Nebraska’s U.S. Route 30
LOCATION:
Trains Columnist Don Phillips prescribed driving Nebraska’s U.S. Route 30 along the Union Pacific main line as an antidote for the 1970s railroad blues (“Solace on Highway 30,” October 1978). For all that has changed in 45 years, the railroad is still Union Pacific and it always puts on a heck of a show: lots of trains, big trains, all moving fast.
U.S. Route 30 generally parallels UP’s Overland Route from Chicago to western Wyoming. But for about 430 miles between Columbus, Nebraska and Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. 30 is usually right next to Union Pacific’s busy double-track-plus main line. To make train watching even easier, U.S. 30 is uncongested because through traffic uses parallel Interstate 80.
Columbus to Cheyenne is in the middle of Union Pacific’s primary route west from Chicago to the Pacific. The “core of the core” is 133 miles between Gibbon Jct., Neb., (where UP’s Marysville Sub from Kansas City joins) to O’Fallons, Neb. (the junction point with UP’s line to the Powder River Basin coalfields). UP’s massive North Platte, Neb., double-hump yard (at 2,850 acres, the world’s largest rail yard) sits almost exactly in the center of the segment and makes for a great stopping-off point.
TYPICAL DAY:
Union Pacific runs an average of 65 to 85 trains per day on the busiest segment of the route through North Platte, and fewer east of Gibbon Jct. and west of O’Fallons. Traffic is a mixture of everything UP hauls — carload, intermodal, and unit train — although coal makes up less of the traffic than before. Be sure to watch the entire train, because most have distributed power units pushing in the middle or at the rear. No Amtrak trains regularly use the route. Agriculture-related industries — mostly grain elevators and ethanol plants — are scattered along the route, and privately owned switch engines are common.
BEST VIEWS:
Want even more trains? BNSF’s Angora Subdivision crosses the UP main line in Sidney, Neb., and the Ravenna Sub intersects in Grand Island, Neb. These are heavy coal lines for BNSF, and the crossings with UP are grade-separated to keep trains moving on both railroads. Short line Nebraska Central has its engine facility in the southeast quadrant of the Grand Island crossing, so you might see three railroads at once!
The one thing you can’t do on U.S. 30 is chase trains. Union Pacific trains are permitted speeds of up to 70 mph and trains generally keep moving on the double- and triple-track main line. But driving U.S. 30 isn’t a train-chasing exercise — keep driving until you see another headlight coming at you (or coming up behind you in the rear-view mirror).
WHY VISIT:
No. 1: North Platte’s Golden Spike Tower. Nebraska is fairly flat, so this eight-story tower overlooking UP’s massive yard really stands out. Railfans get panoramic indoor and outdoor views of both humps and the diesel shop (always full of power). The tower is open every day and features a gift shop. A heavyweight diner in UP colors sits at the base.
No.2: Cheyenne Depot Museum. Located in the 1886 UP depot, the museum highlights Cheyenne and Union Pacific history, along with a well-regarded model railroad. Tours of the adjacent UP steam shop are offered occasionally.
No. 3: Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand Island. The Stuhr Museum is a 200-acre museum dedicated to the pioneers who settled Nebraska and includes Railroad Town, an 1890s prairie village. Look for former UP 2-8-0 437 and other rail equipment on display, but the museum’s narrow-gauge line, the Nebraska Midland, is gone.
DON’T MISS:
The middle section between Gibbon and O’Fallons, Neb. (west of North Platte) has the highest train density, and you can make a quick stop at the Golden Spike Tower at North Platte.
NEARBY:
Nebraskans love the runza sandwich, a bread pocket filled with mildly spiced beef, cabbage, and onions. The runza is also easy to eat while driving so it should be a train-seeker’s favorite as well. You can find runzas at the restaurant chain of the same name, located along in most of the larger towns east of Sidney on Route 30. For a sit-down meal, consider Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge in Paxton, Neb. Ole’s features exotic taxidermy, so you may be seated under a giraffe or elephant head as you eat your chicken-fried steak.
