Triple-Headed Steam Action

Heber Valley Railroad UP No. 618, Nevada Northern No. 93 & Great Western No. 75 in action with the Olympic Torch Relay on 07 Feb 2002 between Soldier Hollow and Heber, Utah.

Beverly Cornutt / Nevada Northern Railway Museum; used with permission..

The celebration began February 7th when the train carried the Olympic Flame from Soldier Hollow to Heber City where, after a brief ceremony, continued it journey into Salt Lake City for the opening ceremony the following day.

"We've had great success," said Craig Lacey, Executive Director for the Heber Valley Railroad. "We put together our 2002 Winter Steam Team and they have done a great job. Our operation has gone very smoothly."

Over the 18 days of train operation trains carried over 6,000 visitors to the Soldier Hollow venue. The three steam engines used for the Olympics consumed 135 tons of coal and converted 270,000 gallons of water into steam. The trains traveled a total of over 1,500 miles between Heber City and Soldier Hollow and nearly 2000 total hours were spent by crew members in train operations.

Lance Hunt, Chief Mechanical Office for the NNRy echoed the same sentiment. "We spent months preparing for this event. The two railroads have worked very closely together to make this happen. We're really proud of what we've accomplished. This has been a great team effort."

The Nevada Northern Railway brought their steam engine #93, along with two passenger cars, from Ely, Nevada to Heber City to help with the transportation needs of Soldier Hollow. "We far exceeded our expectations," said Scott Lindsay, Interim Director for the NNRy. "I think this project was a huge success for both railroads. The fire within is going to burn in all of us for a long time."

Engine #93 and the two coaches will begin their journey back to Ely, Nevada mid March aboard heavy haul trucks.

— Heber Valley Railroad Press Release

Nevada Northern 2-8-0 No. 93 (above, left & middle), its tender (above right) and passenger coach 07 Ely (left) are prepared at East Ely, NV for their truck caravan to Heber City, UT and the 2002 Olympic Games. Photographed 22 Jan 2002.

Beverly Cornutt / Nevada Northern Ry Museum; used with permission..

Ken McConnell / Heber Valley Railroad; used with permission.

Matt Smith / Provo Daily Herald;
used with permission.

Olympic Torch Relay Steam Triple-Header

07 February 2002

The Heber Creeper puffs out loads of steam as it carries the Olympic torch into Heber City Thursday, 07 Feb 2002.

Rick Egan / The Salt Lake Tribune; used with permission.

The Heber Creeper carries the Olympic flame into Heber City Thursday, 07 Feb 2002.

Rick Egan / The Salt Lake Tribune; used with permission.

Onlookers at the entrance to Soldier Hollow celebrate the passing of the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch Thursday, 07 Feb 2002 as it makes its way from the Deer Creek Depot to the depot in Heber City, Utah.

Leah Hogsten / The Salt Lake Tribune; used with permission.

Left: Nevada Northern 2-8-0 No. 93 returns to Heber with the first load of passengers from Soldier Hollow after the initial day of competition on 09 Feb 2002.

Above left:    Interior of Nevada Northern coach 07 Ely.
Above right: Interior of Nevada Northern coach 08 Nevada.

Beverly Cornutt / Nevada Northern Ry Museum; used with permission.

Heber Valley's UP No. 618 and NN No. 93 were double-headed to videotape a segment for later airing on the NBC "Today" Show.

Ken McConnell / Heber Valley Railroad; used with permission.

The steam locomotive is coupled to the rear of the train, and backs from Heber City to Soldiers Hollow. The train is then pushed forward to Charleston Siding, where the locomotive is run around the train and coupled onto the head end. After the venue, the train is backed to the Soldiers Hollow platform, and passengers loaded.

John A. Stewart photograph; used with permission.

Ridership was increasing every day, and then exploded after NBC's "Today" Show aired the segment about the steam trains on Fri 15 Feb 2002. Tickets began selling out and there was "24/7 steam on all three engines". The pace of operations quickened with two trains operating on tight schedules over the few miles of track between Soldier Hollow and Heber.

All photos Beverly Cornutt / Nevada Northern Ry Museum except as noted;
used with permission.

Top, HVRR No. 618.
Middle two, NN No. 93.
Bottom, HVRR No. 75.

With the temperature hovering around zero, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum's Engine 93 makes its way across the Heber Valley with a cargo of Olympic spectators bound for Soldier Hollow, site of cross country, biathlon and nordic combined events.

Photo by Tim Dunn / Reno Gazette-Journal; used with permission.

Lou Bergandi, of Minden, is a volunteer on the 93, making the trip to Ely about five times a year. Here, he takes a break from shoveling coal in the cab.

Photo by Tim Dunn / Reno Gazette-Journal; used with permission.

On a frozen Olympic morning, John Rimmasch, chief mechanical officer for the Heber Valley Railroad, left, and Lance Hunt, chief mechanical officer for the Nevada Northern Railway, struggle to free a frozen switch on the railway to Soldier Hollow, which is the Olympic venue for the biathlon and cross country and Nordic combined events. Soldier Hollow is located about 30 miles southeast of Park City, Utah, on the east side of the Wasatch Mountains.

Photo by Tim Dunn / Reno Gazette-Journal; used with permission.