Western Railroad Discussion > King Hill

Hank wasn't around on 10/31/2025 when I caught the MPDNP-30 climbing away from King Hill (ID) on the Nampa Sub.  Kinda wish the trailing unit, UP 1943, had been leading, but you can't have everything, and I'd gotten it before back in North Platte.

Edited to provide train ID

mike woodruff
anacortes wa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/25 14:07 by swaool.

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Nice shot at a classic location.  I saw that train entering La Grande for the crew change. Ya, the hostlers could have re-arranged the units differently! 

Great shot!
I love that area.

Wyatt

Yup . . .  good pictures, I tell you what.

H.  (J.)

Wonderful pictures! The King Hill is still The King! Spent a lot of time there in the 90's, and on the other hill to the west, both locations guaranteed to be great " High horsepower in run 8 " show!

Posted from Android

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/25 12:44 by RailRat.

I still find it hard to believe that UP is down to just one PNW-North Platte manifest train now (MPDNP), and this one doesn't look like a huge monster either.

Ticeska Wrote:
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> I still find it hard to believe that UP is down to
> just one PNW-North Platte manifest train now
> (MPDNP), and this one doesn't look like a huge
> monster either.

MHKPC forwards a lot of business on to North Platte on the MPCNP, right? That's what I'm assuming is happening -- those HKPCs get very big these days (much bigger than the MHKPC used to be), and carry a lot of cars (Cryotrans reefers, wrapped lumber) that the HKNP used to carry. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/25 09:00 by FiestaFoamer.

FiestaFoamer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ticeska Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I still find it hard to believe that UP is down
> to
> > just one PNW-North Platte manifest train now
> > (MPDNP), and this one doesn't look like a huge
> > monster either.
>
> MHKPC forwards a lot of business on to North
> Platte on the MPCNP, right? That's what I'm
> assuming is happening -- those HKPCs get very big
> these days (much bigger than the MHKPC used to
> be), and carry a lot of cars (Cryotrans reefers,
> wrapped lumber) that the HKNP used to carry. 

I'm guessing you're probably right, UP just filling out any train heading east out of the PNW:  Move the excess freight to Pocatello (this would put this freight east of the major mountain grades of Oregon and central Idaho), then add these cars to the MPCNP, or even have a latter MPDNP pick the cars up - thus giving birth to UP's massive monster trains, all ready to slowly crawl on east to North Platte on the Central Corridor at Granger WY.  Got too many cars for those monsters (heard to believe that ever happens - nothings too big for the UP!), add them to the MPCGR to Green River WY, then add them to the MGRNP.  A couple years ago, I had a family get together at Lava Hot Springs ID on the Pocatello - Granger line, where I saw UP filling out empty eastbound grain trains with manifest freight.

Fortunately for UP, they don't really care how long it takes for someone's freight to get to it's destination - as long as they are fullfilling their worshiping of the PSR gods.