Nostalgia & History > RGZ for a Utah location

Judging by the highway sign giving mileage figures I’m going to take a weak stab at Soldier Summit for this location. But I’m not very sure about it. The sign reads: Price 24 & Denver 444. With this info I did some reverse engineering, so to speak. I did one of the distance between “A & B” searches using Denver & Price, UT. Perfect! Then I went to Google Maps and took another stab at following the DRGW main line to about 24 miles northwest of Price. That put me reasonably near Soldier Summit. But I don’t have a D&RGW timetable available, and there might be an actual ETT location to use. So I will wait for an expert to weigh in...

1. D&RGW 5771 leas the Rio Grande Zephyr near Colton, UT* on September 11, 1980.
Original Kodachrome trader slide by Jim Aldridge, from the late James W. Watson collection.

Thanks for the help!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

*I got some expert tutelage, thank very much! :^)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/25 10:44 by santafe199.

---

Racing across the single track between Colton and Soldier Summit westbound.  The second track had been taken up as an economy move but was restored by D&RGW in the early 80's.  Two tracks remain today in spite of much reduced traffic.  BSB

Nice shot. 24 miles puts this shot near Colton, UT, on the Rio Grande 6th Subdivision.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/25 10:19 by 3rdswitch.

Right about here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QszUbHQa4dCYoD7n7

A bit over a mile west of Colton UT.

mike woodruff
north platte ne

3rdswitch Wrote: > ... 24 miles puts this shot near Colton, UT ...
swaool Wrote: > ... Right about here:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/QszUbHQa4dCYoD7n7 ...

Thanks JB! And thanks Mike, for another street view. Just off hand, I'd say there's a fair chance that Mr Aldridge spotted the headlight and just jumped out ASAP to shoot a sequence... :^)

Lance

swaool Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> A bit over a mile west of Colton UT.
>
> mike woodruff
> north platte ne

Correct, then-D&RGW’s № 17 W/b ‟RGZ” was approaching
the Utah highway № 96 grade-crossing (thus the distance 
signs to Price and Denver, Colo. along SW side of US № 6) 
and was on their Utah Division’s Subdivision 6 (ref.p.8 in
System Time-Table № 4 eff.Feb. 24, 1980) near M/p 645.8
about 1⅖ mi.W/b (geographic NW;  double-track then ended
about 3 to 4 car-lengths W/b beyond crossing) from Colton.

Pilot on their F-9A #9771 was in the vicinity of Lat.:  39° 51'
39" N;  Long.:  111° 1' 35" W, w/in the SW¼-SW¼ of Section
15, T-11-S, R-8-E, S.L.M. in the SE corner of Utah County,
UT.  Also № 17 was due-out of Helper @ 18:20-MT Mon-
Thur-Sat (ibid.), and thus should have been in that locale
about 19:00+MT (e.g.:  7P-MT, 9/11/1980 was a Thursday)
w/a 60MPH track speed.

XE-50W Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> swaool Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > A bit over a mile west of Colton UT.
> >
> > mike woodruff
> > north platte ne
>
> Correct, then-D&RGW’s № 17 W/b ‟RGZ” was
> approaching
> the Utah highway № 96 grade-crossing (thus the
> distance 
> signs to Price and Denver, Colo. along SW side of
> US № 6) 
> and was on their Utah Division’s Subdivision 6
> (ref.p.8 in
> System Time-Table № 4 eff.Feb. 24, 1980) near
> M/p 645.8
> about 1⅖ mi.W/b (geographic NW;  double-track
> then ended
> about 3 to 4 car-lengths W/b beyond crossing) from
> Colton.
>
> Pilot on their F-9A #9771 was in the vicinity of
> Lat.:  39° 51'
> 39" N;  Long.:  111° 1' 35" W, w/in the
> SW¼-SW¼ of Section
> 15, T-11-S, R-8-E, S.L.M. in the SE corner of Utah
> County,
> UT.  Also № 17 was due-out of Helper @ 18:20-MT
> Mon-
> Thur-Sat (ibid.), and thus should have been in
> that locale
> about 19:00+MT (e.g.:  7P-MT, 9/11/1980 was a
> Thursday)
> w/a 60MPH track speed.

And after all that, Just " A bit over a mile west of Colton UT"!!

RR

Interesting - looks like the silver was repainted on 5771.

How about the exact location?  Just prior to  crossing the Highways #6 and #96 to Schofield?

Great shot.  I have a photo somewhere of a loaded Utah Railway coal train at roughly that same spot.  I was headed to Helper and spotted the train, so flipped a U to that crossing and setup for the shot.  And then chased the train to the Summit and watched the manned helpers get removed.  And then I was crazy enough to follow it all the way down to Spanish Fork, maybe even to Provo.  While that was cool, the RGZ sure is cooler!

Nathan

atsf121 Wrote: > ... And then I was crazy enough to follow it all the way down to Spanish Fork, maybe even to Provo ...

Sounds perfectly normal to me! But then, I might be one of those crazy railfans who chase trains around with a camera...

;^)