Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF westbound at Thistle, UT tunnels after snowstorm

March 13 was my son's 16th birthday, so naturally he and I were on the road for his Spring Break. Unfortunately, we found out that Utah Railway does not like to work on weekends, but it snowed overnight which livened up the desert scenery, but by the next day made everything a sea of mud. Anyway, BNSF ran a westbound on the UP trackage rights the Saturday morning after it snowed, which showcased the Thistle area as I have never seen it before.

Photo 1 - Westbound exits the 1983-built tunnel hastily constructed with another tunnel beside it after a massive landslide blocked the D&RGW main line, the Spanish Fork River, and US Highway 6-89 next to it, burying and acting like a high dam, slowly flooding the small town of Thistle, UT (population 45).

Photo 2 - In this view one can see the new lofty elevated highway portion on the top left, as well as the old highway and railroad alignment on the bottom right. That river flows through an overflow tube also hurriedly constructed through the massive landslide, both of which are visible at the top right. While the two tunnels were being constructed in 1983, D&RGW trains were detoured across Wyoming on UP, with UP pilot engines of course for cab signals. Happy railfanning! --- --- - --- JLH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/10 08:32 by highgreengraphics.

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Excellent!!!

WOW!! Image #2 is breath taking. Excellent shots.

Ryan

#2 an unforgettable image.

#2 is a great view from a not often seen angle!

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

WOW! is the correct expression. Gerry

Well done.

Not only is #2 one of the largest photos Ive seen posted on Trainorders but one of the best.

Excellent shots, JLH! Thanks for sharing.

JSB

Dad likes these a lot! The train stands out beautifully against the newly fallen snow. Great compositions, well seen. Thanks for sharing.

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography

Just simply super, JLH. Never have I seen photos like #2 which encompass the Thistle landslide area like yours. And even if there had been no landslide episode the pictures by themselves are simply A1! Did you have to do some hiking to get to the location from which you took the pictures?

Thank you for the compliments, guys! The location for both photos is the same, just zoomed the lens more to get to No. 1. It is only maybe a 50-yard hike off the highway, and only slightly uphill. It lends itself to dark-day photography as you are on the north side of the tracks here, and the sun in the south, especially in the winter, makes this the dark side. We were really in desperation mode, as the mud and snow on Soldier Summit itself made it inaccessible, and we found out, maybe again but I forgot in the several years since I've been there, that UTAH Railway does not like to work on weekends. And then it snowed. Like the song said, "Making Love out of nothing at all"? - - JLH

Best ever view of Thistle I've ever seen!

Very well done!!

--Tom

#2 Should be image of the month!

Great picture I wish I was there nice job---- ---- -- ---JSH

Very Nice photos!!!!

Gee, did I really write "Thistle, CO" in the first title? I must have been tired, of course it's in Utah! Durn typos! --- --- - --- JLH

JLH

I've been a member of this site for at least three years and your second photo is hands down the best photo on Trainorders since I've been a member! I keep going back to it. Did you have to hike in to get the shot? If so, worth every step of the way!

Craig McDowall
mcmrailvideos.com

Very beautiful in my book, nice shots!

Could not agree more with the comments on the #2 pic. Excellent! Amazing how a natural disaster changed that whole landscape. Equally amazing was how quickly the railroad recovered from it.