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28-804: The Wasatch Front is long and narrow. To the east, the Wasatch Mountains rise abruptly several thousand feet above the valley floors, climbing to their highest elevation of 11,928 feet (3,636 m) at Mount Nebo (bordering southern Utah Valley ). The area's western boundary is formed by Utah Lake in Utah County , the Oquirrh Mountains in Salt Lake County , and the Great Salt Lake in northwestern Salt Lake , Davis , Weber , southeastern Box Elder , and Cache counties. Though most residents of

56-615: A member of the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet until 2022, when it was announced it would be donated to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America museum. In 1969, Union Pacific was retiring the last of their gas turbine–electric locomotives . Beginning in 1963, Union Pacific had ordered EMD DD35s and DD35As to replace the turbines, and the DDA40X was a further development from this design. The first DDA40X, UP 6900,

84-412: A number of new technologies that would go on to be incorporated in future EMD designs. Ultimately, UP did not continue with exceptionally powerful locomotives like the DDA40X built on single frames, instead moving toward distributed power using smaller locomotives closer to 4,000 hp. All of DDA40X locomotives were retired between 1984 and 1986; several of them survive. Union Pacific 6936 operated as

112-935: Is 98 ft (30 m) long. The frames were fabricated by the John Mohr Company of Chicago, because they were too large for EMD's factory. The use of more than one prime mover in a single locomotive was not new; the E-series were popular dual-engine locomotives, and Baldwin had produced (but not sold) a locomotive with four diesel engines. The X in the model number stood for experimental , as DDA40X Centennials were testbeds for technology that would go into future EMD products. UP frequently used these locomotives to haul heavy freights. Each unit successfully ran about two million miles (3,200,000 km) before they were retired from revenue service in 1985. The modular electronic control systems later used in EMD Dash-2 models were first used on

140-508: Is a 6,600 hp (4,943 kW) D-D locomotive , built by EMD from 1969 to 1971 exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad . It is the most powerful diesel–electric locomotive model ever built on a single frame, having two 16-645E3A diesel prime movers . Union Pacific has marked DD40X on the cab exteriors, while EMD literature inconsistently refers to this model as either DD-40X or DDA40X . UP's DDA40X locomotives were

168-518: Is a federally designated National Scenic Byway which departs I-15 at Payson and travels south through the Mount Nebo Wilderness, climbing to over 9,000 feet before rejoining the interstate at Nephi . The route features panoramic views of Mount Nebo, the Utah Valley, and Utah Lake far below. There are numerous trailheads along the route for the hiking enthusiast, including a short walk to

196-525: Is in full operation. The California Zephyr of Amtrak is the primary rail transport leading in and out of the Wasatch Front, having a station in Salt Lake City and Provo . Salt Lake City International Airport serves as the primary airport for the region. Ogden-Hinckley Airport and Provo Municipal Airport also provide scheduled commercial air service. Because of the geographical barriers to

224-662: The United States , and the centerpiece of the Mount Nebo Wilderness, inside the Uinta National Forest . It is named after the biblical Mount Nebo in Jordan , overlooking Israel from the east of the Jordan River , which is said to be the place of Moses ' death. Mount Nebo has two summits: the northern summit reaches 11,933 feet (3,637 m), and the southern summit reaches 11,882 feet (3,622 m). Early surveys placed

252-515: The Wasatch Pass at an elevation of 6,792 feet. Union Pacific has operated the world's most powerful locomotives to haul freight over the Wasatch Mountains between Cheyenne and Ogden, including American Locomotive Company 's famous "Big Boys" , the world's largest steam locomotive; GE's Gas Turbines known as the "Big Blows" (because of their distinctive sound), the world's most powerful internal combustion locomotive; and GM's "Big Jacks" ,

280-528: The Wasatch Range , including cities such as Park City , Morgan , Heber City , and Midway , is sometimes referred to as the Wasatch Back and has recently shared in the rapid growth of the region. 40°36′N 111°54′W  /  40.6°N 111.9°W  / 40.6; -111.9 Mount Nebo (Utah) Mount Nebo is the southernmost and highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah , in

308-455: The "Devil's Kitchen", an area that has been described as a "mini Bryce Canyon ". There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains interpolated data for an area around the summit. Mount Nebo has a subalpine climate ( Köppen Dfc ). This article about a location in Utah is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . EMD DDA40X The EMD DDA40X

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336-566: The DDA40X and the 4,200 hp SD45X . All DDA40X units included a new load test circuit, whose dynamic braking resistors allowed units to load test without a track-side load test box. Gearing was 59:18, allowing 80 mph (130 km/h) on freight trains. The DDA40X has a wide nose akin to those on the F45 and FP45 cowl units . These cabs were superficially similar to the Canadian comfort cab introduced by Canadian National in 1973, though without

364-573: The Great Salt Lake is common in the late Fall and early winter. The first freeze usually occurs in early October in the outlying areas but can occur as late as early November in the inner urban areas. The last freeze can occur broadly between early April and late May. Summers are generally hot and dry, with the exception of the summer thunderstorm seasonal pattern which usually runs from early July through early September, when often intense thunderstorms occur due to mid-latitude weather patterns including

392-583: The Pacific storm track. Daytime high temperatures are around 95 °F (35 °C), with higher temperatures often created by the urban heat island effect. Several downtown and commercial districts encompass the Wasatch Front, including the Salt Lake City metropolitan area , the Provo-Orem metropolitan area (south of Salt Lake), and the Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan area (north of Salt Lake). Nearly all of

