I was perusing the ABPR photo archives and I came across a photo (link below) supposedly taken at Heber Valley. It looks to me suspiciously like a Bamberger interurban trailer, but I've never seen any information on this car. Can anyone help out with a number or roster information? Thanks!

Frank Hicks

Heber Valley Photo
fullparallel@wideopenwest.com

> I was perusing the ABPR photo archives and I
> came across a photo (link below) supposedly
> taken at Heber Valley. It looks to me
> suspiciously like a Bamberger interurban
> trailer, but I've never seen any information
> on this car. Can anyone help out with a
> number or roster information? Thanks!

> Frank Hicks

For the benefit of others that may be interested...(I have previously emailed this information to Frank)

The photograph was taken at Heber Valley.

Bamberger car 403 is on trucks (original?, I don't know), relatively tight in that a local photographer is leasing it as a "antique (put on period costumes and we'll make a sepia-toned 8x10 photo of you and your loved ones) photo studio."

Ira L. Swett's Interurbans of Utah (Interurbans Special 55, a reprinted update [1974] of Interurbans Special 15 [August 1954]) gives information on cars 400-405 on page 26 and pictures #403 in service on page 27. According to this source, #403 served as a trailer, was rebuilt to Motor 320 and later to Trailer 400.

--'doc' lewis



The Heber Valley Railroad
utweyesguy@aol.com

Franks posting of the question about Bamberger car #403 while merely coincidental happens to come at a time of great significance. Saturday September 6, 1952 was the last day of rail passenger service on the Bamberger Railroad. For the 50th anniversary of the final day it may be appropriate to note what remains of the line.

Not many relics remain of the Bamberger Railroad. Much of the right-of-way has been swallowed up in development. In Salt Lake City a little of the trackage remains north of the city in an industrial area. However, this is even quickly disappearing as the line crossing of Beck Street was removed last year. Moving north the Depot, Substation and Stores Building at North Salt Lake are used to house an artists colony and are well maintained. In Centerville a battle is raging over the site where the depot once resided. Farmington still retains its depot although in a highly modified and unrecognizable state, and Lagoon is still a going concern. A pedestrian overpass and a couple of bridge abutments hold their own between Farmington and Just-A-Mere-Farm (Cherry Hill). Track remains in place from Hill Air Force Base into Ogden with sporadic movements by the Union Pacific. The substation at 33rd Street in Ogden is still in use by Utah Power, and part of the original joint depot still stands, only recognizable from the trackside.

As far as equipment is concerned three bullet bodyÂ’s remain. Bullet # 127 is the only car, which may see full restoration and eventual operation. It is located at the Orange Empire Railroad Museum. The other two bullets reside in Utah #125 in Springville acting as part of a restaurant and a bare shell of #128 is rotting at the Utah State Railroad Museum. Wooden trailer #403 is located in Heber City Utah. After almost 50 years of neglect it has finally been given a new roof, a coat of paint on the out side and the interior wood has been stripped of paint and the mahogany has been varnished by a local photographer who uses the car as her studio on the Heber Valley Railway property. Wooden control trailer #400 resides at the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Junction. While this car was purchased directly from the railroad and is essentially complete, time has been rough on it and sources at the museum state that it would take full disassembly and reassembly of the car to restore it to operation. At least the car is under cover and safe from treasure hunters and vandals.

A few photographs of the line and paper items remain in various collections both private and public. Perhaps the most important remains of the railroad are the memories of the patrons and employees. At this time three employees remain alive and the number of those who experienced the line get smaller each year.



shays@aquaeng.com

Thanks for posting that wrap-up of Bamberger's preserved heritage. I wasn't aware of a Bullet in the Utah State Railroad Museum; sounds interesting.

I've got another question that doesn't involve the Bamberger but does involve Utah interurbans. Do you know who owns those two Salt Lake Garfield & Western interurban combines that are sitting abandoned somewhere outside Salt Lake City? I've seen pictures of them, but I don't know who owns them or whether there are any plans for the cars. It would be a shame to let both of the remaining Saltair motor cars go to scrap.

Frank Hicks

Preserved Electric Railway Equipment
fullparallel@wideopenwest.com

> Thanks for posting that wrap-up of
> Bamberger's preserved heritage. I wasn't
> aware of a Bullet in the Utah State Railroad
> Museum; sounds interesting.

> I've got another question that doesn't
> involve the Bamberger but does involve Utah
> interurbans. Do you know who owns those two
> Salt Lake Garfield & Western interurban
> combines that are sitting abandoned
> somewhere outside Salt Lake City? I've seen
> pictures of them, but I don't know who owns
> them or whether there are any plans for the
> cars. It would be a shame to let both of the
> remaining Saltair motor cars go to scrap.

> Frank Hicks

Frank

The two Saltair cars #500 and #501 are owned by two different people. One of the cars was purchased by the group that owns the Saltair Pavilion and is used by them as a consessions stand. The other car which is sitiing by the old Saltair substation is owned by a defunct helicoptor company the owner of which wanted $100,000 for the carbody a few years ago. Please remember that this car has been stripped of all but trucks and has sat on the Great Salt Lake Beach for almost 40 years exposed to the salt water. It is not much more than a rusted shell. But it is all we have. My goal is to find a way to get this car for the Utah State Railroad Musuem. We have been able to retreive two of the Saltair open trailers which are in good shape because tin was installed on their roofs before they had a chance to deteriorate. The ultimate goal being to cosmetically restore a motor and a trialer to represent Utah's Interurban heratage. this is the only opertunity to pair up a motor and a trailer for any of the Utah Interurbans.

