Home | Open Account | Help | 244 users online |
Member Login
Discussion
Media SharingHostingLibrarySite Info |
Western Railroad Discussion > Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, UtahDate: 08/05/19 09:07 Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: 2ebright I spent the day last Friday around the Helper and Soldier Summit areas in Utah. I was interested in finding out as much as I could about how much business the UP was doing on the west end of the old Rio Grande between Salt Lake City and Helper. Back a few months ago an outbreak of PSR struck here when the Green River Sub between Grand Junction, Colorado and Helper, Utah was stripped of its through Union Pacific freights and became essentially a dead railroad as far as the UP is concerned. It turns out there is still a little traffic over Soldier Summit, but not much. The daily UP through freights, the MRONY eastbound and the MNYRO westbound have been replaced by a near daily MROHP eastbound and a MHPRO westbound. Both of these run between Helper and Roper yard in Salt Lake.
When I arrived at Helper, there was an eastbound coal empty getting ready to go to the Savage coal loadout for a fill-up. I figured I had a few hours before it was back at Helper ready to go west over Soldier Summit, so I took off west myself in search of anything else moving on the hill. I encountered the MROHP just west of summit, turned around and got ahead of it for 3 shots back to Helper. It had 55 cars, mostly covered hoppers full of, I think, frac sand.
9 more shots of the coal train, the CC4PF9-02, Savage, UT to Stockton, CA. Dick Ebright Roosevelt, Utah Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/19 08:29 by 2ebright. Date: 08/05/19 09:10 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: 2ebright Back at Helper, I hung around until the UP 7826 west arrived with the CC4PF9-02. fresh from loading at Savage and ready to cut in the 4 unit manned, mid train, helpers.
6 more shots following Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/19 17:54 by 2ebright. Date: 08/05/19 09:13 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: 2ebright
3 more shots following Date: 08/05/19 09:16 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: 2ebright
Thanks for looking Dick Ebright Roosevelt, Utah Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/19 14:40 by 2ebright. Date: 08/05/19 10:45 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: bradleymckay Another train to watch for is UP oil load OWFSJ (Oil - Wash,Ut to St James,La.). Seems to be running once or twice a week at present. Goes east via Bond and Denver.
Allen Posted from Android Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/19 14:42 by bradleymckay. Date: 08/05/19 11:05 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: ShortlinesUSA Nice post and photos, Dick. Does the Utah Railway have any operations at all in Martin/Helper anymore?
Date: 08/05/19 14:11 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: espeefan I'm very surprised to see manned helpers still being used!
Posted from Android Date: 08/05/19 14:34 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: PHall espeefan Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > I'm very surprised to see manned helpers still > being used! > > Posted from Android They're starting to figure out that if you only need the extra hoursepower for a small part of the run it's cheaper to use manned helpers rather then DPU units for the entire run. Date: 08/05/19 15:15 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: OregonOldGuy Where's the views of the mid train and rear DPU at one of the locations?
Rob Date: 08/05/19 15:35 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: 2ebright OK Rob, just because I like you, here are the mid train, manned helpers and the rear, not manned helpers. Location is west switch Kyune, Utah.
Dick Ebright Date: 08/05/19 15:43 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: SanJoaquinEngr Great work Dick!
Posted from Android Date: 08/05/19 19:45 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: SCKP187 Nice series of photos and narrative. Always good to see some human element of railroading and find out more about the operations.
Brian Stevens Date: 08/05/19 20:56 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: lowwater Hey, Dick, great shots as usual! No more westbound coal off the North Fork? I really don't know much about other (non-coal) UP traffic out of Grand Junction, but I'd be surprised if there's none -- what are they doing with westbound originating/eastbound terminating cars for GJ? Also, I saw a daylight MNYGJ (or whatever it's called now) the other day that was a monster, as long or longer than the usual coal train. It had not only a rear-end DPU but 2-3 engines of some sort about where they would be for helpers, although they could have been more dead switchers, I was too far away to tell. No idea how often the NY trains run either.
Bruce Date: 08/06/19 08:15 Re: Watch the helpers cut in at Helper, Utah Author: SP8595 Great series of shots! Nice to see the MROHP with a sizeable train instead of light engines!
|