UtahRails.net On-Line Articles

On this page, you will find text-only versions of my articles, including on-line web versions (without photos) of most of my print publications, plus some articles that have not yet appeared in print.

This page was last updated on February 26, 2013.

Utah Railroads

Ogden Rails — A history of railroads in Ogden, Utah, from 1869 to today. Originally published as a 96-page book in 1997, in association with the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Ogden, Utah. As of July 1999, the original publication is sold out, and is out of print. In July 2005, an expanded, hardbound second edition was published by Union Pacific Historical Society. (Still available)

Heber Creeper and Heber Valley Historic Railroad — A compilation of notes and source data about the Heber Creeper (1970 to 1993) and Heber Valley Historic Railroad (1993 to today) tourist railroad that operates between Heber and Utah's Provo Canyon.

"The Sins of Steven Ambrose" — Commentary on Stephen E. Ambrose's recent book, "Nothing Like It In The World," about the building of the transcontinental railroad.

William Mason's ONWARD — A scanned reprint of Garrie Tufford's manuscript about the little locomotive that played an important part in the development of Utah railroads.

The Golden Pass — A history of transportation in Parleys Canyon.

Union Pacific In Utah Locations

UP's Park City Branch — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's Park City (Utah) Branch" in The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 2, Spring 2001

UP's Salt Lake City Diesel Shop — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Salt Lake City Diesel Shop" in The Streamliner, Volume 12, Number 2, Spring 1998.

UP's Route in Weber and Echo Canyons — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Eastbound to Wahsatch" in The Streamliner, Volume 17, Number 3, Summer 2003.

UP's Tintic Branches and Shay Locomotives — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "UP's Tintic Subdivision" in The Streamliner, Volume 19, Number 3, Summer 2005. The article in The Streamliner includes 32 photos (three in color, plus the color cover), and seven maps, along with locomotive diagrams, timetable entries, and track profiles of the branches where UP ran its Shay locomotives.

Union Pacific Locomotives

Union Pacific Switchers and Slugs — Edited versions of the original text used in 1996 for the publication of "Union Pacific Switchers and Slugs", published by Withers Publishing Co. The book has 116 pages; 238 black and white photos; 37 color photos; and full rosters of all of UP's EMD, Alco, Baldwin, and GE switchers, plus its yard slugs and road slugs. (Still available)

UP's Baldwin AS-616s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's AS-616s" in The Streamliner, Volume 12, Number 4, Fall 1998

Demonstrators on Union Pacific — A listing of diesel demonstrators that Union Pacific purchased either before their demonstrator runs on other roads, or after; all units were usually sold to Union Pacific at reduced sale prices, with new warranties.

UP's Diesel Roster Changes (1996-2000) — An index page for changes to UP's diesel locomotive roster, from 1996 through 2000. (Please note that all of these changes have all been incorporated into the roster listings themselves.)

UP's Double Diesel DD35s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific DD35s" in Diesel Era, Volume 12, Number 1, January/February 2001

UP's DDA40X Centennials — An edited version of the original text used as part of an article published as "Union Pacific's DDA40X Centennials" in Diesel Era, Volume 13, Number 6, November/December 2002.

UP's E8s and E9s — Information about UP's modern EMD E units (under construction)

UP's Fairbanks-Morse Erie-builts — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's Fairbanks-Morse Erie-builts" in The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 2001

UP's F3s, F7s, FP7s, and F9s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's F-units" in Diesel Era, Volume 2, Number 6, November/December 1991

UP's 500 Series F9s — A discussion of what these were called: F9 or F9M.

UP's Final Four — A separate page about Union Pacific's last four SD40-2s, numbered as 3805-3808 and delivered in late 1980.

EMD's FG9 Locomotive — An article about EMD's FG9 gasifier free-pistion locomotive of 1959, and UP's involvement in the project. (Includes a photo and an illustration of the planned UP unit)

UP's Genset Units from B23-7s and B30-7s — A list of the 83 UP B23-7s and B30-7s rebuilt to UPY Genset units.

UP's GP7s — An unpublished discussion of Union Pacific's unique GP7 locomotives, with their high stack, special signal lights, and lowered number boards.

