We both love railroads and train rides so when I found out that there was one close by, we had to check it out. Today and tomorrow they were running a special train to Depot Bay - $10.00 so we made reservations for the 1:00PM ride.
From Provo to Heber City is the scenic Provo Canyon and it was beautiful. Sorry no pictures - I was driving -
We arrived in Heber City, had lunch at Subway, and went to the train station.
A little history on the railroad and trains in this area.
During the late 1800’s, the only way to ship products from the Heber Valley was by wagon on the Provo Canyon Toll road. This journey often took three days in good weather and sometimes much longer in winter weather. The citizens of Heber pushed to have a railroad and in 1899, the first Rio Grande Western train arrived. At that time, Heber was one of the largest sheep producing regions in the world and more sheep often rode the train than anything else.
In 1938, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation came to Heber to build Deer Creek Dam which would create the waters of Deer Creek Reservoir. However the tracks ran right in the center of the construction. Tracks were removed and new tracks took two years to build to accommodate the new body of water. In 1940 trains started using the “new line” but by 1968, the last Rio Grande freight train went out of Heber City. In 1971 the railroad was purchased by UDOT and from then until 1990 it became a tourist attraction. In 1990 it went out of business and after much ado by the citizens of Heber and railroad enthusiasts, the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority was created and in 1993 the Railroad began running again as a tourist and historic attraction.
And yes I have pictures:
Our train - engine, passenger car, snack car, and passenger car. We were in the car directly behind the engine. The very last car was purchased from the Lackawanna Railroad in Pennsylvania.
The train took us through parts of Heber City past homes and farms:
Along side the Deer Creek Reservoir:
At Depot Bay, we stopped, enjoyed the scenery, and were entertained by a fiddler player and then Crazy Annie (who was wonderful) while the engine went to the front of the train to take us back to the station.
It was a nice little train ride. I think the next time we are here, we will take the lunch ride into the canyon.
On our way back we stopped at Deer Creek State Park:
And then Bridal Veil Falls:
Back at the lodge, we met up with our neighbors, who are all Escapees, and had a great dinner while getting to know each other.
Another wonderful day!
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