Does anyone have any roster information for railroad equipment owned by the Promontory Chapter of the NRHS? The chapter doesn't have a website (at least, not one linked to from the national NRHS site) and I haven't been able to find any roster information for them. I'm particularly interested in two Kennecott Copper electric locomotives, #759 and #761, acquired by the chapter in the 1980's (this information from Don Strack's Kennecott-Utah Copper roster page, link below).

Frank Hicks

http://www.utahrails.net/bingham/kcc-diesel-elec-loco.htm
F-Hicks@wiu.edu

Frank,

The Promontory Chapter of the NRHS at one time had a collection that would have rivaled any museum in the region including not only electric locomotives but some very rare diesels from Kennecott and its predecessors. However most of the equipment was left on a siding out by the Salt Lake International Airport and vandals removed anything that they could get money for. Much of the equipment including the locomotives you referred to were scrapped. The few pieces of equipment that were saved including a couple of Utah Railway locomotives were sold off to keep their business car in operation. As it is used to ferry Space Shuttle rocket motors from Utah to Florida. As far as I know they are left with two business cars a KCS Aluminum caboose, and a GE 70 ton locomotive that was formerly Kennecott Copper.


Shays@aquaeng.com

> Frank,

> The Promontory Chapter of the NRHS at one
> time had a collection that would have
> rivaled any museum in the region including
> not only electric locomotives but some very
> rare diesels from Kennecott and its
> predecessors. However most of the equipment
> was left on a siding out by the Salt Lake
> International Airport and vandals removed
> anything that they could get money for. Much
> of the equipment including the locomotives
> you referred to were scrapped. The few
> pieces of equipment that were saved
> including a couple of Utah Railway
> locomotives were sold off to keep their
> business car in operation. As it is used to
> ferry Space Shuttle rocket motors from Utah
> to Florida. As far as I know they are left
> with two business cars a KCS Aluminum
> caboose, and a GE 70 ton locomotive that was
> formerly Kennecott Copper.

UP 5340 (Chair Car circa 1942) was donated to the Heber Valley Railroad (where unfortunately the vandals [2 -- an 11 and 12 year old] waited until it's arrival in Heber to vandalize it--metal pipe to all of the reading lamp lenses, lounge signs, seat backs broken, etc.) We have managed to put it back together and it is in service (without reading lamp lenses and lounge signs, etc).

By the way, we are in need of one or two Adlake window modules measuring (outside dimensions) 32 1/2" x 27" x 1 3/8". (The windows mentioned below ended up being 2 3/4" too narrow--but thanks again Mr. Woodbury). We need these on a temporary (loan) basis to rotate through the modules on the car for servicing (cleaning, gasket replacement, etc.). Can anyone help?

sc 'doc' lewis

Heber Valley Railroad
utweyesguy@aol.com

The Kennecott units were all in bad shape when they were acquired, except for the GE 70 tonner. Most were scrapped and their metal traded to acquire two former Utah Railway diesels. One of these, Utah Railway 401, is now at the Utah State Railroad Museum. The other, Utah 305 (an RSD-5) is owned by Doyle McCormack (spelling?).

Jeff Terry

Didn't they also have a couple of the Saltair interurban open air trailers? If so, are those still around? I know that Heber has one as does the Western Railway Museum.

Charlesebrown@webtv.net

> Didn't they also have a couple of the
> Saltair interurban open air trailers? If so,
> are those still around? I know that Heber
> has one as does the Western Railway Museum.

The two open-air trailers were given to the Utah State Railroad Museum a few years ago. They had been sitting on a siding at the Salt Lake International Center, which was to be removed due to new construction. I was contacted to see if I knew anyone who would take the cars as they were to be scrapped on site if they were not moved. One of the cars had been in a head end collision and so we determined that we could take both cars and use seats from the damaged car to make the other car whole. The cars are in good condition compared to the two other survivors due to the Promontory Chapter installing metal sheathing on the roofs. My goal is to acquire one of the SLG&W motorcar shells and cosmetically restore the motor and the open-air trailer. This would be the only motor and trailer combination representing a Utah interurban line.

Just as a side note. In the early 1970Â’s the Promontory Chapter along with the Salt Lake Garfield and Western would sponsor trips on the SLG&W line. These trips would consist of one of their 44 ton locomotives as power pulling the two demotorized cars the two open-air trailers and a ex Union Pacific CA-1 that had been redecorated with pink curtains. On one of these trips I think it may have been 1972 but I cannot remember for sure as I was just a toddler at the time the train was ready to depart and an FRA inspector pulled up. He immediately condemned the open-air trailers and may have sighted the railroad with several violations on the other cars. That was the end of using the open-air cars. I donÂ’t remember the demotorizeed cars being used on the trains after that point either, but I did not ride it every year. Later years the train was run with a Union Pacific streamlined coach and a caboose. More recently the train has consisted of the two business cars that the Promontory Chapter owns.


Shays@aquaeng.com

> The two open-air trailers were given to the
> Utah State Railroad Museum a few years ago.
> They had been sitting on a siding at the
> Salt Lake International Center, which was to
> be removed due to new construction. I was
> contacted to see if I knew anyone who would
> take the cars as they were to be scrapped on
> site if they were not moved. One of the cars
> had been in a head end collision and so we
> determined that we could take both cars and
> use seats from the damaged car to make the
> other car whole. The cars are in good
> condition compared to the two other
> survivors due to the Promontory Chapter
> installing metal sheathing on the roofs. My
> goal is to acquire one of the SLG&W
> motorcar shells and cosmetically restore the
> motor and the open-air trailer. This would
> be the only motor and trailer combination
> representing a Utah interurban line.

> Just as a side note. In the early 1970Â’s the
> Promontory Chapter along with the Salt Lake
> Garfield and Western would sponsor trips on
> the SLG&W line. These trips would
> consist of one of their 44 ton locomotives
> as power pulling the two demotorized cars
> the two open-air trailers and a ex Union
> Pacific CA-1 that had been redecorated with
> pink curtains. On one of these trips I think
> it may have been 1972 but I cannot remember
> for sure as I was just a toddler at the time
> the train was ready to depart and an FRA
> inspector pulled up. He immediately
> condemned the open-air trailers and may have
> sighted the railroad with several violations
> on the other cars. That was the end of using
> the open-air cars. I donÂ’t remember the
> demotorizeed cars being used on the trains
> after that point either, but I did not ride
> it every year. Later years the train was run
> with a Union Pacific streamlined coach and a
> caboose. More recently the train has
> consisted of the two business cars that the
> Promontory Chapter owns.

Thanks for the info! I'd love to see one of the SLG&W motors restored. The one near the substation looks to be in remarkably good shape considering the neglect over the years.

BTW, does the Utah State RR museum have the body of a Bamberger Bullet? I'd read several years ago that they acquired one from Trolley Square that was in very bad shape. Also, do they have any other trolleys or artifacts?

Charlesebrown@webtv.net