223 Update - December 15 2012

The tender is pretty much done, and just awaits painting and interior coating which will be done by contractors. This time it's final. As such, work has been focused on the locomotive.

Several potential boiler contractors have been contacted, among which are Wasatch Railway Contractors in Cheyenne (who has been helpful to the museum in the past) and an Amish fellow who does traction engines but has recently branched out into locomotive boilers. The final pick will be announced when the decision is reached.

The Johnson Bar was primed and reassembled, and since the number 1 request our group gets is for detail pictures, here are some:

 

 

And finally, the uncoupling bar has been installed on the pilot, which just needs paint to make it complete.

Frontrunner South public opening

December 8th was the public opening of Frontrunner South, the extension of Utah's commuter rail system from Salt Lake City to Provo. The route is interesting in that it follows the old D&RGW main line nearly the entire way, and offers glimpses of portions that aren't normally seen by the public, such as the Jordan Narrows (interestingly, the Narrows was originally shared by the D&RGW with the Salt Lake & Utah, the "original" Frontrunner South that ran all the way to Payson). Rides were offered for free from 10 am to 10 pm.

The Golden Spike Chapter took the oppurtunity for a field trip and rode Frontrunner from Ogden to Salt Lake, and from there changed to one of the free trans to Provo. Utah County appeared to be quite excited for the event, as lines in Provo stretched the whole length of the platform and across the parking lot despite the freezing temperatures and light snow. Here are some pictures at the newly constructed Provo Station: