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Union Station is a fun historic train station in Ogden. Originally opened in 1869, rebuilt in 1889, and 1924. So I guess the current building is 102 years old! Wow! This is the first historic old train station that we have visited that actually has, you know, trains! It features the Utah State Railroad Museum, The John M Browning Firearms Museum, Spencer S. Eccles Rail Center, the Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum, as well as a few art galleries. Wow. I was not expecting so much excitement in one little area, so unfortunately I did not allow us enough time today. Oh well, I guess we will have to come back!
Quick Details:
Length: We did about 2.5 miles wandering around.
Trail Type: Meander
Difficulty: DR2 it is an ADA compliant building.
Elevation Gain: 1 floor.
Restroom: Several
Dogs? No.
Other Info: Open Wednesday - Saturday 11-4. You can see some of it for free, but the museums require a $7.00 per person fee.
To Get Here:
Downtown Salt Lake City (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).
Again (PSP).
Little closer.
The only place on i15 along the Wasatch Front that I can think of that offers an actual horizon (PSP). It kind of freaks me out a little. I am so used to being surrounded by mountains.
I am not sure what the heck they are doing at Hill Airforce Base (PSP). But it looks like it is going to come directly to the freeway.
Ardent Mills (PSP). Landis says this used to be Pillsbury.
Neat old water tower with a fresh coat of green paint (PSP). I found that this is the West Ogden Water Tower.
Hawk soaring above (PSP).
The mountains above Ogden (PSP).
Heading over the Ogden Trainyard (PSP). You can see Union Station towards the center.
The Adventure:
We start todays adventure with this neat water tower.
The front.
Closer. Yup, “Celebrating 100 years, 1924 - 2024”
Marquee. I know I have seen the K for Kiwanis International somewhere before. Oh, Battle Creek Falls.
There is a neat locomotive on the north side.
The front.
The side.
The building. Honestly, I was mostly interested in the 100+ year old building. But found myself being drawn in to a lot more.
Fountain Plaza. I guess it is a little too early in the season for the fountain to flow.
The front of the building.
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Panoramic, which distorted it a bit.
Historical markers.
Top one:
“Weld the past to the future.
This monument is a grateful tribute to the builders of America’s first transcontinental railroad. Completed May 10 1869 when the golden spike was driven at Promontory Utah 53 miles northwest of Ogden.
Dedicated may 10 1951, to honor those pioneers who builded better than they knew and to encourage for all time the same joy of doing.
Utah pioneer trails and landmarks association Union Pacific Railroad company Southern Pacific Company Golden Spike Celebration Committee of Ogden”
Middle one:
“Ogden City Wall
In 1854 Ogden pioneers built a rock and mud wall a mile square along 28th Street, Wall Avenue and 21st Street. Madison Avenue was not completed because the Indians became peaceful. The eight foot wall had a six foot base, a 31 inch top and four gates. The cost of $40,000 was raised by $40.00 tax on each city lot, also a $10.00 tax on every able bodied man over 18 years. The project was erected by 500 working men. Wall Avenue was named after this wall.” (from HMDB.com)
Bottom one:
“On September 11th, 2002 The Kiwanis club of Ogden donated this flag pole in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America.”
The official Utah Historic Site plaque.
“Ogden Utah Depot
Original building completed in 1889, destroyed by fire in 1923.
Present building constructed in 1924 on the original foundation,
Architects: John & Donald Parkinson of Los Angeles.
Marker Placed 1973.”
Fancy lamp in a fancy doorway.
The Grand Lobby. Just… wow!!!
Mural on the north side.
Beautiful old wooden supports.
Mural on the south side. Both murals depict the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Looking towards the north end.
Neat old support beams again.
We just made our way to the ticket office. I am not 100% sure how much of it you can see without purchasing a wristband ticket but I have a few ideas. I know for sure though that most of the museums do require a wristband.
Anyway, the lady that sold us the wristbands gave us a little map and directed us to the Eccles Rail Center to the south of the building. So, that is where we started.
The Eccles Rail Center
More specifically it is the Spencer S. Eccles Rail Center. I see a lot from other members of the Eccles Family, this is the first one I can think of named for Spencer.
