, the locomotive pulled trains from the Ogden Yards to the Ogden Army Defense Base. This lasted from 1941-1945 when the Japanese surrendered. Afterward, the engine continued to handle freight in Utah and Idaho. Around 1949-1951, the standard square coal tender was replaced with a Vanderbilt styled tender. The reason why is still unknown. Through the 1950s, the locomotive continued to operate on freight duties until the engine was replaced by diesel locomotives on the Union Pacific. The locomotive's last assignment was to act as a snowplow near the Geneva Steel Mill. The Union Pacific had decided to donate 618 to the State of Utah with the agreement that the locomotive could not be sold, scrapped, or given to an out of state railroad.  In late May of 1958, the locomotive was fired up what some thought was the very last time. She pulled into the Diesel Complex in Salt Lake City. She was then pushed across North Temple Street to the County Fairgrounds and placed on display.

Initially, the locomotive was fairly well received by the public. However, after a while, the locomotive had started to become an eyesore. Many people wanted to get rid of 618, but the stipulations of the Union Pacific giving 618 to the state was that it couldn't be scrapped, sold, or given out of state. This prompted many to speculate what else to do with the locomotive. In the mid 1960s, there was a thought of just burying the engine. According to Stephen Carr, a historian at the Heber Valley Railroad, he stated that, "There was a thought of digging a big hole right next, next to it and tumbling it into the hole. Because nobody knew what else to do with it and nobody was interested in it."  In addition, the fairgrounds also were going to be expanded, and the locomotive needed to be moved to allow it. However, members of the National Railway Historical Society decided to step in and in 1969, they convinced the state to donate the engine to the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. After the donation, the group started conversations with the state to use the locomotive in a brand new tourist railroad based out of Heber City, Utah on the Wasatch Railway Museum.

Two years earlier in 1967, the Denver & Rio Grande Western had abandoned the Provo Branch Line that linked Provo to Heber City. The tracks were planned to be ripped up and be turned over as an extension of U.S Route 189. everal locals and businessmen fought to keep the tracks in order to start a potential tourist operation. When the Wasatch Mountain Railway moved their equipment onto the branch, Utah told them to leave. UDOT gave the historical group until April 1, 1972 to move its equipment. The railroad more or less balked at the order and moved #618 to Heber City from Provo on December 7th, 1970.[4] By 1971, the railroad added to their fleet with Pacific Lumber Co. #35 and a 3-Truck Shay #4 from the Yosemite Lumber Company. In January 3, 1971, #618 was fired up and ran the first excursion on the Heber Creeper. In November, the state decided to rescind their eviction and granted the Wasatch Railway Museum a 25 year lease on the former branch.  It ran excursion trains from 1971 until 1976 when it was taken out of service. After sitting for ten years, the railroad moved the engine in the shops in 1986 were they began rebuilding the engine. It eventually return to service in 1989 and ran excursions trains until 1990 when it was once again taken out of service and put into storage. In 1992, State of Utah moved all of its railroad equipment for use by the Heber Valley Railroad. For two years, the engine sat on display until 1993 when it went into the shops for an overhaul. The rebuild was completed on May 13, 1995 and it pulled its first train of the 1995 season to Deer Creek Dam and back. In 2007, the locomotive celebration its 100th birthday and was relettered and renumbered as Oregon Short Line No. 1068. Shortly after the event, the locomotive would continue to haul passenger trains for another three years. In June 2010, the locomotive made its last runs before its boiler ticket expired. It haul its last trains during Memorial Day weekends for photo charters and was indefinitely taken out of service and put on static display in front of the railroad dept. n 2014, it was removed from its display track and moved into the shops for restoration back to service, it will be converted to burn oil once finished.

models and route by: Trainz-Forge, Auran, and Download Station

[guerrerense]

Return of the Lakeside Limited por James Belmont Por Flickr: For most of the summer into the fall of 2023, Heber Valley Railroad's track between Deckers Bay and Wallsburg has undergone a ground up rebuild by a private contractor. The good news is, the work is complete and the run to Deer Creek Dam has returned. I hiked into mile post 10 on January 17th, and captured the train departing Wallsburg at Hoovers Hollow. The sun was out, temperatures were above freezing, and fisherman were catching their limit on the lake.

[followjacobbarlow]

Heber Valley Railroad

[steverogersnotebook]

A 1930 commuter train car. The seat backs flip so that the passengers will be facing forward going inbound or outbound. This car served the NY/NJ area.

The ceiling/roof is a clerestory design, pre A/C. 40s cars introduced A/C.

[trainphilos]

The shortest train excursion ever.

The shortest train excursion ever.

Brad and I are in Salt Lake City, Utah for their annual convention of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS).

Amongst the various activities offered was a ride on the Heber Valley Railroad, about an hours drive from Salt Lake City. The NRHS had chartered a train to leave the Heber Valley train station around 10:00 for the roughly three hour round trip. The train offered a choice of…

[peachlover94]

America By Rail - The Heartland

I sure would someday like to travel America by Rail. Like with the DVDs from Greg Scholl Video Productions, the Heartland would take me from Washington, D.C. aboard the Capitol Limited to Chicago to board the California Zephyr to San Francisco, California. Along the way, I would visit other train rides for the scenery and experiences.

