Heber Valley Chief Mechanical Officer Michael Manwiller tells Trains News Wire that the locomotives will help standardize the Utah tourist road’s motive power fleet. In 2015, the Heber Valley acquired a former Union Pacific GP9 and ever since Manwiller has been looking for more locomotives like it.
Manwiller says the locomotives are perfect for the Heber Valley because they provide the right amount of horsepower, parts are still readily available, and they’re appropriate for the steam-to-diesel transition era the railroad is trying to recreate. The GP9s are also a favorite among the Heber Valley’s operating crews.
“These locomotives are a good fit for us,” Manwiller says. “Business is growing and we really need the motive power.”
Among the locomotives included in the sale are Pan Am’s two heritage units: Maine Central No. 52 and Boston & Maine No. 77. Pan Am painted the two locomotives for its predecessor roads in 2011. The third GP9, No. 72, is in Guilford Rail System gray-and-orange. All three locomotives were built in 1957. The locomotives are currently stored at Pan Am’s facility in Waterville, Maine.
Manwiller says the locomotives will move to Utah by rail and then be trucked to the tourist railroad’s facilities in Heber City. A date for the move has not been set.
It is possible that one or two of the GP9s will operate in their current MEC and B&M schemes until the railroad finds time to repaint the locomotives, Manwiller says. It is likely that the locomotives will receive a Denver & Rio Grande Western-like paint scheme, a tribute to the Heber Valley route’s original operator. With the arrival of the GP9s, the Heber Valley’s former U.S. Army MRS-1 will be retired.
I am happy to see the GP9’s go to a good home, I do hope the 52 and 77 remain in heritage colors, to pay homage to their roots.
Mr. Turner,
The “foamer” comment wasn’t leveled at you. Mr. Lyman is a kid, in his 20s, and is part of a very vocal, but willfully ignorant cadre of Utah railfans who like to sling arrows at HVRR, but show no interest in learning the facts. Several times a year, HVRR management hosts an open house to discuss what’s going on with the railroad, and what the plans are. This is done to get support from community stakeholders, etc. Mr. Lyman, to my knowledge, never has appeared at one of these. He’d rather make assumptions from behind a keyboard, than engage in the facts. The fact is, the railroad is putting itself on firm financial footing, so not only can steam return, but it can be successful and sustainable in the long term.
Truth be hold, Mr. Turner, the management of HVRR wants visitors like you to have positive experiences, and it sounds like you’ve had it. I hope you can return some day.
Mr Wilkins…
Foamers? Really? I an appreciate your taking issue with Mr Lyman’s remarks, but is lobbing a cheap shot at 98 percent of the people reading this really the most appropriate response? Today’s Heber Valley wouldn’t exist were it not for the folks who founded the Heber Creeper in 1970. Would they have appreciated that?
I’ve ridden the HVR a couple times on my trips from NJ, once behind steam and later behind the MRS1. I enjoyed myself both times and was impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the excellent condition of the equipment.
The 618 was lettered for Oregon Short Line on my visit, and I see on the web it has also run with UP lettering, so I don’t see why running a GP-9 in UP colors would be a problem.
Mr Wilkins. May i add you as a friend to my trains friend list? i personally wanna thank you for doing what you do at the Heber valley. i am part of a railroad historical group restoreing a steam locomoctive to operating condition. i just wanted to ask.
There was an immediate need for more reliable, standardized motive power for the railroad. The past two years, HVRR has hauled north of 100,00 and 110,000 passengers respectively, records in the 40+ year history of the operation. Special events, like Taylor Swift trains put far more paying passengers in the seats than foamers ever did. Those paying passenger have allowed the railroad to spend money on things like improved equipment, and yes, work on 618. This demand has required that there be locomotives of sufficient horsepower be acquired. This will give HVRR a standardized diesel fleet.
Work progresses on 618. The tender had its baffles removed from the water cistern, and the tender will be sandblasted inside and out. There will be patching of thin areas, and when complete the tender will have baffles reinstalled and the whole tender will be completed and repainted. The locomotive is also progressing. The railroad only has a few full-time employees and a group of volunteers who not only work on 618, but keep the railroad running. 618 will be finished before 75. There were never plans to make the 300 operational. Last summer, some volunteers began work on it, needle scaling the locomotive in preparation for more paint. Jacob, you should know this, HVRR’s executive director told you that 618 was a priority now in a recent Facebook thread.
The local railfan peanut gallery is often critical of Heber, but that’s because none of them knows what it takes to make a railroad operation work and be successful. Jacob, I hope this calms your feelings. They are most important to the people up at the railroad.
The Heber Valley RR is a neat little railroad. As for the GP9’s it is amazing the lifespan and continued utility of these locomotives, seems like time and time again the answer for a railroad motive power solution on small railroads continues to be one or more GP9’s. This is a real testimony to the quality of the GP9 design (even if I like steam locomotives and other weird diesels like the MRS-1.
i think this is greaat. but you wanna know what would be fantastic? maybe a update on 618 or 75 or even the 0-6-0 they have. don,t get me wrong. i think this is wonderful for them. but at the same time i want to know about the three steamers they said they plan on bringing back to life. could some of this money may have helped and still get the geeps? again i want to say i am not bashing them getting the geeps. i think thats a good idea. but at the same time i wanna know some progress on the three steamers. i am helping restore a steam locomotive to operating condition. so i also do understand what it takes and the costs to bring one of these pieces of history back to life.
Now three new locomotives are cool, and along with the new coach building are reminders that Heber is doing pretty well financially right now. Which considering their long history of financial problems, it is great they are finally stable and consistently in the black. But it feels like they keep beating around the bush with some of these side-projects. UP 618 & GW 75 are both an enigma right now, and I would feel more comfortable with the thought of Heber buying new diesels if UP 618 was already out of the shop back on the rails… Honestly I wouldn’t be as frustrated if Heber at least posted one public monthly shop update, showing us progress on well anything… be it UP 1011, UP 618, GW 75, their stainless steel dome car, repainting their UP GP9 they already have, cosmetic work on Columbia Steel 300; just updates on anything! There is a million projects it seems up there, not enough hands to work on them and not enough public information about what project is priority and which is on the backburner.
Especially the lack of clear updates on UP 618. Who needs steam engines when you have a Taylor Swift look-alike riding your trains I guess? If it takes two more years and its a decade without steam up there… (#DearTrainGodsUP618sYearBackInSteamBe2019, #PleaseIsThatToMuchForAFoamerToAsk???)