Old wooden benches. Messing around on Wikipedia, I saw an image that showed that these were in the Grand Lobby. I am not sure why they are in this little room at the moment.
The old train platform with the Butterfly Canopy between tracks 1 and 2. Built in 1928, It is the only remaining canopy of a series of 5. The other 4 were demolished in 1969. They are 23 feet wide.
There used to be an underground tunnel called the Passenger Subway that allowed passengers to access all 11 tracks from the main station. It sounds like there is a possibility of one small section being daylighted in the future. That sounds super neat!
The back of Union Station.
Track one. Track 2 has a train on it that we will see in a minute. Oh my, there is so much to see here I am a little bit overwhelmed and squirreling a bit.
Ahh! An actual train yard! Of the 4 historic train stations we have been to, this is the first one that actually has trains!
The Union Pacific Depot in SLC is now a hotel and a bar. The Rio Grande Depot is currently closed to the public, and it’s future is a bit in the air. And the Welby Station was moved to Gardner Village and is now a Chocolate Covered Wagon. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate that all of these buildings still exist, Utah is not really good about keeping historical buildings. But I do love that this one actually has trains to explore!
The Union Pacific Turbine Locomotive #26.
The sign.
Between trains.
The Southern Pacific Diesel Locomotive SD 45 #7457
It’s sign.
Rio Grande #5371
Sign.
The Union Pacific DDA40X Locomotive #6916
Sign.
The side.
Union Pacific Steam Locomotive #833
“The Speedy engine with elephant ears”
Sign.
The side.
Machines to Match the Mountains.
Old railroad crossing sign.
The 833 again. Wow! This is similar train to the famous 844 that is still in service and has been shown in movies and fairs and such. Just a little bit older.
Random art thingy that is currently dug up.
There are a few paths between the trains to explore them a little bit more.
Gears. Holy crap these things are HUGE!
Heading up on a little platform.
Some sort of 2002 Olympics train. Neat!
Down train? Is that a term? Well, I am making it one.
Union Pacific Post Office Car #5819.
Union Pacific started in 1862 and still operates.
Hospital Unit Car.
View from the window. Sadly, they do not let you inside the trains. It looks like they might have used to, but currently do not. Or maybe you have to pay extra for a private tour?
Ice cream tub.
Looking back towards the front.
More train cars.
The 833 again.
Sign asking you to not climb on the trains.
More trains.
Yes. I am 12.
Neat boxcar.
Er.. caboose.
I guess that makes this the switch engine? I doesn’t look like an engine. I must have missed it.
Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.
I found that this is the 2002 Winter Olympics Cauldron Car used during the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay. Neat.
The other side.
The sign: Union Pacific Wrecking Derrick #X-250 Huh, nothing about the Olympic sign. I wonder if some of these got moved around and they didn’t move the signs?
U.S.A.F. Locomotive #7277 100 ton Switch Engine.
Now that looks like an engine.
Another. Oh! Here is the #1216.
More trains.
I am not 100% sure, but I think this might be the wrecking derrick.
Oh yes, I see the X-250 on it. So that confirms it, at least on this line of trains some of the signs are not in the right place. Phew, I thought I was crazy for a minute.
It is a little convenient that there are numbers on them to help me figure this mess out.
The hook.
Train across the yard says Golden Spike Centennial Expo. It looks like it has seen better days. Lets see that would have been 1969 it looks like.
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Panoramic.
That is really cool. 2 pieces of pretty significant Utah history right here. You know, aside from the 100+ year old train station.
Looks like this is the end of the line here.
Heading back.
The Olympic sign again.
The caboose. I confirmed the car number to the sign, it is in the right spot.
Speaking of signs, I love how all of the sign posts are railroad spikes. Cute little attention to detail.
The front.
Southern Pacific. I found that Southern Pacific Railroad went from 1865 - 1996.
Large bell.
Every time I am around trains I am surprised by just how big they are. Landis for size.
Heading down this side of the train.
More army trains.
“The people of Ogden and Weber County have placed these locomotives as a memorial in grateful acknowledgement of the contributions to our region by the railroad industry and the railroad men and women since the driving of the Golden Spike, May 10th 1869.
Created by the Golden Spike Chamber of Commerce Ogden City Weber County
The Ogden exchange club , B.P.O. Elks 719
Dedicated 1959.”
