Heber Valley Railroad

The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 passengers a year.[1]

Heber Valley Railroad
LocaleHeber City, Utah
TerminusVivian Park, Utah
Coordinates40°30′8.06″N 111°25′28.14″W
ConnectionsNone
Commercial operations
NameProvo Canyon Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Built byRio Grande Western & Utah Eastern Railway
Preserved operations
Operated byHeber Valley Historic Railroad Authority
Reporting markHVRX
Commercial history
Opened1899
Closed1967
1992Operation as Heber Valley Railroad begins.
Website
http://www.hebervalleyrr.org/

The railroad line is approximately 16 miles (26 km) long. A typical round trip ride on the train takes about 3 hours. There are a total of four passing sidings outside of the Heber yard limit. Notable landmarks seen from the train include Mount Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain, Deer Creek Dam and Reservoir, Provo River, Sundance Ski Resort, Tate Barn, and Soldier Hollow. A variety of wildlife including deer, eagles, fox, moose, turkeys, hawks, mountain lions (cougars), and beavers, have all been seen from the train as well.

Equipment

Currently rostered locomotives
Number ImageTypeWheel ArrangementClassificationBuilderBuiltSerial NumberFormerStatusIn ServiceNotes
Union Pacific 618
Steam2-8-0C-2 (Subclass of UP C-57)Baldwin Locomotive Works190731250Union Pacific RailroadUndergoing overhaulNoIt first entered service for the Heber Creeper in 1971. Out Of Service since June, 2010. Overhaul started in 2012, slowly continued since
Great Western 75
Steam2-8-0CB&Q 10-34-E (Built From Drawing 142)Baldwin Locomotive Works190731778Great Western Railway of ColoradoStoredNoIt initially entered service for the Heber Valley Railroad in 1999. It is currently awaiting an overhaul.
Columbia Steel Corporation 300 Steam0-6-06-36-DBaldwin Locomotive Works192558379Columbia Steel CorporationStatic displayNoIt is currently used as a static display piece at the Heber City depot.
Maine Central 52 DieselB-BEMD GP9EMD195723224Boston and Maine Railroad

Pan Am Railways

 OperatinalYes[2]
Boston and Maine 77 DieselB-BEMD GP9EMD195723236Boston and Maine Railroad Pan Am Railways OperatinalYes
Great Western 296
DieselB-BEMD GP9EMD195419893Union Pacific Railroad
Great Western Railway of Colorado		OperationalYesIt served the Great Western Railroad from the 1980s to 2003, and it has served the Heber Valley Railroad ever since.
Union Pacific 1011 DieselB-BEMD NW2EMD19401124Union Pacific RailroadUnder RestorationNoUnder Overhaul, Will Return in the original Black & Yellow Scheme
Union Pacific 1043 DieselB-BEMD NW2EMD19463429Union Pacific Railroad
Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Company		StoredNoCurrently For Sale On The Heber Valley Railroad Website
United States Army 1218 DieselB-B44-ton switcherDavenport Locomotive Works19533366United States ArmyOperationalYesIts design is similar to the GE 44-ton switcher.[3]
United States Army 1813
DieselC-CEMD MRS-1EMD195215878United States ArmyStoredNoFor Sale On The Heber Valley Railroad Website, Taken out of service in 2019 due to radiator issues
Via Rail 6300
DieselB-BVIA FP9ARMEMD1957A1196Canadian National Railway

Via Rail

 StoredYesIt was the only locomotive that survived the Hinton train collision of 1986. It was previously owned by the National Railway Historical Society British Columbia chapter.

