Southern Pacific Historical & Technical SocietyUnion Pacific Historical Society

2019 National ConventionTime Table No.

39IN EFFECT

12:01 a.m. Mountain Standard TimeWednesday, May 8 through

Saturday May 11, 2019

DIVISION HEADQUARTERSOgden Eccles Conference Center • Ogden, Utah

TRAINMASTERSJohn and Lalo Ruehle

Greg Gardner and Rob Leachman

ASSISTANT TRAINMASTERS YARDMASTERDavid Coscia • Hilding Larson Chris Karasek

YARD CREWKeith Ansell Patrick Bray Mark Brown Danny Caballero

Craig Ferguson Donald Hanson Fred Hill Scott InmanAlbert Novak Stephanie Novak Andrew Novak Mike Pechner

AUDIO VISUAL TECHNICIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

TRANSPORTATION CAPTAIN

Chris Keller Richard Shulby Lee Griffith

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Welcome to

Ogden is the “crossroads of the West” because railroads served the town from the four cardinal directions. Central Pacific and Union Pacific met at Promontory in 1869 and soon after changed the interchange track to Ogden. Famous passenger trains on the transcontinental route included the Overland Limited, City of San Francisco, and the Challenger. Long freight trains, especially the famous blocks of Pacific Fruit Express refrigerator cars, traversed the city on their way east with California produce. Today, Union Pacific operates the entire route from Oakland to Chicago.

CONVENTION REGISTRATION INFORMATIONFirst Floor Meeting Room 101. Please pick up your registration packet at the registration desk. Your packet contains your badge, timetable, meal ticket, layout tours, and other information.

REGISTRATION BADGES MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES IN CONVENTION SPACES.

DAILY BREAKFAST BUFFET:First Floor, Ballroms 1, 2 and 3. Registrants will receive one ticket per day for breakfast. Please bring the ticket for the day noted. Additional tickets are NOT available for purchase. If you need tickets, ask Registration if anyone has donated tickets.

EXTRA FARE EVENTS:Please refer to your registration packet for further information.

MODEL LAYOUT TOURS:We regret that there will be no model layout tours this year. We apologize for any inconvenience.

OGDEN

Vendor Room InformationSecond Floor, Ballroom A. Dozens of vendors will have their ware for sale. Stop by and support our vendors! Sales hours will be Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and Saturday from 8:30am to 1:00pm.

Vendor Setup Hours:Friday from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.

Model Contest & Railroad Prototype MeetSecond Floor, Ballroom A. The model contest and prototype meet will be open Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, and Saturday from 8:30am to 12:00pm.

NO BAGS ARE ALLOWED IN THE MODEL/PHOTO CONTEST ROOM.

Please check in your model(s) or photograph(s) with the Area Attendant. All entries must be received by 7 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, voting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 12:00 p.m. Please retrieve your items between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Contest Rules: The entrant detailed and painted the Pacific Fruit Express model, any scale.Display Rules: The entrant wishes to display model equip-ment, of any scale, or a railroad photograph.

AREA EVENTS & ATTRACTIONS:Not interested in railroads? Things to do in Ogden include the museums at Union Station, Dinosaur Park and Museum, Ogden Botanical Gardens, Ogden Nature Center, the Eccles Community Art Center. Natural areas of interest include Weber Canyon and the Great Salt Lake. For those who brought their clubs, there are several golf courses in the area. Salt Lake City is one hour away by light rail or by automobile. Visit the historic Temple Square and the many points of inter-est located there. We recommend you meet near the registra-tion room and see if likeminded individuals are there with whom you may wish to carpool.

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CONVENTION SCHEDULETuesday, May 7

1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. UPHS Board of Directors Meeting. First Floor, Executive Room.

Wednesday, May 82:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration. Meeting Room 101.5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Opening Social. First Floor, Ball-

rooms 1, 2 and 3.

Thursday, May 97:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Buffet Breakfast. Ballrooms 1, 2 & 38:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration. Meeting Room 101.8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. UPHS Sales Room. Meeting Room

102.8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. SPH&TS Sales Room. Meeting

Room 103.8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Opening ceremony. Peery’s Theater.9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Morning presentations.11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Afternoon presentations.5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Dinner7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Evening presentations.

Thursday PresentationsPeery’s TheaTer

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.“Southern Pacific’s Salt Lake Division”

John Signor

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.“Ogden’s Union Station”

Jean-Guy Dubé

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.“SP/UP Strategic Relations in the Kenefick/Biaginni Era”

John Rebensdorf

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.“Whatever Happened to All That Reefer Traffic?”

