Deseret-Western Railway
Encyclopedia
The Deseret Power Railroad, formerly known as the Deseret-Western Railway, is a private railroad operating in northeastern Utah
and northwestern Colorado
.
It is owned by the Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-operative, and exists to transport coal
from the co-operative's Deserado Coal Mine (northeast of Rangely, Colorado
; south of Dinosaur, Colorado
) to their Bonanza Power Plant (northwest of Bonanza, Utah
). The length of the railway is about 35 miles.
The railroad is electrified, using an overhead catenary
system to supply power to its locomotives. Motive power includes 7 General Electric
E60-2
locomotives, two of which were built for the Deseret, and five which were acquired secondhand from the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
.
The Deseret Power Railroad does not interchange with any other railroad and is completely isolated from the national rail network. It was built in 1984.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and northwestern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
It is owned by the Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-operative, and exists to transport coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the co-operative's Deserado Coal Mine (northeast of Rangely, Colorado
Rangely, Colorado
Rangely is a Statutory Town in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2000 census. The town is home to one of two campuses of the Colorado Northwestern Community College.-Geography:...
; south of Dinosaur, Colorado
Dinosaur, Colorado
The Town of Dinosaur is a Statutory Town located in Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 320 at the U.S. Census 2000....
) to their Bonanza Power Plant (northwest of Bonanza, Utah
Bonanza, Utah
Bonanza is a census-designated place in southeastern Uintah County, in eastern Utah, United States. The name refers to a rich mineral strike.Near the community is a coal fired power plant owned by Deseret Power Electric Cooperative. Bonanza is also in the area of the Colorado Plateau where oil...
). The length of the railway is about 35 miles.
The railroad is electrified, using an overhead catenary
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
system to supply power to its locomotives. Motive power includes 7 General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
E60-2
GE E60
The GE E60 is a C-C electric locomotive made by GE Transportation Systems. The E60's were based on existing locomotives designed for freight service...
locomotives, two of which were built for the Deseret, and five which were acquired secondhand from the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border...
.
The Deseret Power Railroad does not interchange with any other railroad and is completely isolated from the national rail network. It was built in 1984.