His son Jim also photographed the early days of the 'Creeper. My favorite photographs of her are by the master of Heber Creeper photography, Steve Belmont. She was parked after the White Mountain Scenic engines arrived…never turned a wheel at Heber after that. As such it was the preferred power on the ‘Creeper in the 1970s, over coal-burning ex-UP 618. The principal person behind the Wasatch Mountain Railway also owned a Conoco dealership in Heber City, and gave himself a kickback (or so I’ve been told) on the oil they burned in 35. “No thanks, I’ll be too expensive to bring back” was the response. The current Heber Valley Railroad tried to buy it, and made an offer, which was later accepted…but only after 35 had been trucked all the way to Boulder City. I climbed on it as a kid, and was sorry to see it go in 1993 – that’s the year that the Wasatch Mountain Railway sold its equipment to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. See it now in the photos?ĭoug was the last to run it, and it was quite worn out when he parked it in 1977.
They used to put the current year in the number boards, and it wore “1776” in 1976. Some of the guys at Heber, especially Doug Brown, have told me some great stories about this locomotive. The tender logos were originally plywood – later painted on. 35 was painted up the first season (71) in a red and white paint scheme, and then for 1972 it was painted yellow – like you see now – thanks to GM Ed McLaughlin the train was painted up the same way. That was the last train over the line before the connection with the D&RGW was severed. He sold it to the Wasatch Railway Museum & Foundation in 1971, and after a trip via flatcar to Provo and unloading at Olmstead, it ran to Heber City under its own power hauling ex-Rayonier 2-6-6-2T 110 dead in tow. It had been sold to a private owner in 1967-8 and stored in California after the Pacific Lumber Company stopped using it. the “Heber Creeper”) acquired back in 1971. The 35 was the second locomotive the Wasatch Mountain Railway (A.K.A. Ah Mitch, you photographed one of my favorites.