I stopped in at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber, Utah today to check on the progress of Great Western #75 which has been under restoration for some time. No one was visible in the shop (It was 12:30 so I suspect they may have been at lunch) but there was evidence of several projects under way. The boiler of #75 still sits upside- down and missing the smokebox & bottom of the firebox. The new smokebox appears to be nearby. The cab has been nicely restored and sits outside in the yard- today it was next to their D&RGW-inspired MRS-1. I could see no sign of the frame, drivers, or running gear of #75. In the adjacent paint bay, one of the railroad's ex-Lackawanna commuter trailers is almost ready to be repainted. In the yard there were several other pieces of equipment with fresh paint.

Couple more pics- Looks like it's going to be a while yet before there's steam again at Heber Valley.

The frame is there, the smokebox is sitting on it. When I visited last October, the cab was sitting on the frame, just crossways. The boiler was in the same position, but the MU car was in the shop with a lot of metal cut out of the vestibules. Looks like they've put that back in and are getting ready for a repaint.

Any sign of #618 when you were there?

When I visited last October, the 618 was parked on a track by the depot, on display. Recent photos from a friend indicate this is still true.

I guess I could head over this week and see. Still waiting on North American to show up with our stuff.

David Wilkins
Sitting on the Floor, UT