Rob Leachman

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.“Modeling PFE Ice and Mechanical Refrigerator Cars”

Dick Harley

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.“Contemporary Views along the First Transcontinental Railroad”

Richard Koenig

8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.“The FAST and the ARRO:

The Overland Route Auto Parts Trains”Rob Leachman

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Friday, May 107:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Buffet Breakfast. Ballrooms 1, 2 & 3.8:00 a.m. Motor Coaches load for trip to

Promontory. Ballroom 3.1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration for vendors only.4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration.4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Vendor and Model Room open.

Grand Ballroom A.6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. UPHS Presentations. Grand Ball-

rooms B/C.7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. SPH&TS Board of Directors Meet-

ing. First Floor, Executive Room.8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. SPH&TS Presentations. Grand

Ballrooms B/C.

Friday PresentationsUPhs – second Floor, Grand Ballrooms B/c

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.“UP’s Overland Route Cheyenne - Ogden”

Keith Ardinger

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.“Union Pacific’s Overland Route in the 1800s”

Mark Amfahr

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.“Undriving the Golden Spike”

Thornton Waite

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.“Seventy Five Years on the Overland Route”

Jim EhernbergersPh&Ts – second Floor, Grand Ballrooms d/e

8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.Southern Pacific Retired Employees “Old Timers Talk”

Saturday, May 117:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Buffet Breakfast. Ballrooms 1, 2 & 3.8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Registration. Meeting Room 101.8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Vendor and Model Room open.

Grand Ballroom A.9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. UPHS Presentations. Grand Ball-

rooms B/C.9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SPH&TS Presentations. Grand

Ballrooms D/E.6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Cocktails. Grand Ballroom Foyer.7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Dinner Banquet.8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Presentations by: National Railway

Historical Society, Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society, Union Pacific Historical Society.

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Guest speaker: Mr. John Gray, Retired SP/UP Manager.

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Saturday PresentationsUPhs – second Floor, Grand Ballrooms B/c

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.“Utah Railroads and Mining”

Don Strack

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.“Movie: Geneva Works Rail Operations”

John Kirkland

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.“Ore Trains on the Central Corridor”

Rob Leachman, Wayne Monger and Vic Neves

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.“Prototype Operations:

Green River – Ogden in the 1950s”Michael Borkon

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.“Twenty Five Years on the Wahsatch Grade”

Andy Kirol

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Retired Union Pacific Employees

sPh&Ts – second Floor, Grand Ballrooms d/e9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

“From a Shack on the Levee to 10 Miles in One Day – Construction of the Central Pacific”

Scott Inman

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.“SP and UP contributions to PFE”

Tony Thompson

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.“The Great Salt Lake Crossing”

Mike McGinley

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.“Promontory’s Iron horses Revisited”

John Ott

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.SPH&TS General Membership Meeting

Saturday Banquet Presentation9:00 p.m.

“September 11, 1996:The Date of the True Golden Spike”

John Gray

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CLINICS AND PRESENTATIONSThursday

John SignorSouthern Pacific’s Salt Lake Division

An overview of over 125 years of Southern Pacific operations in the basin and range country of Nevada and western Utah from Sparks, Nevada, to Ogden touching on initial construction, reconstruction (including the Lucin cutoff ), terminals, helpers service, major wrecks, branch lines, narrow-gauge lines, the joint line with Western Pacific and more. Heavily illustrated.

Jean-Guy DubéOgden’s Union Station

Opened in 1924 and designed by father and son architects John and Donald Parkinson, Ogden’s Union Station is a magnificent Italian Renaissance styled depot. It united the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific and was operated by the Ogden Union Railway & Depot Company. We’ll explore its rich history and magnificent archi-tectural details, including looking back on Ogden’s three predecessor depots dating back to 1869.

Richard KoenigContemporary Views along the First Transcontinental Railroad

Landscape photographs taken along the original route of the Pacific Railroad, including both active and abandoned segments. Koe-nig’s commentary and images chronicle and contextualize the con-struction of the line. A pictorial accompaniment to well-established textual histories of the Pacific Railroad. The goal is to give the viewer as strong of a connection as possible to this historic 19th century engineering marvel through the remaining human-altered landscape.

Rob LeachmanWhatever Happened to All That Reefer Traffic?

For many decades, long trains of Pacific Fruit Express refrigera-tor cars were the most recognizable hallmark of the Overland Route. A gradual decline in PFE traffic commenced in the 1960s, was par-tially arrested by some key initiatives in the 1970s, but then collapsed almost entirely in the 1980s. This presentation will explore the PFE story from 1969 to 1979, explaining the factors underlying the traffic decline, the key initiatives of the 1970s that brought back traffic, and the factors that brought about its final collapse.

