To reach this spot in Nevada from Little Mountain, Utah, west of Ogden on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, UP 9522 has had to cross 30 miles of the Great Salt Lake, using the Bagley, Saline and Rambo Fills, to Lakeside, Utah, with a population of 0; followed by another 58 miles crossing the straight and nearly gradeless Great Salt Lake Desert to Lucin, Utah, also population 0; and then yet another 25 miles through the hamlet of Montello, population 35. Total of 113 miles of railroad with a total population of 35, all located in Montello. I would say that qualifies as “out in the middle of nowhere”. #9522 is well into the 1.2% to 1.3% grade west of Montello up to Valley Pass, followed by the slightly higher Moor Summit and then a sharp drop into the town of Wells, Nevada. All together 163 miles from Little Mountain to Wells and only 35 people the entire way! Back a number of years ago, in Southern Pacific days, I would listen on my scanner to the dispatcher ask the westbound crews for their lunch order. They would answer with something like “2 number 4’s with extra meat, fries and 2 Cokes.” When the westbound reached Montello they slowed down to walking speed. Someone would walk out of the Cowboy Bar in Montello, cross the street, stand by the tracks, and hand up the lunch to the conductor standing on the steps of the moving train. This practice ended years ago.
