Visited Ogden, Utah's, Union Station Museum. This is a beautiful old U.P. structure that has become a railroad museum, auto museum, restaurant, gathering center and theatrical performance space. The railroad theme remains ingrained throughout the structure. Outdoors, an impressive collection of western motive power is displayed, notably FEF Northern #833, DD40 #6916, a Rio Grande SD45, an SP SD45T ("Snoot"), and U.P. Gas Turbine #16. The two SD45's still contain several thousand gallons of fuel. The FEF has been "harvested" for parts to keep 844 running, but she looks in fair shape. The cab was stripped unfortunately, at an earlier placement location. Her number plate is fabricated, and one marker has been stolen. I was allowed to enter the cab and found blankets from the homeless, who had broken in. The turbine has also been entered, as have other pieces on the property. I notified security and the locomotives were closed again, with a call to Ogden police to add it to their nightly patrol. Considering the layout, and the fact that the museum has been denied a fence around the display area, the collection is in pretty reasonable shape.
Crews are working on rebuilding a NG, D&RGW 2-8-0, on the property.
A U.P. 0-6-0 which was once coupled to an SP 0-6-0 has been placed outdoors as a "climbing permitted" display. It is completely sealed, and everything that could be further destroyed has been removed.
Overall, I'd give the Museum an "A-" to solid "A". It's a great collection, but it needs to be given restoration funding and better outdoor security.
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I discovered this abandoned locomotive boiler in the desert, just outside the Bryce Canyon. The smoke box has been both cut off and bashed in. The boiler filled with concrete, and the whole thing mounted on a concrete pad. There were no builder's marks, but several numbers were impressed into the steel, in several sections. Sorry, I did not record them.
