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Union Pacific's Rocket Trains
The Trains must backup down the Malad Branch for eight miles from Brigham City to the
Thiokol loadout building in Corinne Utah.
The passenger car is along for the Security crew
to use on the trip. The Conductor guides the train back for the eight mile trip.
The train picks up and hauls the Rocket Booster Motors from Thiokol Corporation (the leader in production of high-technology solid propellant rocket motors in the United States.) to NASA for the space shuttle. Also missel motors for the Military are shipped from here.
This would be an easy building to model, as it is just a big steel building. FIRE at the Loadout!!! NO, just a farmer burn the field behind it.
This is a Rocket Booster motor section loaded on a truck in route to the loadout building. It takes a very large truck to haul just one section of a Rocket Booster.
The Trains almost always have five or six rocket cars, one 4 axle flat and four 8 axle heavy duty flat cars, all with the protective covers. When I first seen these trains, just after moving to Box Elder County, they had a empty boxcar between every car and two on the rear of the train, now I'm just seeing the one boxcar between the security car and the first rocket car.
Empty Cars are returned to Brigham City in regular trains one or two at a time. Here are two car being set out at Brigham, one in the yards, and two trains with empties at Little Mountain Jct.
Other SSCOG (Super SCOG) Trains include moving strange looking canisters to and from the Thiokol Loadout.
Rocket Cars
The four truck two axle heavy duty flat cars from UP are used haul the rocket motors. They are equipped with a large cover that splits in the middle and when lifted opens up to fit around the rocket motors. The motor is shipped in sections.
Rocket Cars UP 50020 and UP 50021.
Rocket Car UP 50026.
Rocket Cars UP 50027 and UP 50029.
Rocket Car UP 50030.
I have seen four truck two axle heavy duty flat cars from CSXT, KCS, and MP used in this service. Regular two truck flat cars are also used in this service. They are empty cars used as a check for clearances. I have only seen the UP flats used for this one.
Rocket Car UP 57961.
Rocket Cars UP 58076 and UP 58387.
Rocket Car Close-Ups
Some close-up photo of the details of these cars to help you with modeling them.
The Cover is the same on both halves. There are some different lift rings used on the covers.
The cover has small rollers on the ends that are guided into place by tracks bolted to the flat cars. The covers are held in place by "T" bolts also seen in these photos. The tag is on the center line of the cover.
Close-ups of four truck two axle heavy duty flat car UP 50026.
The Builders Plate, and Trust stamp on UP 50026.
Other Cars seen at the Thiokol Plant
Box Cars can also be seen here delivering supplies for the building rocket motors.
These cars have also been seen at the rocket loading plant. I don't know what they are used for. These are use hauling something to or from Thiokol, but I don't know what.
Last Updated April 15, 2000. © Jolly's Utah Depot MM
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