Hi, I've been on the MR forum for awhile but never here. I am planning to see the UP 844/4014 double header, with a road trip a friend & I will take in May. Assuming the schedule stays together, we plan to follow the train for 2 days, from Rock Springs WY to Rawlins to Laramie. Of course we can see the locos in those towns at end of day, so what I would like to plan as practical is enroute photo spots each day to catch the trains in motion.
The route in general follows IH80, but also diverges from same to varing degrees (Im not yet clear on that). I'm figuring it is unwise and/or frowned upon to photo shoot from the interstate shoulder, so feeder roads, other highways and gravel roads (and crowded spots) may come into play. And of course cool scenery would be a plus. I have zero knowledge of the terrain so seek specific suggestions. I don't find paper maps detailed enough for side roads, but can investigate details (quite amazing) on Google Maps & Street View with some good tips, perhaps. I'm figuring some pre-planning would be smart, so here I am.
https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm
Day 1 (for us), the train is to depart Rock Springs enroute to Point of Rocks, 1 hour away, with only a 15 minute stop there. I figure our first shoot should be somewhere east of Rock Springs on the way out of town. We can then move to our next spot.
The train goes from Point of Rocks to Wamsutter, 75 minutes away, with a 1 hour stop there. So we can might (optimistically) fit 2 photo stops along that leg, one near Point of Rocks and one near the approach to Wamsutter?
Then it takes only 45 minutes to Rawlins, the stop for the night, so I figure a good spot between Wamsutter & Rawlins is our last enroute shoot for our Day 1.
Day 2, the train takes 1 hour from Rawlins to Hanna (15 minute stop), then only 30 minutes to Medicine Bow (1 hour stop), then 2 full hours to Laramie (the end of our rail-fanning). So perhaps one (maybe 2) shoot between Rawlins & Hanna, certainly max one shoot between Hanna to Medicine Bow, and another 1-2 shoots enroute to Laramie.
I realize the schedule can change, traffic may be an issue, time must be taken for any gravel road ventures, RR roads are likely No Trespassing, etc., but any guidance will help to develop a reasonable Plan A, which wel may change, but may also minimize hindsight. And looking at some details in advance will help lots in developing real time options.
Also, can mid-May weather be a problem?
Many thanks for any guidance.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I am not familiar with the area either but becoming more so by perusing maps. As far as scenery, search for the "overland route" in wyoming and look for photos and videos. There are plenty to give you an idea of the surroundings. Get a "Gazetteer" for more details and look for road crossings so you can get the whistle. Also look for ascending grades so you get more of a show of the trains working a little harder. Also Google Earth for more details and all the surrounding terrain with "street view". BLM 1:100,000 maps are great for detail also. Weather may or may not come into play. Most of that area of WY is higher elevation, 6,000' +/-. Sherman is over 8k and I have heard it's Winter there until July.
What could potentialy be a problem is the hordes of others out there doing the same thing and the watchful eyes of the gendarmes. Also, the UP is notoriously non railfan friendly when it comes to trespassing...
A scanner would help in keeping track of the locations as they travel.
I'm following the BB west and just catching the duo heading East as they leave UT. I plan to be gone 2 weeks.
Good luck.
I recall several years back that excursions of #844 included GPS tracking. Can we still expect that?
Yes on the GPS.
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