Shay Stark

Shays@aquaeng.com

Is the great old photo of the Rio Grande 2-8-0 that T-boned the interurban train in Provo available on the web anywhere? Got the address?

Strasburg Rail Road
kelly@strasburgrailroad.com

> Is the great old photo of the Rio Grande
> 2-8-0 that T-boned the interurban train in
> Provo available on the web anywhere? Got the
> address?

I have no knowledge if the image is available any place. But it is most interesting that the observation coach trailer that was involved in the wreck survived to the end and now in the collection of Western Railway Museum (Bay Area).

The last train of the Utah Idaho Central survived almost intact (less trucks) on a farm north Odgen for years after the end. There were, reportedly, two SL&U combos intact with trucks for years (into the 1960s or 70s) in a Utah scrap yard; they were used for storage and when the roofs deteriorated they were cut up.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

> Is the great old photo of the Rio Grande
> 2-8-0 that T-boned the interurban train in
> Provo available on the web anywhere? Got the
> address?

Courtesy of my copy of William D. Middleton's The Interurban Era (Kalmbach 1961) page 373.

--'doc' lewis

The Heber Valley Railroad

utweyesguy@aol.com

> Wooden trailer #403 is located in Heber City
> Utah. Wooden control trailer #400 resides at the
> Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Junction.

Re-reading the information in Ira Swett's Interurbans of Utah leads to some questions. On page 26, he states "History -- Of the six trailers, only one (401) stayed in original condition. 400, 404, and 405 were rebuilt with arch roofs and blocked upper sash and renumbered 434, 435, and 436 respectively (435 motorized in 1929 and renumbered 302). 403 became motor 320 and later trailer 400."

Then in the caption for the photos on page 27, he states "Below is 403 at Farmington in 1945; it was originally a motor (305) and old baggage end is at the left."

From this are we to understand that the car began it's life as motor 305, was rebuilt to trailer 403, back to motor 320, then finished as trailer 400? And if so, there are two(surviving)trailers that were numbered 400?

The Heber Valley Railroad
utweyesguy@aol.com

I'd never seen that one before, but it's not the shot I was thinking of. The one I had in mind was taken from the roof of the building in the background, and gives an excellent overview of the whole scene.

Strasburg Rail Road
kelly@strasburgrailroad.com

Hopefully the following information will answer several of your questions. The information has come from research of photographs, interviews with Bamberger employees and patrons, and from the Bamberger Paint Book, which is a record of all the paint shop activities from 1910 to the late 20Â’s.

# 400

Originally built as trailer #403, it was not involved in the 1918 fire. But because of an immediate need for motor cars it was rebuilt and renumbered into motor 320, 1/18/19. It is possible that 320's power came from 307 and then gave it back to repower 307 as newly rebuilt 300. Second renumbering 3/3/22. At this time the car was rebuilt from motor 320 into a control trailer. The motors going to one of the 350 class motors. From the time of being demotored the 400 has ridden on trucks from the Lagoon trailers to this day. As all the wood cars 400 was rebuilt in the early forties with transoms covered and painted burnt orange and tan (slanted).

400 had flop over seats that had been spot-welded. They were never changed and this was probably the car that needed flop over seats the most.

Because the #400 had controls it was used to run the school train from North Salt Lake to Davis High in Kaysville. In the late thirties this train was discontinued and 400 went on to other services.

During the war #400 spent a lot of time working the train between Ogden and Arsenal as there was no way to turn the train at Arsenal. It was repainted into the orange and cream paint and was the only wood trailer to do so. It is also interesting to note that 400 still held the brackets for the trolley retriever after being demotorised so many years before. (It had a small trolley retriever similar to the Salt Lake and Utah) In 1952 it was sold to the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association and stored in Oakland, California. It now resides in Rio Vista, Ca. under the same ownership.

# 403

Originally motor 305, it was not involved in the 1918 fire. It rolled out of the shops as a coach with smoking compartment, trailer, 3/28/23. The motors going to one of the 350 class cars. For much of its life trailer #403 rode on ex. Lagoon trailer trucks. In later years #403 inherited the trucks from one of the ex-WB&A trailers on, which it still rides today. When rebuilt to a trailer The #403 maintained one baggage door. The baggage compartment may have been used for a few years but by the time the trailers were performing services on the school train the trailers with baggage doors had the doors nailed shut and seats in the compartment. In the mid 40Â’s the car was modernized as were all of the wooden trailers and the baggage door was removed. It also had its transoms blocked out and was repainted burnt orange and tan. In 1952 #403 was sold to the Sons of the Utah Pioneers. Rumor has it that the reason #403 was saved was because it was the last car in one the Kaysville Coop spur where all of the wooden trailers were burned. Being the easiest car to get out #403 was saved. Since being put on display in Sugar House Park, 403 has moved to Corrine Utah and then on to Heber City where it now resides.

It is interesting to note that the two trailers that were saved represent both an original motor car and an original trailer. It is true that the 401 never changed uses as did the other wood cars. However, trailer #400 and #402 (final numbers) retained much of their original configuration also. The only modifications being in the vestibules when motorized. Trailers 403,04,05,06,07, were all originally motor cars which had not been involved in the 1918 carbarn fire. (Much of Bambergers fleet was in Salt Lake and the North Salt Lake Shops on the morning of the fire.) The results of the fire were that the few wooden trailers that remained were quickly motorized with equipment off of burned cars to keep the line in operation. The fire-damaged cars were rebuilt as steel trailers. The decision was made to motorize the new steel trailers and the wooden cars other than the #300, which was relegated to the school train, were all demotorized.

Shay Stark


shays@aquaeng.com

The Heber Valley Railroad
utweyesguy@aol.com