Passenger Trains > .

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/21 13:56 by F40PHR231.

Had the pleasure of boarding the Pioneer there in 1982. I hope the murals inside are intact. 

I remember very clearly seeing the Amfleeted Pioneer laying up al day behind the depot.
The Intermodal station is now too far from Temple Square, and in a not very safe area.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/15 07:02 by joemvcnj.

A beautiful photo of a beautiful station that is sadly now a little-used part of a retail development... Built in 1909, the Union Pacific's Salt Lake City Station was used by Amtrak from June of 1977 when Amtrak started the Pioneer, until Amtrak moved its operations south to the 1910-vintage Rio Grande (and earlier WP) Station in October of 1986. The SLC to LA Desert Wind came along in October of 1979, and in July of 1983 the renamed California Zephyr moved over to the Rio Grande line via the Rockies to Denver.

In answer to the question about the murals, yes they are still there as are the beautiful stained glass windows. However, as an "event" location, the station's waiting room is often closed to public access for special events. In contrast with the Rio Grande Station, as well as the so-called "Salt Lake Central" Station where Amtrak's CZ, Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner commuter rail and TRAX light rail trains stop adjacent to the Greyhound Station, the UP Depot is in a much better (and safer) location, and would have been a fine "front door" for Salt Lake City -- but for the agenda of real estate developers and those in local government supporting them...

I am thankful that the UP Station still exists, and they even turn on the big UP emblem facing east up South Temple Street once in awhile, but it is still very sad to visit this place now seeing what it has become and knowing what might have been...

Thanks again for sharing...

ShastaDaylight

When I first visited SLC in 1978, the Pioneer was sitting in the station, and in the lower right hand corner of the photo was a fenced off lot with many ancient GM buses, like someone locally has bus preservation in mind.

In the mid-1980's, SLC had  a pretty good intercity transportation situation. A 3 section Zephyr splitting and merging at Midnight and 6am, walking distance to the Greyhound station where one could catch both overnite and daytime buses to West Yellowstone, a small Continental Trailways station, and the Howard Johnson Hotel building and Temple Square.

Now it is a mess with many transportation options gone, the facility off in a bad area, and the entire Utah House delegation votes to kill Amtrak on many occasions. SLC (and Ogden) always had a serious vagrancy and drug problem which they don't seem to be able to do anything about  except come up with real estate schemes to push the problem further from downtown. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/15 07:30 by joemvcnj.

Great photo Chris, looks like you are on top of the arena. And yes, the airport connection is nice. Doesn't run early or late enough for me to use on my short trips to California, but I try to use it when I can.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

I see the bar on the corner, left, is gone. 
JB

Wow.  I had no idea the area was SO changed.  I take it that all railroad tracks are gone?    Did UP sell it? 

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow.  I had no idea the area was SO changed.  I
> take it that all railroad tracks are gone?   
> Did UP sell it? 

Yes, UP and the city came to an agreement in the 90's to replace the yard area with a new development. Unfortunately, that pushed the Amtrak stop from the DRGW station that was just to the south with an Amshack even further west of downtown. That's where Frontrunner is now. It would have been so much better to have Frontrunner stop at the UP station. They stop just a bit north now at North Temple, but still. Wasted opportunity in my book.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

They had Olympics on their mind, SLC felt too much real estate was given over to railroads, and UP wanted nothing to do with passenger train trackage. Chicago had the same attitude, but it was the out of way stations and trackage that were gotten rid of. SLC completely missed the point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/15 15:28 by joemvcnj.

Like other posters I have found memories of this and the Ogden, UT UP Stations when first the UP City Trains called and then later Amtrak "Merge and Split" (as another posted mentioned).   To see the SLC today with no tracks behind it is indeed sad. 

Fortunately there are still a few smaller stations that have the UP herald proudly displayed and with UP trains and tracks still behind and in service (Like Pocatello, ID) but those numbers seem to be falling too.

Lots has changed in all of our lifetimes whether your 20 or 90 but I think we could all agree not always for the better.

Thanks for sharing that great photo...

Northridge Switcher

I lived in Utah for about 5 years or so, and had the pleasure of seeing Ogden and SLC Stations with tracks behind them. I remember going through SLC before all that development and wondering if the Station would make it out alive. Back then, they were talking of condo's inside the station shell. Good to see it at least survived.

-Dave

Real estate and their related schemes are heavily subsidized, far more than Amtrak! TIM

dbesade Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I lived in Utah for about 5 years or so, and had
> the pleasure of seeing Ogden and SLC Stations with
> tracks behind them. I remember going through SLC
> before all that development and wondering if the
> Station would make it out alive. Back then, they
> were talking of condo's inside the station shell.
> Good to see it at least survived.
>
> -Dave

To be fair.. it is incredibly common in SLC (and the Wasatch Valley as a whole) to see older buildings gutted and turned into something else. Usually the claim is preservation, but the reality is all you are preserving is a shell.

brc600 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Real estate and their related schemes are heavily
> subsidized, far more than Amtrak! TIM
>
> dbesade Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I lived in Utah for about 5 years or so, and
> had
> > the pleasure of seeing Ogden and SLC Stations
> with
> > tracks behind them. I remember going through
> SLC
> > before all that development and wondering if
> the
> > Station would make it out alive. Back then,
> they
> > were talking of condo's inside the station
> shell.
> > Good to see it at least survived.
> >
> > -Dave