Western Railroad Discussion > Lester Tippie

I received word today that an old friend, Lester Tippie, passed away in Salt Lake City. Les was a member of the Promontory Chapter of the NRHS and on the board of the Pacific Limited Group. Back in the 90's we worked with Les and Hal Lewis from Pacific Limited Group to run excursions for them. We booked trips with them all over the system. He was a fine man and will be greatly missed. Perhaps some of you rode those trip with them and us. My sympathies go out to Les Tippie's family and friends.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/14 21:34 by Bob3985.

Thanks Bob , Sorry to hear of Lester Tippie passing it was nice to have worked with UP Steam as a member of Les & Hal crew on the Pacific Limited group crew . Prayers to Les family & Friends .

Dave & Serena Dodds
UPHS Member #3282
WPRM Life Member #361
San Dimas , CA . 91773

Posted from Android

I remember Les. I am so sorry to hear of
his passing. I was a Car Host on some of
the Pacific Limited excursions.

Please extend my condolences to his family
and friends, and everyone in the Promontory
Chapter.

Thank you for the mention of the passing of Les Tippie. Les passed away yesterday morning and I learned about it a short time thereafter. I have been friends with Les and his family for almost 35 years and he was a fine gentleman with a very nice family. Although best known as the long-serving president of the Promontory Chapter of the NRHS, and for his close association with Union Pacific and its passenger-carrying excursion trains, Les was from a Santa Fe family, having grown-up in Topeka, Kansas. He spent a lot of time at the nearby Kansas City Union Station during the same era when my grandfather and uncles were working there. Les was very kind and was happy to help anyone in need. Many a cold, snowy morning back in the 1980's Les would be up before dawn to meet me when I would arrive in Salt Lake City on business aboard the eastbound Amtrak "Zephyr," and when I first came to Utah he showed me all the good trainwatching spots around town. My prayers go out to his family at this trying time; he will be missed by all of us who knew him...

ShastaDaylight

My thoughts and prayers go out to Les's family and friends. I met him when I worked a Pac Ltd trip as car host from Council Bluffs to Chicago back in 1997ish and also Des Moines to Boone. I remember him as a very nice guy who kept us all organized.

I remember back in the early 80s we were planning a steam excursion from Salt Lake City down to Provo and back. Lester and others from the NRHS Promotory chapter met with Utah Division Sup. Rich Jensen and me in his office to discuss the operating plan. It must have been Jerry's first experience with a fan trip.

They began describing a runby..."we want to stop, unload everyone, then the train backs up and..."

The club also said and they wanted the lounge open...

"Alcohol?"

"And every gets off the train and wanders around on the ground?"

"Of course."

The color went out of Rich's face and he replied with the dreaded words: "We can't do that!"

I thought the meeting was over, but to my surprise Lester and his friends prevailed. It was quite a trip.

John Bromley
Omaha, Nebraska



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/14 12:41 by Copy19.

John,

Was that Steam Show 1980 with the 8444 or Steam Show 1982 with the 3985??? Great story, which reminds me of some SP officials back in that era... Those were both great excursions with a full house of riders on each trip. Les really did run some fine excursion trains back in the day, and certainly in later years with Hal and the Pacific Limited Group.

ShastaDaylight

ShastaDaylight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John,
>
> Was that Steam Show 1980 with the 8444 or Steam
> Show 1982 with the 3985??? Great story, which
> reminds me of some SP officials back in that
> era... Those were both great excursions with a
> full house of riders on each trip. Les really did
> run some fine excursion trains back in the day,
> and certainly in later years with Hal and the
> Pacific Limited Group.
>
> ShastaDaylight

I'm a little hazy on the power, but I'm thinking it was 8444. The 1982 trip with 3985 was the setting fire to the countryside trip.
JB

I remember both trips well; we had snow the first day of the 1980 trip with 8444, and many fires (including a 100 acre blaze at Point of the Mountain south of Salt Lake City) with the 3985. Les' later Pacific Limited trips were first class in every respect, which is a real tribute to him and the others with that group. Les Tippie's funeral will be today in West Valley City, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake. He was a fine man and a good friend...

ShastaDaylight