Western Railroad Discussion > UP 1989 on the "City of Nephi" OLS

I promised to post a few images of the OLS on Wednesday's adventure from Provo to Nephi, Utah. I hope you aren't getting tired of viewing shots of the Rio Grande SD70ACe. I arrived at Provo yard just in time for the train to depart westbound on UP's Sharp Subdivision at CP C749.

1. At 6:56 a.m. he charged through Springville at the busy 4th South crossing. IPP's Railcar Service Center is visible at left.

2. In low light to die for, the 1989 rounds the "Barry Curve" at 7:18 a.m. This nearly 180 degree curve runs through fruit orchards at MP 733, a couple miles west of Payson siding.

3. Another shot I hoped to catch was this one at MP 727, just south of York Summit and the top of the climb from Provo.

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4. A view looking 180 degrees from shot #3, the 1989 works it's way through the giant curve just west of York Summit. Note how green the Juab Valley is this year. The greenest it has been in many years, thanks to a wet winter and a very mild spring season. The next siding called "Starr" is about four miles west of this point. The 1989 went in at Starr to let the MNPWC freight pass by.

5. Up on arrval at Nephi, UP officials and Juab County/Nephi City law enforcement personnel met to discuss operations through town.

6. UP Lynndyl Sub Dispatcher #8 lined the "Nephi Hold Signal" numerous times west, east, west, east, etc. while 1989 rolled over a half dozen crossings back and forth through town.

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7. Here's a typical view of a Utah small town...the family barn, the small house shaded in tall cottonwood trees, and a horse grazing away in a pasture. Nephi City is all about agriculture.

8. On the return trip I set up one more time at York, this time at the summit (MP 727.8). If you look closely, the top of the hill is pretty easy to spot at the signal.

9. Lastly, the 1989 rolled by running in reverse. A big "thank you" to the crew for leaving all the locomotive lights on for better photos of 1989 heading east back to Provo yard.

Thanks for Looking,
James

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Great stuff James! I have yet to shoot ANY of the Heritage units, only seeing them once, despite their frequent trips to St. Louis. Guess I need to consider a jaunt out on the Sharp Sub here someday, eh?

ricky Wrote:
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> Great stuff James! I have yet to shoot ANY of the
> Heritage units, only seeing them once, despite
> their frequent trips to St. Louis. Guess I need
> to consider a jaunt out on the Sharp Sub here
> someday, eh?

Thank you, Rick! I would recommend the Sharp Sub as a good place to catch UP manifests headed west to California. It seems more traffic heads that way that the shorter and faster Leamington Cutoff west of SLC and south through the Tooele and Tintic Valleys. The intermodal stuff still takes the cutoff, though.

James

The first image, semi-backlit, is a real winner James.

Mike

What exactly is a 'hold signal' for?

shtinkypuppie Wrote:
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> What exactly is a 'hold signal' for?

Usually they are found at CTC locations where quite a bit of switching is done by trains. The idea is that you can bring an opposing train out of the next siding towards the location where a train is switching, holding him just short of the location where the switching is (the hold signal). Then when the train switching clears up, the train they're meeting will be nearby, rather than back several miles at another siding. It's just a way to increase capacity of a rail line that much more.

A fictional example would be:
Siding Echo, MP 615.4

Siding Dora, MP 600.4

Yard, Bess, MP 575.2.


A train workingout of the yard at bess towards Dora would have authority on a signal all the way to Dora; a train headed for Bess out of Echo would have to wait at Dora until the switching move at Bess is done before coming out of Dora towards Bess. Now, with a hold signal added:


Siding Echo, MP 615.4

Siding Dora, MP 600.4

CP 578.0 Bess Hold

Yard, Bess, MP 575.2


that train headed towards Bess can come up to the Bess Hold signal until the switching move at Bess is done, then get a signal for the last few miles into Bess.

Hope this makes sense!

Nice work James! I really like that first shot!!

Bob

P.S. Can you get them to schedule some Heritage units in the area on September 13th & 14th?

chuchubobnv Wrote:
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> P.S. Can you get them to schedule some Heritage
> units in the area on September 13th & 14th?

I'm all over it, Bob. I'll make a couple of calls <grin>

James