| In the winter of 1948-1949, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Alco PA 601A, leads the eastbound Exposition Flyer passenger train down the 2.4% ruling grade through Castle Gate, Utah, located in the Wasatch Mountain range. The Rio Grande was the second western railroad to order the Alco passenger diesels, receiving two 6,000 horsepower A-B-A unit sets between January and April of 1947. After a twenty-year career, the four PA-1 units were scrapped, while the two PB-1 units were rebuilt into steam generator cars. Located behind the locomotives are new Budd lightweight cars for the California Zephyr, and Pullman heavyweights. |
| In 1881, a coal vein was discovered near Castle Gate, allowing the Rio Grande to tap into this natural resource. On January 24, 1912, the Utah Railway was incorporated, and on November 1, 1913, the Rio Grande and the Utah Railway formed a trackage-right agreement for double track main lines over Soldier Summit and down the western slope to Provo, Utah. In the late 1950s, the Castle Rock formation on the left was destroyed when a new road was put through the canyon. Today, the Utah Railway continues to pull coal trains past Castle Gate, while the Rio Grande, which purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad in October, 1988, is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific coal, mixed manifests, and intermodal trains roll past Castle Gate, along with the Amtrak Zephyr passenger trains, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) freight trains, due to a run-through agreement with the Union Pacific. |