Dick HarleyModeling PFE Ice and Mechanical Refrigerator Cars

From the 1920’s wood ice reefers to the 1970’s mechanical reefers, there are PFE models available. Learn where to find PFE prototype data, modeling ideas, modeling supplies and more. Plus, see display models and learn how they were built.

John RebensdorfSP/UP Strategic Relations in the Kenefick/Biaginni Era

An inside look at the underlying issues and events which shaped the UP/SP strategic relationship in the 1970s, including confidential proposals from Biaggini for merger or sale of SP, cooperation on the Overland Route vs. competition with the Sunset Route, and other factors.

Rob LeachmanThe FAST and the ARRO: The Overland Route Auto Parts Trains

Probably the most profitable freight trains traversing the Over-land Route to California in the 1970s were the special, expedited trains hauling auto parts to the Ford and General Motors assembly plants located in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as set-up autos from eastern plants to the Bay Area. This presentation will explain the traffic and operations of these trains from their inception in 1971 to their last runs made in the early 1980s when the assembly plants closed.

FridayKeith ArdingerUP’s Overland Route Cheyenne - Ogden

A photographic tour of the UP main line Cheyenne to Ogden during the 1970s by a noted rail photographer based in Utah at the time. And a great bonus: Steam, turbine and early diesel photos taken by the late Robert Hanft during the 1950s and 1960s also are included.

Mark AmfahrUnion Pacific’s Overland Route in the 1800s

A look at some of the many challenges Union Pacific had to overcome in its early decades of operation along the Overland Route. The presentation will highlight issues in the engineering, equipment, and operations areas through the company’s first two decades follow-ing the driving of the Golden Spike.

Thornton WaiteUndriving the Golden Spike

When the Lucin Cutoff was opened in 1904 the original main line over Promontory Summit was relegated to a branch line. With little business the line was neglected, but the railroad was not allowed to abandon the line until 1942 when the rails were needed for military purposes. A special ceremony was held at Promontory Summit on September 8, 1942, when the line was being pulled up, as a reminder of the significance of the location. Military personnel, politicians, local residents, and even survivors of the original Golden Spike ceremony attended the event held in a remote location that was difficult to access.

Jim EhernbergerSeventy Five Years on the Overland Route

Photographs from a lifetime spent along UP’s Overland Route. Jim, a career Wyoming Division employee, has been photographing UP trains since 1944.

SP Retired Employees “Old Timers Talk”Former railroad employees of the SP are invited to tell true sto-

ries and tall-tales about working on the railroad.

SaturdayDon StrackUtah Railroads and Mining

The presentation is the story of the close ties between Utah’s railroads and the mining industry. Subjects include the early railroads in Utah Territory, and the early movement of silver, gold and lead ore from the mines to the mills and smelters. Also mentioned is the movement of granite for building construction. After Utah became a state in 1896, the railroads played a vital role when copper mining in Bingham Canyon came to the forefront. Then coal mining and railroads grew alongside each other, moving this important fuel from mine to market. The story continues with the important role Utah’s railroads played in the development of iron mines in southern Utah and supporting iron and steel production in the state.

John Kirkland Movie: Geneva Works Rail Operations

The movie was filmed during the period 1946 - 1957. It includes scenes of BLW diesels demonstrating on the Carbon County Railroad in central Utah, the extensive rail operations inside the Columbia-Geneva Works facility at Provo using Baldwin diesel switchers, and three days of demonstration operations on Geneva Works trackage by new Oregon & Northwestern RR AS-616 #1. Our thanks to Wayne Monger of the Western Railway Museum for allowing its use. .

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Rob Leachman, Wayne Monger and Vic NevesOre Trains on the Central Corridor

Mention of the UP Overland Route might prompt visions of reefer blocks and fast manifests. And mention of the Rio Grande might conjure visions of short and fast manifests. But once upon a time there were slow and heavy ore trains plying these rails as well, operated to feed the large steel operations of US Steel at Geneva, Utah, and Colorado Fuel & Iron at Pueblo, CO. The authors will take you on a pictorial review from the 1970s and 1980s of the Atlantic City ore train, the Minnequa ore train, and other unit train moves feeding the two steel mills.

Michael BorkonPrototype Operations Green River – Ogden in the 1950s

The 1950’s have been described as the ultimate transition era on the UPRR. The declining use of steam power and expanding use of diesel and turbine power stand out as just one example. Many other changes were taking place in the 1950’s as well, including upgrades to equipment, rules and structures.  A discussion of train operations between Green River, Wyoming and Ogden, Utah based on dispatch-er’s sheets from October, 1956 will be presented, along with highlights from the 1950s era west of Green River.

