Western Railroad Discussion > Final end of Laramie, Hahns Peak & Pacific?

Well, not quite, looks like there might be 0.57 miles left. Incidentally, I don't think a wheel has rolled on this trackage in years. Anyway, from today's Federal Register:
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-307 (Sub-No. 6X)]

Wyoming and Colorado Railroad Company, Inc.--Abandonment
Exemption--in Carbon County, WY

On February 10, 2006, Wyoming and Colorado Railroad Company, Inc.
(WYCO) filed with the Board a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for
exemption from the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to abandon a 23.71-
mile line of railroad between milepost 0.57, near Walcott and milepost
24.28, at Saratoga, in Carbon County, WY. The line traverses United
States Postal Service Zip Codes 82331 and 82335 and includes no
stations.
The line does not contain federally granted rights-of-way. Any
documentation in the railroad's possession will be made available
promptly to those requesting it.
The interest of railroad employees will be protected by the
conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.--Abandonment--Goshen,
360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).
By issuing this notice, the Board is instituting an exemption
proceeding pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final decision will be
issued by May 31, 2006.
Any offer of financial assistance (OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2)
will be due no later than 10 days after service of a decision granting
the petition for exemption. Each OFA must be accompanied by a $1,200
filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
All interested persons should be aware that, following abandonment
of rail service and salvage of the line, the line may be suitable for
other public use, including interim trail use. Any request for a public
use condition under 49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail banking under
49 CFR 1152.29 will be due no later than March 22, 2006. Each trail use
request must be accompanied by a $200 filing fee. See 49 CFR
1002.2(f)(27).
All filings in response to this notice must refer to STB Docket No.
AB-307 (Sub-No. 6X) and must be sent to: (1) Surface Transportation
Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001; and (2) Karl
Morell, Of Counsel, Ball Janik LLP, 1455 F Street, NW., Suite 225,
Washington, DC 20005. Replies to the WYCO petition are due on or before
March 22, 2006.
Persons seeking further information concerning abandonment
procedures may contact the Board's Office of Public Services at (202)
565-1592 or refer to the full abandonment or discontinuance

[[Page 10756]]

regulations at 49 CFR part 1152. Questions concerning environmental
issues may be directed to the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis
(SEA) at (202) 565-1539. [Assistance for the hearing impaired is
available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339.]
An environmental assessment (EA) (or environmental impact statement
(EIS), if necessary), prepared by SEA, will be served upon all parties
of record and upon any agencies or other persons who commented during
its preparation. Other interested persons may contact SEA to obtain a
copy of the EA (or EIS). EAs in these abandonment proceedings normally
will be made available within 60 days of the filing of the petition.
The deadline for submission of comments on the EA will generally be
within 30 days of its service.
Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at
http://www.stb.dot.gov.


Decided: February 23, 2006.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 06-1905 Filed 3-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P

Actually it's the final writing for the Saratoga and Encampment Valley RR which ran soutward from Walcott (Wy) to Encampment originally. It was cut back to Saratoga in the late 1960's.

Jim Burrill

"to abandon a 23.71- mile line of railroad between milepost 0.57, near Walcott and milepost 24.28" does not sound like .57 miles to me. I wonder how much it would run to purchase it....

This is/was the old Saratoga and Encampment Valley Railroad, later UP's Encampment Branch, later cut back to a Louisiana-Pacific lumber mill in Saratoga, WY. In latter UP days it was serviced as an extension of the Sinclair Local out of Rawlins, WY. In WYCO days it was run as an extension of the ex-LHP&P line you speak of out of Laramie, even though it was entirely seperate. I ran on that UP Sinclair Local out of Rawlins as a student brakeman, we protected that job out of Cheyenne, in 1978. After dropping off some tank cars at the Sinclair refinery east of Rawlins, we went all the way to Walcott and Saratoga with one GP-30 and one warm cozy caboose, flying through the snow in a trip I will never forget (the days before video cameras). We were actually stopped about midway up the branch by a herd of jackrabbits, millions of them as far as you could see. I have never even heard of that! We finally inched forward until we were clear of the herd, then proceeded. We parked at Saratoga where the crew spent all day generally goofing off walking around town, swimming in the hot springs and doing not much of anything. Teaching this then-new brakie bad things! Close to nightfall, we picked up one boxcar at the mill and returned to Rawlins via Walcott, again flying through the snow and me in the cupola of our cozy old UP caboose that rode solidly like a Pullman. We tied up right at our 12 hours, a real money maker for the railroad (yeah right). - - JLH

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Oops...... OH, well, so what's a few miles, 'specially in Wyomin'?<G>

Not the first time I've gotten those two mixed up. Thanks, Jim.

lowwater

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "to abandon a 23.71- mile line of railroad between
> milepost 0.57, near Walcott and milepost 24.28"
> does not sound like .57 miles to me. I wonder how
> much it would run to purchase it....

??

They are abandoning from mp 0.57 to EOT at mp 24.28. 24.28 - 0.57 = 23.71 to be removed. I assume 0.57 miles, from mp 0.00 to mp 0.57, is being kept to serve a local customer in/near Walcott.

lowwater

Anyone know whether the two locomotives that had been parked at the Louisiana Pacific plant are still there, or what became of them? I think there was some rolling stock there as well. I'm not positive, but I think I saw all the above maybe 3-4 years ago. I think the plant was shut down at the time. I think I was also there a couple years previous, and the operation was still open. I'm hazy on dates for sure though. When did the plant close? Didn't it close and reopen before closing permanently, or am I remembering a different one?
Thanks for the info. Always wished I would catch a train out there (same goes--even more so actually--for the line into Walden).
-Wes

My Wife's grandfather, Hans Olson, was a UP engineer in the 1900's and went on to work the Laramie, Hahn's Peak and Pacific.
The family album, not in my possession, has a picture of a Mikado 2-8-0, some where on the line.

Did the line ever become Laramie, North Park and Pacific??

Jim Baker, Whittier, CA