Union Pacific Sidney Subdivision - Crossing the Nebraska Plains

This video is focused on the Union Pacific - Sidney Subdivision, making the climb across the western plains of Nebraska. Starting at mile post 295, with an elevation of 2,802’ at the North Platte Subdivision - Bailey Yard, covered in a previous video, extending to the west to mile post 508, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with an elevation of 6,063’ where we connect to the Laramie Subdivision, Crossing Sherman Hill which we covered in an earlier video.
At the west end of the yard an overpass yields this view of the western end of Bailey Yard, were all the tracks come back together into 4 main lines .... rural running over the plains all the way to the next major city Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The first town out is Hershey were the mainline has 4 tracks where we find this Eastbound manifest heading toward Bailey Yard.
O’Fallon's junction was reached by the end of 1866... Here the main line of the basin tracks branches off to the North on the UP South Morrill Subdivision, while the westbound takes the slight left to continue on the overland route. With all this traffic coming together and the North Platte Bailey Yard a short distance to the East the 4 mainlines split 2 for 2 in each direction with each taking about half of the traffic. Here we have a full open-top coal hopper train coming from the Powder River Basin to the North meeting another eastbound intermodal rolling in from the West on the Sidney Subdivision.
As the sun was setting, during our stop at Sutherland, we did not have any traffic pass by, however, in the distance at the top of the screen is an empty coal train making the turn up the Northerly Morrill Subdivision ... At that point, the 2 mainlines below us join the 4 mainlines into Bailey Yard.
... at mile post 315 in Paxton, Nebraska two fast moving trains meet each other, one westward intermodal and the other on its eastbound venture.
... we caught another westbound intermodal meeting this eastbound tanker car train at Roscoe.
With construction to Ogallala completed May 24, 1867, Ogalla marked over 2,000 feet of elevation gain since leaving Omaha ...
With the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad, the small village of Brule was founded in 1866...
... Julesburg, Colorado marks the railroads brief dip into Colorado as the builders progressed along the south Platte River. June 24, 1867 marked the completion of construction to Julesburg, Colorado. ...
... Sydney is the namesake of the subdivision. At just over 400 miles since leaving Omaha, westbound trains have climbed past 4,000 feet in elevation with another 4,000 feet of elevation left to gain to the top of Sherman Hill only 125 miles west as the grades are picking up while the trains approach the Laramie subdivision...
Between Sidney and Potter, Nebraska the road skates around this series of rocky outcroppings...
We caught the repositioning of these 8 locomotives cruising downhill at Potter, Nebraska
Between Potter and Kimball, this westbound intermodal easily makes its way up the grade with the 5 locomotives pulling up front.
Reaching Kimball, Nebraska, on August 29, 1867, 443 miles of track had been laid since leaving Omaha...
At Bushnell we have climbed to and elevation of 4,872 feet...
We are now just over the border into Wyoming in Pine Bluffs. Wyoming was still a territory at the time the railroad arrived but became a state on 3/1/1867...
...at Egbert, subbranches form the shortcut to the Powder River basin ... to the north on the Yoder Subdivision...
Once again, we see another westbound train; this time passing the elevator in Burns, Wy.
At the end of running across the high plains (500 miles since Omaha) at Archer Hill, westbound movements get to coast into town under dynamic braking to end their run over the Sidney subdivision, this being the first notable dissent for west bounds since Omaha. Construction was completed to Cheyenne, Dakota Territory, November 18, 1867.
In the distance this east bound pulling out of Cheyenne after a crew change and winding toward their last test of climbing the hill.
That concludes this segment covering the North Platte Sidney subdivision of Union Pacific's overland route. Thanks for watching this presentation and do not forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel for previous and more railfan videos. Check our channel for the Laramie Subdivision video which will take us over the legendary Sherman Hill and across exceedingly dry territory to the city of Rawlins and also the North Platte Subdivision - Bailey Yard. Chugging along.
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[@andyhoward1001]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from England. Andy

[@arlosepictrainchannel8593]

Nice video 😎

[@railfanenthusiast6792]

Thanks for the visit

[@JacksTracks-jw5mv]

Incredible video! Very informative! Great job!

[@railfanenthusiast6792]

Thanks so much!

[@user-vh6zt7ty3b]

Hoping to, but will probably have to wait until the weather changes. Wyoming winters can be okay but are so unpredicable. :(

[@tonyordaziii7250]

Will you be also filming the Union Pacific Rawlins Subdivision and the Evanston Sub

[@railfanenthusiast6792]

Hoping to, but will probably have to wait until the weather changes. Wyoming winters can be okay but are so unpredicable. :(

[@railfanenthusiast6792]

I should also probably add, it will also depend on if I gain enough interest and subscribers to keep building out the channel/playlists.