The small town of Helper, UT located about 110 miles southeast of Salt Lake City was named for the extra engines based here to help trains up the D&RGW’s steep mountain grade to Soldier Summit. It is now a living ghost town.
A man whose deep passion for old things has led him on a journey that is helping to reshape the mining and railroad town has purchased many of the historic buildings in Helper and is renovating them, beautifully and with incredible attention to detail! Old cars and motorcycles fill a museum he created and the streets light up with neon at night.
While I would love to see the 4014 or the UP executive E units lead a passenger special past this spot, I can only imagine when 2-8-8-2s and yellow and silver f units were commonplace here. Regardless, I took in this early morning view of the California Zephyr departing for Chicago, harkening back to the days when the town of Helper and rail travel was booming.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