420-499: The area live between Ogden and Provo (a distance of 80 miles [130 km]), which includes Salt Lake City proper, the fullest built-out extent of the Wasatch Front is 120 miles (190 km) long and on average 5 miles (8 km) wide. Along its length, the Wasatch Front never exceeds a width of approximately 18 miles (29 km) because of the natural barriers of lakes and mountains. Sustained drought in Utah has more recently strained

448-416: The cities within the region are connected by continuous suburban development. Ogden has served as a major railway hub through much of its history. The First transcontinental railroad was constructed between 1863 and 1869, with the tracks reaching Ogden on March 27, 1869. Trains heading east from Ogden must negotiate the highest reaches of eastern Utah, travelling through Weber and Echo Canyons and over

476-461: The culmination of the company's experiments with extremely powerful locomotives that began with its gas turbine–electric locomotives and DD35s . For manufacturer EMD, the construction of the world's most powerful single frame locomotive was a sign of the company's dominance of the North American diesel locomotive market, with only GE Transportation an equal competitor. The DDA40X also pioneered

504-461: The early 1980s. But in early 1984, as rail traffic rebounded, Union Pacific brought 25 units out of storage and rebuilt them to return to service. All locomotives were finally retired by 1986. Eleven DDA40X units are preserved by various museums, while another unit survives as a source of spare parts for other locomotives. UP 6936 , the sole operating unit, was owned by Union Pacific and was used in excursion service until 2016. In 2022, this locomotive

532-406: The east and west, much of the land along the Wasatch Front has been developed. The region has experienced considerable growth since the 1950s, with its population increasing 308% from 492,374 to 2,051,330. Much of the remaining undeveloped land is rapidly being developed, and local governments have grappled with problems of urban sprawl and other land-use concerns. The region on the other side of

560-510: The full length of about 120 miles (190 km). Other interstates and highways provide transportation routes to local areas within the Wasatch Front. Such transportation routes include Interstate 84 in the Ogden area; the Legacy Parkway ( State Route 67 ) running north–south through western Davis County; Interstate 80 running east–west through Salt Lake City; Interstate 215 (I‑215) circling

588-542: The inner Salt Lake Valley; the Mountain View Corridor ( State Route 85 ), Bangerter Highway ( State Route 154 ), and State Route 201 to the west of Salt Lake City; U.S. Route 189 through Provo, and U.S. Route 6 in southern Utah County. The Utah Transit Authority provides bus and light rail (TRAX) service to most of the urban areas within the Wasatch Front. Additionally, a double-decker commuter rail line FrontRunner , running from North Ogden to Provo,

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616-412: The mid-30 °F to mid-40 °F range (-1 and 4 °C). Snowfall is common during winter but often melts rapidly. Inversions commonly occur along the Wasatch Front during mid-winter making for very cold temperatures and gloomy conditions lasting for several weeks at times in the valleys, while the higher mountain elevations will experience clear and warmer conditions. Localized lake-effect snowfall from

644-439: The most powerful single-unit diesel locomotive type ever built. Transportation issues within the metropolitan area have been complicated by the narrow north–south orientation of the valley, constrained by the natural barriers on both sides, and the rapid growth of the region. The primary modes of transport for the area are Interstate 15 (I‑15) and U.S. Route 89 (US‑89), both of which run down its center from north to south for

672-485: The region's water security , causing the Great Salt Lake to drop to record low levels, and affecting the state’s economy, of which the Wasatch Front constitutes 80%. The Wasatch Front is a semi-arid region at the eastern edge of the Great Basin . The urban corridor mainly lies in zone 7 with minimum average winter temperatures ranging between 0 and 20 °F (−18 and −7 °C) and daytime high temperatures ranging from

700-500: The south summit, accessible from starting points on the east or west of the mountain. Another trail accesses the north summit, starting northeast of the mountain. A "bench trail" runs along the mountain's east side from north to south at roughly 9,000 feet elevation. Although strenuous, all of these trails are popular with hikers; many are dangerous places for horseback riders. One old-time local rider warns: "There's dead horses in every canyon on that mountain!" The Mount Nebo Scenic Byway

728-627: The southern peak as the highest, but the mountain was resurveyed in the 1970s and the northern peak was found to be higher. It is the highest point of Utah County and is located in the southern part of the county. Mount Nebo is an "ultra", one of 128 ultra-prominent peaks in the United States having more than 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of topographic prominence . The mountain is typically partially or completely covered in snow from mid-October until July. Nearby towns include Mona (closest), Payson , Nephi , and Provo . A substantial trail leads to

756-753: The structural reinforcements of the Canadian design. Other experiments were conducted during the service life of these locomotives. A few of the units were fitted with Federal Signal Thunderbolt air raid sirens to warn track-side personnel when away from grade crossings, but the results were inconclusive. Another test included the modular electrical components, which was successful. This made for easier diagnosis of electrical problems. These modifications were used in all future locomotives built by EMD. Despite their excellent performance and relatively good efficiency, these units were costly to maintain, which ultimately prompted Union Pacific to begin placing them into storage in

784-555: Was delivered in April 1969, in time to participate in the celebrations of the centennial anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad driving the "Gold Spike Limited"; it arrived in Salt Lake City , Utah, on the morning of May 10, 1969. In honor of this, the class was nicknamed Centennials and the choice of locomotive numbers in the 6900s was made for the same reason. Forty-six more were built between June 1969 and September 1971, numbered from 6901 to 6946. The DDA40X

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