Western Railroad Discussion > Question - UP Branch and Offshots Out Of Kemmerer, Wyoming

Was up that way for the first time a few weeks ago exploring. Currently a lot abandon trackage with some
locomotive ( new 3000 class SD70AH units) and freight car storage.

Looked like a lot of past rail activity with a lot of small yards, now empty.

Can someone fill me in on what industries UP served up there that are no longer active?  Took a look on Google Earth
and it looked like there was a least one coal loading facility there still in use.

Thanks,  Jim Evans

Running south from Moyer Junction (just west of Kemmerer) the line Cumberland industrial lead runs 10.9 miles south.  Last time I worked down there, we still delivered tank cars to the end of this branch, petroleum-related.  Not sure as to recent activity.  At Glencoe Junction MP 5.3, the Elkol Industrial lead cuts off and heads 3 miles west to the Elkol coal mine.  This facility is where a train picks up coal 3 times per week and delivers to the massive soda ash mine at Westvaco on the Evanston Sub.  The mine has it's own power plant that runs on coal and this mine at Kemmerer is where the coal is sourced.  The train is a dedicated, single-purpose train with air dumps.  We also run occasional extra coal trains from this mine when they find other buyers, but not nearly as regularly as it used to be.  Coal is a dying industry it seems.  Back in 2007 or so I remember coal trains coming off of the branch regularly to be delivered to points around the country.  The Kemmerer coal trains also supplied the sugar beet factories at Nampa and Burley.  Now, other than the westvaco train, the coal is sporadic at best.

There is another coal mine toward the north end of the Cumberland Branch, but I believe that it recently filed for bankruptcy and is not receiving rail service.

Down in Kemmerer, near the depot,  remnants of a branch turning northbound and following the river can be seen.  I was told that this once went to mines north of Kemmerer, but it was before my time.

At Opal some local traffic still exists.  Mostly frack sand.

Just east of Opal the Exxon Branch turns off and heads north.  I have been out on this branch before years ago, but apparently, they either don't want rail service anymore or UP ran the customer off.  The branch sits idle and the switch to the main line has been removed.

Further west from Kemmerer at leefe, there is a wye and old branch that split off and headed west to another mine.  The old heads talked about it, but again, before my time.  Sadly there really is not a whole lot going on around Kemmerer these days and I'm not optimistic about its future as a local terminal.  Once the remaining coal dries up, I would imagine so would the terminal as a whole with only mainline trains coming through.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/19 16:29 by HogheadMike.

Also, it's J C Penny's home town.

qman

Well, Kemmerer is heading in the same direction as JC Penny.......extinction.

Here are some detail closeups of maps included in timetables, showing the trackage around Kemmerer.

1) UP-OSL Idaho Division, No. 238, June 1934

2) UP Idaho Division, No. 46, May 1972

3) UP Idaho Division, No. 47, July 1973

Don Strack

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However!!

There are lots of scenic places to observe the UP traffic on the OSL around Kemmerer

Waterfall,  Bridges  on east/south side of Kemmerer,  canyon on east/south side of Kemmerer/Diamondville  Curves west/ north  of Kemmerer, Nugget Canyon, Fossil Buttes, Pegram ID, Swan Valley ID, wonderful scenic views of various  mountain ranges, lots of wildlife and water.  

Last time I was there for a time   late this spring, good traffic  7-8 trains from 10 Am to 400PM



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/19 07:36 by dougd.