Part Fourteen

"I’m a Travelin’ Man"

An old Ricky Nelson tune from the 1960’s is today's theme. In years past, traveling about the Cheyenne and Laramie area is one of the best parts of my journey. The scenery is bare none spectacular. And train chasing was up to par.

The day begins going up Otto Road which parallels the Union Pacific for about ten miles before it bears to the southwest for a bit before in goes under and then parallels I-80 until the town of Buford where it goes into the hills until just outside of Laramie. Got some action going both ways.

Trains coming into Cheyenne have to keep an eye on their speed down the hill. Full dynamic braking was in effect. Going up the hill is another story. A train can be doing 50 MPH as it clears Cheyenne but 10 miles up along Otto Road, they are down 30 MPH at best as the track gradient starts to take its toll.

After that, it was to downtown Cheyenne to photograph Cheyenne Yard. But there is one tiny little thing that I discovered: you have to walk up one bridge in order to shoot the south part of the yard and another bridge to shoot the north part of the yard.

Needless to say, I got my pics and a good amount of walking.

Still, downtown Cheyenne is like no other city I have seen in the Midwest.

Once done, it was time to head to Laramie. The tracks do parallel both side of Interstate 80 but once past Buford, the tracks head into the hills and don’t reappear up close until you reach Laramie. And there are 2 things to remember here. One. You get up to 8660 feet when you crest the divide. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. I could feel the effects this morning. Two. Whether you drive a car or an 18-wheeler, make sure you keep your speed in check. At a 5% grade, even a car can get away. Be forewarned.

Now southeast of Laramie is the little town of Tie Siding. Blink your eyes and you have gone thru it. In town is Hermosa Road, this hard red clay hilly road that can kick up dust on a good day. And at the top of the road is Hermosa Road crossing where the 3 mainlines meet.

Now nearby at about 3/4 of a mile is Hermosa Tunnel, a twin bored tunnel that has been something that I, have been wanting to photograph, but from what I have read in trade magazines, doing so may turn you into Swiss cheese. Seems in years past, other railfans have gone on the roads nearby without permission of the railroad or in some cases the ranchers that are nearby.  I have seen the tunnel in print but until I have some sort of press credentials, I am out of luck. Also, I have come here in years pass just to get pics of trains at the crossing but to no avail. And at the time I was there today, no such luck.

So next stop was the old pedestrian steel bridge across UP's Laramie freight yard. The skies had some cirrus clouds but the temp was a comfortable 65 degrees. And as luck would have, a UP mixed freight train rolls under the bridge with some friendly toots from the engineer.

Soon after it was a hamburger and ice cream at DQ's Grill 'n' Chill and up into Wyoming's high plains where the speed on US 30 is 70 and the trains are 65. The scenery is hard to describe. A lot of the high plains here are untouched. It looks like a lunar landscape. Short, scrubby brush and lots of wild grasses. The double track mainline rides on deep ballast and is well maintained. At one point near the town of Bosler, the tracks disappear for about 15 miles until you reach the town of Medicine Bow. Considering how I felt the last time I made that trip, I figured I’d cut my losses and head back to Cheyenne. Just as I had turned around, I caught eye of a westbound double stack. Time to try the zoom lens. No sooner had I stated to take pics, I look to the west and here come an eastbound double stack. Where does all this stuff go??!! I managed to snag some good pics.

I roll back into Laramie and as I look for I-80, I see an eastbound freight rolling thru town. And I said to self, “Self?”, and I said, “Yes?”, and I said, “BACK TO TIE SIDING”. It appears that my luck was finally going to change and I would be able to snag a pic at the Hermosa Road crossing.

In 15 minutes I am at Hermosa Road and speeding up the red clay road. I get in place…and wait….and wait for seemed like an eternity. But instead of the mixed freight, I get the eastbound double stack I saw at Bosler. No complaints from this railfan!! FOCUS. SNAP. PRINT.

I finally get my train near Hermosa Tunnel. Cousin Balke and I do the Dance of Joy!! And then, it is time to head back to Cheyenne.

Getting out of Laramie is OK until you reach that 5% grade going the other way. Many car drivers were dodging the 18-wheelers in various shades of speed as you climb up and once at the summit of 8660 feet, it is a fairly good ride back to Cheyenne. And did I mention the scenery?? Easily one of the pettiest 45 miles of travel in the contiguous 48 states. Seven hours of driving. Almost 200 miles of driving.

Saturday, we head to Greeley, Colorado to visit the Colorado Model Railroad Museum which should be mandatory on any railfan’s list to visit. Then on to Rollinsville, Colorado to find the east portal of Moffat Tunnel (west portal was found back in 2014), a visit to Caboose Hobbies store and dinner with an old family friend in Littleton.

And one small observation. Last time I was here in 2104 and in previous visits, the 2 railroad crossings in this part of Cheyenne were quite noisy due to all of the trains having to sound their horn when approaching these 2 crossings. Well, I found out that with multiple complaints from the area hotels and from the Federal Railroad Administration, a horn silence zone was put into effect. No horns unless absolutely necessary. Now all I hear is the drone of the diesels running full bore out of town or the screams of the dynamic braking coming into town. No complaints from me. I roll over and I’m back asleep.

One small benefit of being a railfan.

I am Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Cheyenne, Wyoming.