I don’t particularly like the positioning of this one. It’s almost upside down.
More trains.
For the preservation of the trains and for your safety please DO NOT climb on the trains.
This train car has definitely seen better days.
Railroad switch.
Another factory of some sort.
The backs of these trains.
The Golden Spike Centennial Expo train again.
More back side.
Awww, look at this cute little guy! My guess is some sort of service vehicle.
The other side of the Golden Spike train again.
Me with it.
Heading back the way we came.
Another railroad switch.
Well that is fun.
Another sign that made my inner 12 year old giggle.
Old trains.
Coupler.
Now we decided to check out the trains on the platform.
Tanker. Its looks like this one transported diesel fuel.
Track 1 and Track 2.
This one is a boxcar, right?
Another Rio Grande train. I found the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad operated from 1870 - 1992.
Another little engine.
This one looks a little more modern.
I don’t think I have heard of Western Pacific or Feather River before now. I found a Feather River in California, so that is probably it.
I found Western Pacific Railroad (the 2nd iteration of it) operated from 1903 - 1983.
Train car.
Another old engine.
It’s quite faded, but it is another Rio Grande.
The back.
Closer.
Mountains above.
We heard a train approach… and it’s just Frontrunner. There is a Frontrunner station at the Ogden Transit Center just to the north, on the other side of 24th Street.
Heading up a ramp to a bridge. It is a very looong bridge that goes over the train yard, and then the Weber River near the Kingfisher Wetlands.
Either this sign is old and out of date or the rail center is open later than Union Station? Also, this seems to indicate that you can approach it from this direction? I donno. I'm leaning towards out of date sign.
Heading back towards the other end.
More trains.
Track 1 and 2 signs.
The back of Union Station.
The platform with the butterfly canopy.
Another Southern Pacific train. It looks pretty old.
Butterfly canopy.
Another Union Pacific train. It also looks pretty old.
Be specific ship “Union Pacific” Hah. That’s cute. I have never heard it before.
The back of Union Station again.
Welcome signs.
Look at this old bad boy!
Utah Central Railway. Another one I have never heard of.
There were 2 Utah Central Railways one went from 1869 - 1881 and was the first one in Utah. The other was started in 1992 to current. I found that this was part of the latter one. They are known for their eclectic mix of 2nd hand locomotives. This one used to belong to the US Air Force.
Hello little birdy friend.
More welcome signs.
Another Utah Central car. This one looks like it was a former Union Pacific judging by the faded paint. That is kind of funny that they just slapped their logo over it.
24th Street crossing over the rail yard.
Couple more trains on the north end of the property.
This looks super old.
I think this is a snow plow type train. In trying to figure that out I found yet another old train company O.W.R. & N. Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 1879 - 1936 (ish).
Anyway, it is a rotary snowplow.
Front. These were used when the snow was too deep for traditional wedge plows.
The other side. Wow, this is super cool!
Frontrunner station to the north. It appears they copied the butterfly canopy. Copy sounds bad... maybe more, carried the theme over so they match.
Fun tile work.
The Utah Central trains again.
Active trails in the rail yard.
The front runner bridge over the rail yard.
I guess we just barely missed Big Boy #4040 by a week. Damn. That is a neat train too!
Okay, time to head back in.
The benches again.
Gallery at the Station. One of 2 art galleries. We like art, but we were short on time and had other things we were more interested in so this was put on the “if we have time” list and we did not have time.
Back to the Grand Lobby.
Mural above.
Weird cut outs in the floor. After some debate we decided maybe that is where the benches were.
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But, I found this picture on Wikipedia circa 2019 with the benches and these cut outs are there and not where the benches would have attached. So… I’m not sure. I wonder why the benches are not in the lobby right now.
Utah State Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
I love the cowgirl cutout LOL. I am not 100% sure, but I think this is free to visit as well.
It is very small!
Memorabilia.
Miss Rodeo America dress.
Saddles.
Utah Cowboy Hall of Fame. It only goes back to 2012.
2020 had no inductees due to Covid.
More memorabilia.
I kind of feel like this should just be the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo Museum.
The old trail to Ogden’s Pioneer Days.
