By August 18, 1985, Rio Grande's Helper car shop was a true survivor that featured vintage buff and brown paint with the obsolete 'Scenic Line of the World' Royal Gorge Route logo painted above fo... (more)

Rio Grande GP40 #3147 awaits a call to serve among its Aspen Gold stablemates in Helper Yard. The 3147 was built for the Penn Central in Sept. 1968 and acquired secondhand by the D&RGW by Nov. 198... (more)

Although this line is owned by UP, you would never know by the looks of it. Trackage rights trains from BNSF and UTAH out numbered UP trains 2 to 1... literally, only three trains ran all day.

Utah Railway's shop and adjoining offices are the closest thing to a real life model railroad I've ever seen. Not only is the complex perched on a picturesque ridge with a small yard and oversized... (more)

A Utah Railway Nevada Power (Moapa) coal empty enters the Wildcat passing siding for loading at the Andalex Resources, Inc. facility west of Helper.

The last hold out for DRGW Tunnel Motors was Helper, UT. With Tennessee Pass closed, there was perhaps no better setting for these monsters last breath, than the steep 2.4% climb over Solider Summ... (more)

A very mixed consist leads a BNSF trackage rights train up Solider Summit...

UP7183 is the second westbound coal load in an hour. Shoving hard in the middle of this load is a manned 3 unit helper with UP4799 in the consist.

UP7183 is the second westbound coal load in an hour. Screaming against gravity on the 2.4% grade no other mainline in America sees bulk trains assaulting grades this steep....

Engineer Mel Baughman looks over the shoulders of Machinist Gordon Olson as he performs some last minute repairs to Rio Grande “Tunnel Motor” No. 5390 at Helper, Utah, on the morning of May 21, 20... (more)

Subtle colors and textures are revealed on the center axle of Electro-Motive Division’s popular HT-C truck beneath Rio Grande SD40T-2 “Tunnel Motor” No. 5390 at Helper, Utah, on October 6, 2004.

UP5874 and 6 other locomotives slug it out on the climb for Solider Summit. This mountain desert has originated countless trains much like this one. To witness it, never gets old!

Three GE AC4400CWs lead a Utah Railway coal empty east through Spring Canyon at Jacob's Bridge.

Amtrak's California Zephyr train #6 departs Helper Yard for Denver, Colorado.

On New Year's Eve '94, an 84 car Utah Railway coal empty crosses Jacob's Bridge in Spring Canyon. Prior to the early 1970s, a Rio Grande branch from West Helper passed beneath this girder bridge p... (more)