Western Railroad Discussion > Wyoming/Utah Question

Hello all,

I am normally on the eastern board, but I will be in the Salt Lake City area this summer. I am looking for information on the set of tracks that parallels I-80 between Echo, UT, and Evanston, WY. Who owns this line and how busy is it? Are there any good photo spots in this area?

Thanks for any information, it is greatly appreciated!

It's owned by UP and probably sees 20-30 trains a day. Pretty much the entire section between Echo and Wasatch is great for pictures, diffinitely check out Echo Canyon just east of Echo.

About any exit off I-84 climbing out of Ogden will provide excellent photo ops. In the mornings Taggart provides an excellent location for eastbound trains exiting the twin tunnels and crossing the Weber River on truss bridges. At Petersen you can get up on the hillside and catch morning eastbounds starting up Weber Canyon. Morgan has a neat depot. At Echo get off the interstate and on the north side is the old highway paralleling right next to the mainline with some awesome red sandstone cliffs for back drops. I-80 has a couple of Exits up the canyon that overlook the two mainlines. Evanston is a good town for lunch with the old depot still standing and the Evanston Roundhouse museum there as well.
Enjoy the scenery and trains as it is one of my favorite places to chase the UP.
If you are up in the canyon imagine hearing us traveling eastward with a train and the 3985 Challenger on the point, barking exhausts off the canyon walls. That's the way it was when I was on teh crew.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/15 12:35 by Bob3985.

If you're good with topo maps, you can follow the whole route at mapper.acme.com  
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.01099,-111.39587&z=14&t=T

You could also buy a Utah DeLormes Atlas and Gazetter.  Which shows the rail lines, backroads, BLM land (colored in yellow, no problem going anywhere you want on BLM land, vs white for private land which may or may not be available.)

But, overall, it's super easy to see trains in the wide open high desert, and you can pick your spots in advance, then wait for trains, or follow them along the line.  

A few Google StreetView shots of trains -- 

Just west of Wahsatch Summit (the divide between the Weber River watershed & Bear River Watershed (both flow into the Great Salt Lake).  
http://goo.gl/maps/3oqxN

Echo Cliffs  that Bob was mentioning.  
http://goo.gl/maps/zLrPy

(You can drive the old highway through here, too, no trains in this shot but you can see its much more scenic than I-80)
http://goo.gl/maps/9gVAB

Here's what looks like a Potash train a few miles west of Echo on I-84.  
http://goo.gl/maps/imzTM

Note that the previousr respondant to your post, Bob3985, is quite familiar with these parts, here are some of his pics of the area from 2009.  
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,1935969

Enjoy, 
Ted in OR