Western Railroad Discussion > Roper Yard, Salt Lake City?

What is the current status of the ex-DRGW/WP Roper Yard in Salt Lake? Is it being used much by UP these days or all all operations consolidated at North Yard? How about the BNSF trackage rights trains--do they use Roper for crew change and work or do they do that at North Yard as well?

Thanks!

David G.

dgamble Wrote:
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> What is the current status of the ex-DRGW/WP Roper
> Yard in Salt Lake? Is it being used much by UP
> these days or all all operations consolidated at
> North Yard? How about the BNSF trackage rights
> trains--do they use Roper for crew change and work
> or do they do that at North Yard as well?
>
> Thanks!
>
> David G.

The former DRGW/SP shop building at Roper is busier than ever these days. UP shut down the shop complex at North Yard soon aftern the UP/SP merger. Utah Transit Authority now owns the shop complex at North Yard and plans to utilize it for future commuter rail operations.

BNSF trains change crews along the east side of Roper Yard. BNSF crews work their own trains west of Roper and Utah Railway crews work BNSF trains eastbound between Roper and Provo.

James Belmont

UP runs symbols RORV and RVRO, so that implies there's still some activity at Roper...

BrianJennison Wrote:
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> UP runs symbols RORV and RVRO, so that implies there's still some activity at Roper...

As James Belmont pointed out, Roper is more active now than it was before UP bought out SP. Looking down from the 201 ramps, there are usually a large number of locomotives being serviced there and the yard is usually full of cars with trains ready to leave, etc. The UP North Yard is still quite active but probably less so and the North Yard engine shop has been closed. I believe that all of the intermodal traffic uses North Yard but the coal trains seem to be down at Roper. The North Yard is much easier to access for railfan activity.

We also get ROWC and WCRO through Vegas.