Evanston, Wyoming
We reached Evanston after our visit to Aviat Aircraft. On the way from Afton to Evanston we tried to make a phone ahead reservation at the Days Inn in Evanston. I was driving and Terri was handling the phone Although we have a pretty good cellular company she had to call back at least four time before she could get all the credit card information conveyed to the girl at the hotel. To say that service is spotty in western Wyoming would be an understatement. The task finally got done and when we reached the hotel we were glad to be able to check in and collapse after a long day of touring.
This was Friday night and we had seen a road sign that said that Salt Lake City Utah was 65 miles further west. Well, if you are already in Evanston WY why not visit Salt Lake. Only 65 miles more. A few years back I had been telling Terri about the time that the crickets were devouring the crops and the Mormon pioneers were in danger of facing starvation. Suddenly thousands of sea gulls appeared and gobbled the crickets saving the crops and staving off disaster. She was sure that I was making the story up as I went along (I have been occasionally guilty of doing that) but this time it was a real tale.
So next morning we headed off to Salt Lake City. We toured Temple Square and saw the monument to the sea gulls so she finally believed. We enjoyed a great lunch o the 10th floor of a nearby office building and headed back east. We decided to stay again at the same Days Inn if we could and called ahead again. We wound up speaking to the same girl at the hotel and she recognized our name from the night before.
I enjoy reading local papers when we travel and I picked up the Saturday copy of the Evanston Times. On the front page was a large story about the local model train club which was having a show at a train yard which is under restoration. You know, the sort of story you usually see on MONDAY morning after the show was over and done. We decided to visit the show on Sunday before heading east. What a treat we had in store!
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The
Great Basin Lego Train Club shows off what can be done with Lego blocks and
imagination.
A wide range of interests was seen at this booth. From 20 mule team Borax wagons to models of the train that transports booster segments from Utah to Kennedy Space Center. When the train is bound for Florida loaded with live segments the travel time is about three days as it has the highest priority. When it returns to Utah the journey can take as long as three weeks because then it is at the bottom of the priority ladder.
Half a block away was this set up. I believe that the locomotive used a
small Briggs and Stratton engine for power.
This building housed the air compressors
Can't go anywhere with my wife without a photo of some sort of plant
Old firefighting apparatus
Various shots of the train layouts
Interior and exterior shots of the restored machine shop.
(L) The building where cars were repaired, outside was this large lathe that was
donated to the project.
Looking into the roundhouse
Turntable photos.
