Western Railroad Discussion > Utah Railway Coal Trains

Figured I would pass on this info for anyone that is planning on chasing the Utah Railway this summer. The Utah Railway is only running one coal train a week now and that train is being ran on Mondays. It leaves Provo before the sun comes up and gets back between 3pm and 6pm on average.  For the last 3 weeks the power for the train has been ether BNSF or UP power and then 5 Utah Railway units are used for the helpers. No one that I know has been able to figure out why the Utah Railway has not been using all of it's power for these trains. Normally they keep 5 of the 6 axle units in Provo but the last few weeks there have only been 2 units in the yard.

Also of note a few months ago the helps started staying on the train all the way to Provo where they come off the train and duck into the Utah Railway yard to retrieve some cars for Martin and then head back up the hill. The Utah does run a train from Martin to Provo and back a few times a week that basically consist of KCCX acid tank cars but I have yet to figure out a pattern for when this train runs.

Hope this info helps anyone that may be planning on chasing the Utah Railway this summer.

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

It has been one coal train a week for about a year.... Bummer about the power.....

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/16 05:50 by jc76.

Thanks for the info. So sad to see the demise of coal. Really glad Utah Railway has a seemingly strong business outside of coal.

Last I heard, the Wildcat mine was inactive. Is that still the case? Does anything run east of Martin on the Utah at the moment? Where do those acid tank cars go?

Is it a safe assumption that the one Utah coal train loads at the mine on CV Spur? Any other trains (UP) loading on CV Spur these days?

Kevin Morgan
Arvada, CO
ColoradoRailfan.com

jc76 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It has been one coal train a week for about a
> year.... Bummer about the power.....
>
> Posted from iPhone

It was only just this fall that they went to one train a week. About once a month they do run two IPP coal trains and then randomly they won't run one Monday. It's been very odd lately. I keep hoping that the power is being worked on and will be back soon but I haven't heard a word on what's going on with the power sadly.

Posted from Android

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

ColoradoRailfan Wrote:
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> Thanks for the info. So sad to see the demise of
> coal. Really glad Utah Railway has a seemingly
> strong business outside of coal.
>
> Last I heard, the Wildcat mine was inactive. Is
> that still the case?

Sadly that is still the case.

Does anything run east of
> Martin on the Utah at the moment? Where do those
> acid tank cars go?

I haven't been up there in a few years so I am not sure if they are running that way at all. And everyone I have talked to has no idea where the acid tank cars go after they get to Martin.


>
> Is it a safe assumption that the one Utah coal
> train loads at the mine on CV Spur? Any other
> trains (UP) loading on CV Spur these days?

I haven't heard of a coal train loading on the CV Spur for a long time. I'm no expert on the Price area do I may be wrong but the only loadout in Price area is Savage now. That is where the Utah trains load at and UP loads several trains there too.

I hope this helps and sorry I don't know all the answers. I am trying to figure it all out right now too.

Posted from Android

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

There was a report within the past 3-4 months, that the MK units were at the end of their lease.  What are the units being used for the helper sets?  Are they all the ex Aussie SD-50s?

Rob

That really sucks, I was planning to hit them up in September but probably not even remotely worth it now. Are there any opportunities for unobstructed shots of the helpers before/after they are cut in? If the MKs are indeed being lease returned I wonder if G&W will ship anything else over, though that might be a waste of resources if there's only one train a week.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/16 09:25 by rbmn5022.

The acid cars are spotted at a transload at Martin.I wonder how much longer that engine house in Martin will remain in use.Bill Webb

I cannot help but wonder if Utah Railway is going to get out of coal entirely? Is that weekly train an IPPX train? And, if memory serves, isn't the power plant switching to natural gas? If so, seems like that would mean the end of that contract and Utah Railway might just focus on manifest traffic between Ogden and Provo.

Definitely does not sound good for Martin! Or Utah Railways tains over Soldier Summit.


Utah5005 Wrote
> I haven't heard of a coal train loading on the CV
> Spur for a long time. I'm no expert on the Price
> area do I may be wrong but the only loadout in
> Price area is Savage now. That is where the Utah
> trains load at and UP loads several trains there
> too.

I think we are actually saying the same thing. If memory serves, CV Spur serves the Savage Mine Loadout just south of Price. :)

Kevin Morgan
Arvada, CO
ColoradoRailfan.com

OregonOldGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was a report within the past 3-4 months,
> that the MK units were at the end of their lease.
>  What are the units being used for the helper
> sets?  Are they all the ex Aussie SD-50s?
>
> Rob

They are still using the MK's and the SD50s. I hadn't heard anything about ethere model being at the end of their lease.

The Helper units have been a mix of MX's and SD50s which had been quite puzzling as to why they are using BNSF and UP power for the train.

Posted from Android

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

rbmn5022 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That really sucks, I was planning to hit them up
> in September but probably not even remotely worth
> it now. Are there any opportunities for
> unobstructed shots of the helpers before/after
> they are cut in? If the MKs are indeed being lease
> returned I wonder if G&W will ship anything else
> over, though that might be a waste of resources if
> there's only one train a week.
>
> Posted from iPhone

There are plenty of opportunities to get unobstructed shots of the helpers as the come down the canyon.

Posted from Android

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

I've wondered the same thing. And yes the one train is the IPP train. I forgot to add that. When I took a ture of the power plant in August they had no idea when they would be switching to natural gas.

Back before the oil market crashed Utah was running an oil train up and down the canyon almost every day so there is hope that if that market comes back they will have that to rely on.

Utah does run the RUT611 local from Provo to Ogden at night on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and it's always powered by the 6 axle units with anywhere from 30 to 80 or more cars.

ColoradoRailfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I cannot help but wonder if Utah Railway is going
> to get out of coal entirely? Is that weekly train
> an IPPX train? And, if memory serves, isn't the
> power plant switching to natural gas? If so, seems
> like that would mean the end of that contract and
> Utah Railway might just focus on manifest traffic
> between Ogden and Provo.
>
> Definitely does not sound good for Martin! Or Utah
> Railways tains over Soldier Summit.
>
>
> Utah5005 Wrote
> > I haven't heard of a coal train loading on the
> CV
> > Spur for a long time. I'm no expert on the
> Price
> > area do I may be wrong but the only loadout in
> > Price area is Savage now. That is where the
> Utah
> > trains load at and UP loads several trains
> there
> > too.
>
> I think we are actually saying the same thing. If
> memory serves, CV Spur serves the Savage Mine
> Loadout just south of Price. :)

Posted from Android

Spencer Peterson
Payson, UT

I was told more than a month ago by our G&W top brass that the Utah Railway was notified that by the end of this year the coal trains will be no more. I guess there is always a chance that things will change, but as for now i'd say you'd better get your photos while you can.

JB