UP's Turbocharged GP9s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Omaha GP20s: Union Pacific's GP9 Turbocharging Program" in Diesel Era, Volume 7, Number 6, November/December 1996; a reprint of a previous article that appeared in The Streamliner, Volume 4, Number 3, November 1988

UP's GP20s — An edited version of the original text used as part of the book The GP20 and SD24, EMD's Turbocharged Duo by Diesel Era (Withers Publishing Co., 1998, ISBN 1-881411-19-2)

UP's GP30s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's EMD GP30s" in Diesel Era, Volume 10, Number 2, March/April 1999

UP's Ex Rock Island GP40s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Rock Island's Union Pacific-financed GP40s" in Diesel Era, Volume 4, Number 5, August/September 1993

UP's Ex MP GP50s — The text of a letter to the editor of Diesel Era magazine about UP's former MP GP50s. Originally the basis for an intended article, the letter was printed in Diesel Era, Volume 5, Number 2, March/April 1994.

Locomotives Leased By UP — An unpublished narrative and roster listing of locomotives leased by UP for its own use during 1988 to 1990.

Locomotives Wrecked While In Service On UP — A unpublished group of research notes about locomotives wrecked while in service on UP, including locomotives repaired and returned to service, and locomotives retired due to wreck damage.

UP's Life Extension SD40-2s — Information about UP's SD40-2R locomotives, rebuilt by them at their Jenks Shops in North Little Rock, from late 1990 through late 1999.

UP's SD24s and SD24Bs — An edited version of the original text used as part of the book The GP20 and SD24, EMD's Turbocharged Duo by Diesel Era (Withers Publishing Co., 1998, ISBN 1-881411-19-2)

UP's High Speed SD40-2s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific's Fast Forties" in Diesel Era, Volume 9, Number 1, January/February 1998

UP's Final Four — A separate page about Union Pacific's last four SD40-2s, numbered as 3805-3808 and delivered in late 1980.

UP's SD40s Leased To Mexico — An expanded version of the original text used used as part of the book Union Pacific - 1990 by George Cockle and Paul Withers (Withers Publishing Co., 1991, ISBN 0-9618503-0-0). The text covers the SD40s and GP40s leased to Mexico from 1989 to 1991.

UP's SD45s (co-authored with Steve Orth) — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific SD45s" in Diesel Era, Volume 11, Number 2, March/April 2000

UP's SD70M Fleet — A list of UP's fleet of SD70M locomotives, showing road numbers, order numbers, year built, and location built.

UP's SD70Ms — Information about UP's SD70M locomotives, delivered beginning in April 2000.

UP's Ex MP C36-7s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "The MoPac/UP C36-7 Fleet" in Diesel Era, Volume 9, Number 4, July-August 1998

UP's Dash 8 C40-8s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Union Pacific GE Dash 8 Locomotives" in The Streamliner, Volume 11, Number 2, 1997; and as part of the book GE's Dash - C Series by Diesel Era (Withers Publishing Co., 1994, ISBN 1-881411-03-6)

Union Pacific Modeling

Review — HO Scale F-M Erie-built, published in The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 2, Spring 2001

Review — HO Scale GP30, published in The Streamliner, Volume 13, Number 2, Spring 1999

Review — HO Scale 2-8-0, published in The Streamliner, Volume 12, Number 3, Summer 1998

Locomotives

Bamberger's Alco/EMD RS-1m — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Bamberger 570/Union Pacific 1270" in Railroad Model Craftsman, Volume 57, Number 6, November 1988.

C&NW's GP7s and GP9s — An edited version of the original text used for an article published as "Chicago & North Western GP7s and GP9s” in Diesel Era, Volume 7, Number 2, March-April 1996.

Alco versus EMD — An article by Albert Churella about why Alco failed and why EMD succeeded. (Long article)

Published in the Harvard Business History Review (Copyright 1995 by President and Fellows of Harvard College); downloaded from the Encarta web site. Full title is: "Corporate culture and marketing in the American railway locomotive industry: American Locomotive and Electro-Motive respond to dieselization." (see also Trains magazine, Volume 61, Number 9, September 2001, for an excellent article, "Death by Diesel," on a very similar subject.)

Rock Island's UP-Owned GP40s — An edited version of the original text used as part of an article published in Diesel Era, Volume 4, Number 5, September/October 1993

Western Railfan Publications — An informal commentary about the rise and fall of print-to-paper railfan publications.

(See also the listing in the Locomotive Notes section of this web site.)