Wyoming Railroading and Railfanning In "The Equality State"

Perhaps more than anywhere else Wyoming railroading is all about the coal. This is Powder River Basin (PRB) country and you can literally watch (if you’re up for the drive) trains follow one another, elephant style, to and from the mines in the region. PRB coal has become so highly demanded that combined, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific dispatch some 85 trains a day from mines in Wyoming and Montana. However, coal is not the only thing in Wyoming even though it may seem that way! Union Pacific’s Overland Route runs through Cheyenne and the railroad also stores its legendary steam locomotives there in the roundhouse, 4-6-6-4 #3985 and 4-8-4 #844. So, if you enjoy gorgeous scenery, trains battling Mother Nature and lots of coal then Wyoming railroading offers it all!

Wyoming railroading has its beginnings dating back to the Union Pacific when the railroad reached the state’s eastern fringes in 1862 en route to its eventual meeting with the Central Pacific in May of 1869. While the Burlington and Chicago & North Western would also have a presence in Wyoming the Equality State was mostly the realm of the Union Pacific.

The Union Pacific’s original main line (that is still in use today and quite busy) is the Overland Route, which runs between Ogden, Utah; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chicago. Today’s Union Pacific is much different from the system prior to 1980 as it operates as far north as Seattle, as far west as Los Angeles/Long Beach, as far east as Minneapolis, and as far south as Dallas, Brownsville, and New Orleans (and about every west in between!).

The UP of today, however, was not as large or wealthy prior to the 20th century. It struggled on and off during the late 19th century but after coming under the guidance of Edward Harriman the UP has generally lived a prosperous life since that time. As the 20th century progressed so too did the UP, being instrumental in the development of lightweight streamliners in the 1930s (the M-10000) which would be the forerunner of today’s common diesel-electric locomotives.

The Union Pacific we know today began to take shape in 1982 when it purchased rival Western Pacific, which granted it access to northern California, and soon after this it would take over the Missouri Pacific to reach Chicago, St. Louis, and Texas. In 1988 the company grew even larger when it purchased the Katy (the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) and in 1995 did the same with the Chicago & North Western. Finally, just a year later in 1996 the UP purchased the gigantic Southern Pacific, a one-time powerhouse railroad that by the time of its take over by UP was a company that was floundering (so much so that it had been purchased earlier by the much smaller Denver & Rio Grande Western).

The future of the Union Pacific is as wide open as the great western plains where the railroad operates. However, if the company’s past is any measure of what may happen in the years ahead, I think we can safely say that when the merger movement picks up again the Union Pacific and its famous shield logo will continue to flank locomotives during their daily task of moving goods across the country.

In total, railroads in Wyoming operate nearly 2,000 route miles, which interestingly has not significantly changed over the years (because of the recent PRB mania). For more information on Wyoming railroading, in terms of route mileage over the years please refer to the chart below.

If you’re interested in museums and tourist railroads, while Wyoming railroading does not feature much there are a few things to see. First is the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center, maintained by the Douglas Area Chamber of Commerce in Douglas, Wyoming. The chamber includes a small collection of equipment, such as a Burlington 4-8-4 steam locomotive, which is housed at the restored Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad depot. There is also the Cheyenne Depot Museum (also known as the Wyoming Transportation Museum) housed in the beautiful Union Pacific depot in Cheyenne.

Today, Union Pacific still mostly dominates Wyoming railroading with the BNSF tapping into the state with its ex-Burlington lines. And, of course, both companies control the lucrative PRB coal, which will soon include a four-track main line into the region (while the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern operates a few miles in Wyoming the state’s rail operations are almost exclusively in the hands of UP and BNSF).

In all whether you enjoy Mother Nature’s beauty, main line railroading, or large steamers that put on quite a show, Wyoming railroading offers it all. And remember, if you tire of the railroading just head up to Yosemite National Park to see some of the most spectacular natural wonders in the country. It alone is well worth the drive to see, railroads or no railroads!