Amtrak Capitol Limited

Strasburg Rail Road - Strasburg, Pennsylvania

Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad - Romney, West Virginia

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad - Cumberland, Maryland

Ohio Central Railroad - State of Ohio

Amtrak California Zephyr

Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad - Boone, Iowa

Omaha Zoo Railroad - Henry Dorley Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - La Plata and San Juan Counties, Colorado

Heber Valley Railroad - Heber City and Vivian Park, Utah

Virginia and Truckee Railroad - Virginia City, Nevada

Napa Valley Railroad Wine Train - Napa, California

Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad - Felton, California

Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway - Santa Cruz, California

[trainmaniac]

Heber Valley Railroad Dinosaur Days Train

[matthew-s-armstrong]

Train Boy ... distant lands ... ghostly whistles ... the tracks go ever on and on... lost in the forest, but not alone. • • • • • #matthewart #originalcharacter #illustrator #insaart #robotknight #childrensbookillustration #kidlitart #kidsbookstagram #sketch #sketchbook #fantasyart #originalgraphicnovel #freelanceillustrator #inktober #matthewarmstrong #darkcrystal #thief #dungeonsanddragons #fairytale #thief #quest #knight #mage #kittehmage #train #penandinkart #trainspotting #wizardcat #trainboy (at Heber Valley Railroad) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByK5fDMHEHv/?igshid=1jamsa367dk1i

[captrustywildrice]

Checking out a “local” train 🚂 that I haven’t risen yet. Cowboy 🤠 weekend. I may have picked up another gig as an occasional gun fighter. (at Heber Valley Railroad) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFX_4luwet/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[truegiles01]

🎵This is Halloween, This is Halloween🎵 Can we just do Halloween nails all year? 🕸💀👻🎃 • • Luxio- Nightfall, Polar, Scoundrel, Gel Play Line It Black and White @polishedpinkiespro • • Art- $25 • • #halloweennails #halloweennailsdesign #halloweennailart #halloweennail #autumnnails🍁 #autumnnailart #fallnails🍁🍂 #pumpkinnails #spidernails #spiderwebnails #jackskellingtonnails #jackskellingtonnails #mummynails #trickortreat🎃 #hebercity #wasatchcountynails #wasatchcounty #hebercityutah #hebernails #utahnails #utahnailtech #utahnailtechnician #wasatchcountynailtech #nailartobsessed #handpaintednailart #utahnailartist #wasatchnails #utahnailcommunity #parkcitynails #summitcountynails #kamasnails (at Heber Valley Railroad) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlECAjJqhE/?utm_medium=tumblr

[guerrerense]

Autumn in Utah por James Belmont Por Flickr: Heber Valley Railroad's "Deer Creek Express" glides along the dry shoreline of Deer Creek Reservoir near Soldier Hollow, Utah on Oct. 2, 2021.

[airmanisr]

Looking splendid in her original Great Western paint scheme by Kevin Madore Via Flickr: Looking splendid in her original Great Western paint scheme, the Black River & Western's Consolidation #60 heads south with a mixed train on a spring evening. The locomotive was dressed in the livery of her original owner for a May, 2013 Lerro Productions photo shoot. She is seen here passing the trackside property of the BRW's owner, just north of the Toad Lane Crossing in Ringoes, NJ. The 60 is one of four surviving steamers from the Great Western Railway of Colorado. Built in 1937, this engine was the sole Alco product in an otherwise all-Baldwin stable. Perhaps for that reason, she saw relatively little service compared to her sisters, and when she was transplanted to New Jersey in 1964, she was still something of a youngster in the world of surviving steam. Although she's a long way from home, she actually does have "family" in the area. Her big sister, the Baldwin Decapod #90 is one of the main attractions running on the Strasburg Railroad, about 2 hours west of this location. Her other sisters include Consolidation #51, which is still operable in private hands back home in Colorado, and Consolidation #75, which is currently undergoing a rebuild on the Heber Valley Railroad, not far from Salt Lake City in Utah.

[denebola42-blog]

Taken on a no name brand i got on eBay cuz i didn't research the camera. I thought digital is digital. I was definitely wrong but it took ok outdoor photos and was 7 megapixels in umm 2006 or so. Maybe earlier, which was a lot of megapixels back then. Indoors there's always blur. But i enhanced this with Google photos. Looks decent. #americanphotographer #utahphotographer #mexicanphotographer #californiaphotographer #californiatransplant #travelphotography #travelmatters #digitalnomad #citizenoftheworld #landscapephotography #nationalgeographic #naturephotography this was taken from a movie train btw. I was on the train ride. (at Heber Valley Railroad) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ0wZJphz5V/?igshid=c5b31bmctge5

[myiphonephotos]

Heber Valley Railroad and my love. #hebervalleyrailroad #utah https://ift.tt/2WYlpgi

[trainphilos]

Rail Pictures from Utah

Rail Pictures from Utah

Just a few of the rail related photographs we took in Utah which didn’t quite fit into the previous blog entries.

Union Pacific Railroad’s 4014 and 844 at Ogden, Utah. The next morning both locomotives were double heading the UP train back to Cheyenne through the Echo Canyon.

  UPRR’s 833 at the railroads museum next to Ogden Station.

  Experimental gas turbine locomotive number 26 at the Ogden…