Old chaps.
Saddle tree.
Saddle.
Cut out and rodeo clown outfit.
More memorabilia.
Looking back towards the other end.
Rodeo outfit.
Saddles.
Fun wood carvings.
Looking back across the museum.
Back out in the Grand Lobby we found this little desk with an employee list above.
Utah State Railroad Museum
This one, you absolutely need to have a wristband for. There is an employee here to check.
Museum Rules.
The entrance is this fun old trestle.
Fun fact, this structure was in fact in the Great Salt Lake as part of the Lucin Cutoff.
Lucin Cutoff Trestle Exhibit.
Information signs.
Other places they recycled the old trestle wood.
Orb weavers are common along the shores of the great salt lake, so naturally the Lucin cut off was full of them. I love that they put in a fake one.
The old trestle again.
Another spider.
Old bolts and screws.
The transcontinental railroad.
California and Nevada.
Utah and Wyoming.
Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.
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Panoramic.
Old handcart.
A motorcycle... or maybe uni-rail style one.
The Gold Spike Safe.
Definitely a replica spike.
When we visited the Golden Spike National Historic Site I learned it was in a museum, not in Utah.
This gave a little more information.
The original Golden Spike resided in this safe at Stanford University. After the 1989 earthquake caused extensive damage Wells Fargo secured it in a vault until the Stanford Museum reopened in 1999 and the spike got a modern display case back there. This old safe went into the archives before coming to this museum in 2010. Fun.
I guess if we can't have the spike at least we can have it's safe.
Railroad ties.
Types of cars.
What a table on a dining car looked like. I did not notice the time period. But nearby signs point me towards possible 1930’s. There is a sign encouraging you to take a picture here.
Some sort of uniform.
Little theater for some video experience. We were running out of time so we did not try to watch it.
The Caboose Crew.
With a caboose to explore. Hooray!
Inside.
Overalls.
Life in a caboose.
Sitting area.
Desk.
I’m not sure what kind of gauge this is.
Stove and sink.
Seating area again.
Fun neon sign and a very wrong clock.
Fun stuff and an old departure and arrivals sign.
The caboose again. I recognize the Kennecott logo on the left there.
Train schedule.
This is super cool. You can’t get anywhere without coming to Ogden.
Pocket watches.
The neon sign again.
Fun UTA and Union Pacific mural.
Wattis Dumke Railroad Exhibit. This is right before a split, so I am not sure if it is the exhibit to the left, or the one going forward. We started left.
Handcar.
Another little cart of some sort.
Another.
Old equipment and a 1913 stone.
More equipment.
Old railroad crossing sign.
The original Union Station was built in 1869. It was rebuilt twice, once in 1889, and again in 1924. The 2nd time was due to a fire in 1923. This sign doesn’t cover the original rebuild issue, but from what I have found the original location was deemed undesirable with a quarter mile walk on a boardwalk over marshland.
Railroad dispatcher’s Control Panel.
Lantern signals.
Hobo signs and symbols.
Then we get to go inside an actual engine! Yay!!!!
They have a video playing of a conductors eye view along train tracks. I’m not 100% sure, but I am thinking this might be around Echo Reservoir? Or maybe somewhere nearby.
Windshield wipers.
It is a little bit tight in here so trying to get it all in a shot is a little tough.
The front of it.
Inside again.
This looks like the conductors station.
More.
Electric panels.
View forward again.
The handcart again. Apparently called the Candy Dancer. Supported by the Ogden Elks lodge 719. It was part of a handcart race.
The next section has a miniature reproduction of some train line. This part scares the hell out of me.
It is Cape Horn, California.
Then Nevada.
Large trestle bridge.
Crossing the Great Salt Lake.
Closer. You can see the trestles (like the one at the beginning of the museum) going into the lake bed.
I forget what this little town was. Also, I am a little sad the miniature trains were not running.
Art.
Union Station and 25th Street. In the background you can seen the 3 tallest buildings on Ogden. The City Municipal Building and the The Bigalow (formerly Hotel Ogden) on the right and the First National Bank building on the left. I am not sure how old this is, but it appears to be older than the 4th tallest building, The Hampton Inn, since it is not shown here. We went to see those afterwards.
On to Weber Canyon.
