Western Railroad Discussion > Echo Canyon (?) UT Locations

OK, I was heading EB on I-80 through the Canyon area uphill on Tuesday, and saw a road to the left.  I'm presuming that is Echo Canyon road.  As I was going uphill, I looked over and saw 3-4 vehicles parked in what seemed to be a wide spot next to the road.  Didn't see anybody around, but I presumed there were railfans in the area as an EB covered hopper train was just starting uphill from the I-80/84 split and that looked like a great place to shoot.

At any rate, does anybody know the wide spot location and how to get there?

Thanks,

Kennedy
 

I believe that is the road out of Echo running east on the North side of the tracks. That is generally on the wrong side for the sun but it is good for trying photos. I have parked along there in the past and walked across the tracks to get photos but I am not sure what the security situation is along there any more. And that road deadends east of that location and you have to drive back to Echo to get out. That was the old US 30 that I took traveling to college in Salt Lake before I-80/84.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Bob3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
. And that road
> deadends east of that location and you have to
> drive back to Echo to get out. 

It connects to I-84 eastbound now.

The overpass just before the old road joins eastbound I-84 near Emory offers good photo angles in both directions, depending on time of day.  As for crossing the tracks as Bob3985 mentioned, the advice I got a while back was to go ahead and get the shot, but don't hang around on that side of the tracks any longer than necessary.

Bob

HaggisKennedy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> At any rate, does anybody know the wide spot
> location and how to get there?
>

Not sure if it's the same wide spot or not but when I went through there about two weeks ago I saw a bunch of rock climbers going up the side of one of the faces in Echo canyon.  They were parked in a "wide spot" along the canyon side of the road.

This may be what you were wondering about perhaps. The road is Echo Canyon Rd and takes off EB from I80 pretty much where I80 & I84 come together at. The exit is on the left side of the I80 and pretty much follows the RR for about 5-10 miles or so along the north side of I80. It rejoins the I80 just before the DOT Scale House on the WB side of the I. Not a bad road. Have taken my big truck over it and had no problems anywhere along the way. Even managed to turn it around about 1/2 way thru the venture.  Here is a shot I managed on that trip of a wb UP with new GE's on the point, taken back on May 28 this year. The shot is not far from where the exit takes off and heads up thru the Canyon.  Well worth the side trip. And you will not lose any time going this way in either direction if you so choose to do so, as it connects at either end along I80.  BTW, this road is the overpass one passes under along I80 in the vicinity of said Scale House.   Ben

---

I've also seen folks shooting along old US 30 just east of Echo, Utah. They set up targets to the North of the road...Lots of mink farms around Morgan, off the 84...Steve