ABOVE: Brakeman Bob Johnson is protecting the reverse move as the trio of locomotives returns for the 16 loaded ore jennies that were left on the 2.5 percent grade at Windmill Hollow. The crew was forced to double the hill and leave the first eight loaded gondolas at Miller siding on September 9, 1996.


RIGHT: On July 19, 1996, the tandem of Nos. 6323 and 6798 departed Northgate at exactly 8:00 and is pulling a string of loaded ore jennies past the tiny community of Fox Park, Wyo. on a beautiful sunny morning.


from Walden. Fluorspar is used to man- ufacture products such as steel, alumi- num, petroleum-based fuels, and refrig- erants as well as many other everyday consumer products. This was my chance to really explore the line, while recording the final days of operation. Granted, the F-units were stored in Laramie receiv- ing electrical work, but the railroad still offered an eclectic mix of locomotives to photograph. The usual power combination for ore


trains was ex-Fort Worth & Denver SD7 No. 853 (re-numbered 6083) in Burling- ton Northern Cascade green teamed up with ex-Southern Pacific GP35 No. 6323 and former CSX GP40 No. 6798. The Geeps were used throughout the summer, whereas the SD7 was also used on WYCO’s Encampment Branch, which left the UP Overland main at Wol-


48 SEPTEMBER 2015 • RAILFAN.COM


cott, Wyo., and headed 24 miles south to Saratoga, Wyo. The Encampment Branch managed to survive almost a de- cade longer than the Coalmont Branch, since the Louisiana-Pacific sawmill closed down in January 2003 and the branch was abandoned in November 2004. Generally, the ore trains would depart


at 8:00 a.m. during the weekday and make the one-way trip from Laramie to Northgate with empties, returning the following day with loads. Union Pacific


ore jennies and gondolas were used in the operation. In Laramie, the cars were interchanged with UP and headed east along the Overland Route. My most memorable encounter oc-


curred in early September, when I man- aged to catch an ore train making a rare round trip between Laramie and North- gate. The train departed Laramie at 4:00 a.m. and arrived at Northgate later in the morning. After setting out 26 empty ore jennies, the crew coupled to 24 loads


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