This is really neat!
Well this is a different style of truss bridge. I wonder if this still exists.
A more normal style truss bridge that have seen. I wonder if this is a recreation of one that I have seen or maybe even floated under.
Little camp.
Fly fisher and kayakers. Wow, the little details are great. I think this is the double truss bridge at the top of the canyon.
Another large trestle bridge.
The back of the caboose we went through earlier.
The final bit of the miniature train.
The Theater Annex which is an event venue of sorts,’
The Browning - Kimball Car Museum
I love the neon sign!
Wow!!! Look at all these amazing old cars!
A 1929 Packard.
According to the employee the Browning - Kimball family donated their personal collection after their deaths which included 9 of them and started the museum.
A 1930 Cadillac.
These are all in excellent condition.
A 1935 Hudson.
A 1926 Lincoln.
1928 Durant.
Pretty cars.
Can’t see the date but its a Stearns.
A 1932 Lincoln.
A 1937 Packard. Factory Price: $795
A 1931 Lincoln. Its weird that they separated the backseat like that.
A 1932 Lincoln.
The Durant again.
Closer. I am guessing (with nothing to back it up) that the ones with license plates came from private donors. Or may even be on loan from private collections? I am not sure. The little signs give interesting facts about the cars, but nothing about where they came from.
Mountain View Auto Court.
The other side of the Durant. Factory Price $695.
Fun old gas pump.
A 1929 Pierce Arrow.
A 1929 Graham Paige
I have never heard of some of these brands. But, I am not a big car enthusiast.
The Pierce Arrow again.
A 1901 Oldsmobile. This is definitely the oldest one!
Back to the Packard.
The Cadillac again.
The only one I took a closer picture of the sign. Factory price of $6,000 and if I remember correctly, that was one of the more (if not most) expensive ones. That would be about $118,639.40 today.
A 1911 Knox. I thought I had missed this one, but I got it towards the end, I think that covers them all now.
The Oldsmobile again.
The 1926 Lincoln again.
Back to the Cadillac.
Fancy hood ornament.
We had about 15 minutes left so we decided to run to the gift shop and get a shirt and magnet before it closed.
The Grand Lobby again.
After that I wanted to see the Old Timers Room. I figured if we were quick we could see it. But, it was not in our cards today. Instead we did a quick breeze through the Firearms Museum.
John M. Browning Firearms Museum (quick like rabbits)
First we head upstairs.
As expected it is a room full of guns. Neither of us really gung ho about guns so it was kind of meh.
A repair shop I am guessing. We didn’t really stop to read any signs. I was still hoping to see the Old Timers Room.
Super old.
They all pretty much look the same to me.
More.
If I am reading the map correctly this hall , which is also the Myra Powell Gallery would have lead to the Old Timers Room, but they have already turned out the lights. We still had a couple minutes left, but I get it. The employees wanna go home. We will just have to come back sometime.
The Wattis Dumke Room. I imagine it is another little event space or conference room.
We decided to take the elevator, just to see the old elevator.
Yup, it’s an old elevator.
The caboose from the train museum again.
Fun logo.
The old trestle at the front of the train museum.
We try to be courteous and leave before places close, but we pushed it a little today. We would have had a minute or 2 to spare, but I noticed a penny smasher machine, and well I collect those. I RAN out to the car and back to get my penny just in time as they were politely shooing everybody out. SORRY!!! I hate that I was that guy today.
Penny, Shirt, and magnet.
The front. It’s a shame the fountain isn’t running.
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Panoramic.
Looking up 25th Street. One of these days we will explore that a little more. But, we had something else in mind before we had to meet up with family.
The neat water tower again.
Closer.
Portrait.
One more.
North end of the building.
WOW!!! That was super fun! And I am happy to finally find one of these grand historic train stations i donno… have TRAINS!!! My inner 10 year old had an absolute blast! Obviously next time I need to allow some more time. We missed the Old Timers Room, and both art galleries. But, I had so much fun I absolutely would come back. It also was not very busy today. And $7.00 for a couple neat museums isn’t bad at all. 10 out of 10 squirrels.
As for difficulty, most of it is paved and there are elevators DR2.
I assume dogs are not allowed, so leave Fido home for this one.
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