Andy Kirol Twenty Five Years on the Wahsatch Grade

He hired out with UP in Green River, Wyoming, at 18 years of age. After four memorable years working as a Brakeman and Con-ductor on the soda ash locals, Andy entered Engineer training in 1994 on the 7th district from Green River to Ogden. These are his observations from working the Green River – Ogden run over the past twenty-five years.. .

Union Pacific Retired Employees “Old Timers Talk”Eight former employees of the Union Pacific in Ogden will tell

us how it was working for the railroad out of Ogden

Scott InmanFrom a Shack on the Levee to 10 Miles in One Day – Construction of the Central Pacific

Beginning with the first shovel of dirt turned in Sacramento on January 8, 1863, more than six years of arduous construction brought trial and tribulation to the men and equipment which built the Transcontinental Railroad from the West. Experience the railroad’s construction as a journey over Donner Pass and across the barren wasteland of the Washoe by examining route maps, period images, and primary source documents.

Tony Thompson SP and UP contributions to PFE

The history of PFE is briefly presented, along with an account of company facilities, including icing and shops, and how they were operated, based on the book, Pacific Fruit Express, co-authored by the presenter. The car fleet history is also summarized, from development of the ice cars throughout the last of the mechanical cars. Finally, an outline of transcontinental refrigerator car operations is presented.

Mike McGinleyThe Great Salt Lake Crossing

Around and then across the Great Salt Lake Valley – 150 years of high water and bottomless mud. From the quickly built Promon-tory Line to the trestle for the Lucin Cutoff to the causeway, Mike McGinley takes us across the Great Salt Lake. Also, the story of how the causeway was almost erased by high water in the 1980s. Mike spent a year working as a Roadmaster at Ogden and many years work-ing throughout the SP system.

John Ott Promontory’s Iron horses Revisited

A survey of the locomotives of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific at the time of the Golden Spike, illuminated by old photos, odd facts, histories of the locomotive builders, and featuring new graphic color reconstructions of CP and UP engines based on current research. Presented by illustrator and printmaker John Ott, R&LHS, and contributor to Railroad History.

John GraySeptember 11, 1996: The Date of the True Golden Spike

By the early 1990s Southern Pacific was far from being the powerhouse of Western railroading that it had been only a generation previously when Trains magazine had pronounced it the successor to the Pennsylvania Railroad as the new “Standard Railroad of the World.” Multiple aborted merger negotiations coupled with a major failure to gain approval for merger with Santa Fe, followed by sale and privatization resulting in common control with Rio Grande, con-sumed management attention (and cash) at the expense of operating a strategically important property. This institutional turmoil was occur-ring against a backdrop of profound market changes affecting the rail industry as a whole. Southern Pacific in particular needed to both evolve over the long term and at the same time function effectively on a day-to-day basis. This is the setting within which we discuss the last four years of Southern Pacific’s life and the events leading up to the decision to pursue merger with Union Pacific and ultimately, to finally completing the project first envisioned in 1862 and whose initial phase completion in 1869 we celebrate this week.

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www.thewhistlestop.comPhone: 626-796-7791 • Fax: 626-796-7566

See why people from around the world keep coming back to The Original Whistle Stop for superior service and a wide

selection of model train supplies—since 1951!Board of DirectorsThe Board consists of nine Directors, who serve overlapping three-year terms. Officers of the Society are elected annually by the Board. The present members of the Board are: President Vice-President Ed Hall David Coscia

Secretary Treasurer Andrew Novak Gerry Feeney

Directors David Coscia Ed Hall David Hambleton Fred Hill Scott Inman Hunter Lohse Andrew Novak Ron Park John Ruehle

Officers and StaffCurrent Officers and Staff of the Society, as elected by the Board, are: Archivist Business Manager Joe Strapac Chris Karasek

Editor-S•P Trainline Webmaster John Signor Jenai May

Board of Directors President Vice-President Hilding Larson Greg Gardner

Secretary Treasurer Joe Perz John Cazahous

Directors Mark Amfahr John Cazahous Greg Gardner Paul Guercio Hilding Larson Rob Leachman George Luchs Joe Perz

Officers and StaffCurrent Officers and Staff of the Society, as elected by the Board, are: Business Manager Editor-The Streamliner Webmaster Robert Krieger Marc A. Entze Jenai May

Join UPHS in Cheyenne, WyomingMay 15–18, 2020!

Join SPH&TS in Reno, NevadaOctober 21–24, 2020!