Western Railroad Discussion > Chasing the Wendover Local in western Utah

After spending all day this past Sunday, April 15, sitting on a mountainside on Silver Zone Pass above Arnolds Loop, I headed home from Wendover,Utah on Monday morning. As soon as I got in my Jeep and turned my scanner on I heard the Union Pacific DS talking to the ”Local50” and I immediately knew that the eastbound Wendover Local was in town and active. I checked out the yard and found the UP 4404 making up its train. The conductor was on the ground and was willing to talk for a bit and told me that today's train had 21 tank cars full of Magnesium Chloride and 50 cars of “dirty dirt” for the big landfill at Clive. The dirt came from the North Platte, Nebraska area where a power plant was being demolished. I got a good shot of the local in the yard and then went east a mile or so onto the Salt Flats to Blair, where there is an overhead brine pipeline that crosses the tracks and leads to a very active brine processing plant. I waited here for the local to get underway and pass by me going east to Clive. That white building in the far background center right is one of the large hotel/casinos in Wendover. It sits right on the Utah-Nevada state line. Meanwhile the wind had started blowing and seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. I decided to jump ahead to Knolls, over 30 miles east across the Salt Flats, and get a shot there and then go east again and look for a good spot on Low Hill for another shot. By the time I got to Knolls, the wind was much stronger and was blowing salty dust and sand everywhere; but I did get a pretty good shot nevertheless. Then ahead to Low Hill where I found a really good spot for the eastbound local and waited. The wind was really howling now but I was able to position my Jeep at such an angle that I could shoot the local from inside my car and avoid the sandstorm blowing outside. I waited for an hour or so but before the local arrived, here comes the westbound MRORV manifest appearing out of the blowing sand. After shooting it, I gave up on the day and started the 200 mile trip back home to eastern Utah.

1. Wendover Local LUE50, making up its train in the Wendover yard.
2. Wendover Local on the move east out on the salt flats at Blair, Utah, crossing under a pipeline for brine water which goes to the adjacent plant for treatment and sale.
3. LUE50 on the Bonneville Salt Flats at Knolls, Utah.

Two more shots to follow.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/18 04:29 by 2ebright.

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4. I was surprised by this westbound MRORV moving west through blowing and drifting sand on Low Hill, Utah.
5. And while I have your attention, one more shot from my previous day on Silver Zone Pass at Arnolds Loop. Amtrak here in daylight; practically never happens.

Dick Ebright
Roosevelt, Utah

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The Zephyr catch is impressive!
SR

Great coverage and shots!

Nice images and narrative. Very nice composition in #3 & #4.
Brian Stevens

Those are excellent photos, especially #4 and of course #5. Man -- talk about were really, really determined, to stay there when the wind was howling like that! Hope the sandblasting did not damage your Jeep!

Oh, but the desert has a compelling beauty all its own.

Thanks so much for the excellent photos and the great story!

Great shots, some desolate country out there for sure!

Nice! That tall building in background was appropriately named the Stateline Casino back in the 1990's when I used to service it.
Lots of buisness from the good folks out of the Salt Lake area!

Glad your trip was fruit-full!
And another great shot at Arnold Loop, very rare indeed!

I remember watching east bounds fade into oblivion out on that straight salt flat trackage, I think that trackage is the longest stretch of straight track in the US?

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

Actually, that's not the former Stateline Hotel & Casino it's Montego Bay and was formerly Silver Smith...Stateline was across the street on the south side of Wendover Blvd. (Business I-80) and is now the Wendover Nugget.

DTrainshooter Wrote:
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> Actually, that's not the former Stateline Hotel &
> Casino it's Montego Bay and was formerly Silver
> Smith...Stateline was across the street on the
> south side of Wendover Blvd. (Business I-80) and
> is now the Wendover Nugget.

Thanks, my memory's not so hot with some things! Drain Bamage, Drain Bamage!!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA