Well… Wyoming is getting a new Rail Trail… This one on old ROW of the Laramie, Haun Peak & Pacific Railroad. 23 miles into the Medicine Bow Wilderness, and into the backcountry. Knowing the region, It was probably a small Mining or Logging road Does anybody have any more information on this Railroad?
Try UP branchline to shortline (WYCO) to trail. (UP sold old off this branch along with the Saratoga-Encampment branch, also to be abandoned in the late 1980’s. Western Companies (Salt Lake City, also owns Cimmarron Valley RR which just was on the cover of the Trains shortline edition, plus 5 others) owned the shortline, but could not make a go of it. Line ran from Laramie south to Cowdrey, CO. (Mookie’s “Driver” goes fishing up there somewhere.)
Somehow I knew it would be you to answer that MC. Didnt a subsidary of the BN run the Saratoga line, IIRC it was like the Denver, and Fort Worth. I know that they have a SD40 in saratoga still that is still in BN Green and Black. And I know the rails are still there on that line where it crosses under the interstate. I will however have to take a ride on that trail next summer, The Medicine Bow Wilderness is some of the prettiest country I have ever seen…
Was always in UP’s camp until they sold it to Western Company and it operated as WYCO. (The two F’s and the GP’s on there (several were ex-BN, ex-Great Western/OmniTrax(orange over cascade green that faded to pink))…Saratoga line has abandoned over the proests of the sawmill on line that never could get its collective act together (but demanded that the rail line stay “just because it MIGHT start shipping again”, never mind the taxes and the maintenance costs, STB finally told them to “put up or shut up”. The “something for nothing” whiners went away after that)… AB-307_6_X at STB, Link:
I think that sawmill actually shut down becasue they had a fire and it would have cost too much to re open it. But I did go to college with this guy who was like 50 and going back to get a degree in Journalisim, Ill tell you what, that guy never shut up about how the sawmill shutting down put him in such a bad way and things. Although I do think I did hurt Saratoga quite a bit… Also, Didn’t that Line over to Elk Mountian come off that same branch?