Formerly rostered locomotives
Number Image Type Wheel arrangement Classification Builder Built Serial Number Former Current owner Status In service Notes
Yosemite Lumber Company 4 Steam Shay C70-3 Lima Locomotive Works 1920 N/A Yosemite Sugar Pine Lumber Company Sierra Nevada Logging Museum Static display No The only Shay locomotive to ever be in the roster.[4]
Pacific Lumber Company 35 Steam 2-8-2 N/A Baldwin Locomotive Works 1923 N/A Pacific Lumber Company Nevada State Railroad Museum Static Display No It served the Heber Creeper from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.[5]
Sierra Railroad 36
Steam 2-8-2 Class 36 American Locomotive Company 1925 N/A Sierra Railroad Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad[6] Stored No It served the Heber Creeper during the 1970s.
Santa Maria Valley 100
Steam 2-8-2 Class 100 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1926 N/A Charles R. McCormick Lumber Company
Pope and Talbot Lumber Company
Santa Maria Valley Railroad		 Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Stored No It served the Heber Creeper from 1976 to 1989.
Southern Pacific 1744
Steam 2-6-0 M-6 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1901 19671 Southern Pacific Railroad Pacific Locomotive Association Undergoing restoration No It served the Heber Creeper from 1980 to 1989.
United States Army 4028
Diesel B-B RS-4-TC-1 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1954 61258 United States Army Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad[7] Operational Yes

History
Provo Canyon Branch timetable of the Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1956

The line operated by the HVRX was formerly part of a Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad branch line that connected Heber City to Provo, Utah. The branch line was completed in 1899 and operated freight and passenger service until the line's abandonment in 1967.

The line was saved for tourist use and was reopened in 1970 when No. 618 and other equipment was brought up the line from Provo. The track between Provo and Vivian Park was later removed and converted into a recreational trail. During the 1970s and 1980s the railroad operated as the "Heber Creeper". In the late 1980s this railroad went out of business.

Citizens in the Heber area successfully petitioned the State of Utah to help save the railroad, leading to creation of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority in the early 1990s. Since this time the railroad has seen considerable growth. The railroad operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

During the 2002 Winter Olympics the railroad was part of the Olympic Steam Team, carrying spectators to the Soldier Hollow Olympic venue. The railroad's No. 618 and 75 steam-engines, were joined by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum's No. 93 steam-engine, in pulling eight-car trains full of passengers, to the Soldier Hollow depot where they disembarked and continued to the venue entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh.[8] The day prior to the Opening Ceremony of the games, all three locomotives were combined into one triple-headed train, and used to transport the Olympic flame from Soldier Hollow to Heber City as part of the torch relay.[9]

Current operations

The railroad's main depot is located in Heber City. Other passenger terminals are located at Soldier Hollow (near Midway, Utah) and Vivian Park. The railroad operates year-round and features evening and special event train rides.[10] Among its named trains are the Provo Canyon Limited, a three-hour round trip excursion to Vivian Park and the shorter Deer Creek Express to Deer Creek Reservoir.[10] The railroad can be seen from various points along U.S. Highway 189 between Heber City and Vivian Park and the whistle can be heard throughout the valley.

Locomotive No. 618 was used in the 2006 film, Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy.[11] The locomotive soon turned 100 years old as of July 2007. From 2008-2010 618 ran limited capacity and was then taken out of service for a 1,472-day inspection and major overhaul, as required to meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety standards in 2010. The non-profit railroad raised the $750,000 required for the project to give #618 another 30 years of service. Its restoration includes conversion from coal to oil burning Hopes to get it running in 2022. [1] #75 has been out of service undergoing restoration since 2003.

See also

References
  1. Wrinn, Jim (February 5, 2019). "No steam at Heber Valley in 2019". Trains magazine. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  2. "Heber Valley purchases Pan Am GP9s | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  3. "Pictures of HVRX 1218". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  4. "sn-3092". web.archive.org. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  5. "Nevada State Railroad Museum - www.rgusrail.com". www.rgusrail.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. "Major private collection of steam locomotives is sold to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (updated)". Trains. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  7. psvrr, Author (2019-11-20). "Welcome our new locomotive!". Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad. Retrieved 2022-02-03. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  8. Salt Lake Organizing Committee (2001). Official Spectator Guide. p. 211.
  9. Keith Albrandt (2002). "Salt Lake City 2002 XIX Olympic Winter Games Steam Team". Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County website. Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  10. Wrinn, Jim, ed. (2009). Tourist Trains Guidebook. Waukesha, Wisc.: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-87116-273-1.
  11. Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy (DVD). Feature Films for Families. 2007.
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