I seem to remember a country music song with the lyric “some days are diamonds, some days are stones” Well, September 16, 2013 was a diamond for me at Helper Yard, Utah. I had driven from my residence in the Uintah Basin south over 9100- foot Indian Summit to the UP (ex. D&RGW) main line to Helper, Utah. My first stop was Union Pacific’s Helper yard. I found a loaded coal train and a helper set lined up in front of the yard office/depot. The UP7288 is on the coal train and the UP8563 is on the helper set. Things are pretty laid back around here; if you need info about when the next train will arrive, just walk into the yard office and ask. A few minutes after I arrived, here comes a loaded Utah Ry. coal drag making a run for Soldier Summit up the 2.4% grade in the Price River Canyon. As is normal for the Utah Ry., this train had 5 units up front and a 6 unit helper set back in mid-train. As it approached me, I realized I was about to get a 3fer; 3 locomotives, perfectly posed for a portrait.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
