Nostalgia & History > Friday Flashback: "Stacked up on UP"

Since I'm in prostate surgery recovery mode tonight, and feeling all left out with this year's annual Beecherfest multi media show taking place a mere 80 miles to my north, I really have nothing better to do than post pictures to T.O.!  There's a story behind this one. In August, 1983, on my one and only journey over Union Pacific's main line to/from Portland OR, aboard Amtrak Train #26, the eastbound "Pioneer," we were greeted with the following announcement as we departed La Grande OR: "Attention Amtrak Travelers;  there has been a derailment ahead on our route to Boise, Pocotello, Ogden and Salt Lake City. As a result, we will be detraining at Baker OR where buses will be waiting to take train passengers to their destinations. All connections at Salt Lake City will be protected." As the derailment was quite fresh, UP was already halting freight traffic and stashing it away wherever it could, including La Grande. As we slowly departed, I quickly aimed my camera out the Dutch door and clicked off this photo of three eastbounds marooned at La Grande until through traffic could be restored. We were actually destined to Boise on this particular trip, and since we ultimately resumed our journey east four days later, we were able to reboard the "Pioneer" there and ride it to Salt Lake City, and make a connection with Train #6, the eastbound California Zephyr, to Chicago. Thus, to this day, the UP segment from Baker OR to Boise ID remains an unfilled gap in my personal rail mileage map! 

Cheers,

aussiehinz



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/18 18:34 by aussiehinz.

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Very nice, Mark! With all my years at NRPC, I regrettably never worked— nor rode— the Pioneer, but sure wish I had.
Here’s to a swift recovery, sir!

Get well soon and great shot!

Mark,

Here's to a quick recovery.  Keep the pixels coming.

Jim

I love your story!  Recovery from surgery will take a lot of patience. All the best for a successful recovery and no complications.
It is gerat that you took that ride. We will probably never see scheuled passenger service in this corridor again!
As a native living at La Grande I am struggling to fit your photo to the scene I know here. Are you sure eastbounds at LAG? The hills in the background as well as the rough looking crossing of several tracks don't fit anything here even in 1983. Is there a wider shot?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/18 19:23 by bluesman.

Thanks for the photo Mark and do get well soon.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Well, no, bluesman, I'm afraid not.  La Grande is what I had written on the silde, but after all thiese years I'm certainly not immune to a mistaken location.  And I was there one time in my life, for a few minutes, which is surely no match for your La Grande experience. It was definitely prior to Baker, definitely in the afternoon, definitely a reasonably sized yard such as one would find at a division point.  It was zoomed, of course, bringing the background hills closer into the scene.  I recall getting the shot shortly after the derailment announcementt, because I was cognizant that trains might be parked in the yard on account of the line interruption.  Pendelton?  Meacham?  Possibly, I guess.  We were late into La Grande and the light was fading when we got to Baker to wait for busses.  Alll I got there was a couple pix of our "Pioneer." Would there be a geographic fit it they were westbounds at La Grande?  Frankly, I cannot picture that, but I don't remember where the main line was in relation to the yard tracks the trains are on, so can't offer any insight made available by the light angle on the noses of the locos.  I am game for any correction suggestions you might have.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/18 20:20 by aussiehinz.

This looks like stored units at SLC. Notice the black bands around the bodies. Typical for long term storage units in the early to mid 80s. And there is a WP geep in the 2nd line that most likely would not be out on the road. Excellent shot whatever and wherever it is.

Thanks. I suspect the other post on stored power at SLC may be the answer. Pendleton would not fit nor any spot west of Baker City. Thanks for your thoughts and the shot down memory lane.

aussiehinz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, no, bluesman, I'm afraid not.  La Grande is
> what I had written on the silde, but after all
> thiese years I'm certainly not immune to a
> mistaken location.  And I was there one time in
> my life, for a few minutes, which is surely no
> match for your La Grande experience. It was
> definitely prior to Baker, definitely in the
> afternoon, definitely a reasonably sized yard such
> as one would find at a division point.  It was
> zoomed, of course, bringing the background hills
> closer into the scene.  I recall getting the shot
> shortly after the derailment announcementt,
> because I was cognizant that trains might be
> parked in the yard on account of the line
> interruption.  Pendelton?  Meacham?  Possibly,
> I guess.  We were late into La Grande and the
> light was fading when we got to Baker to wait for
> busses.  Alll I got there was a couple pix of our
> "Pioneer." Would there be a geographic fit it they
> were westbounds at La Grande?  Frankly, I cannot
> picture that, but I don't remember where the main
> line was in relation to the yard tracks the trains
> are on, so can't offer any insight made available
> by the light angle on the noses of the locos.  I
> am game for any correction suggestions you might
> have.

I see at least three WP units in that picture and they all have the metal "don't steal parts" band on them.

My first thought when I saw the picture was stored power at Salt Lake City.  That sure looks like the Wasatch Front mountains in the background, primarily the area above UP's North Yard (which would put this location about where the UP passenger station is, a common place UP used to store power at).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/18 05:42 by spwolfmtn.

For you movie fans, I'd call that "Hanna ( Right) and her Sisters"....Nyuck Nyuck...Oh, BTW, Get well Soon...Stevie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/18 19:39 by the_expediter.