Nostalgia & History > Western Pacific GP35 #3002 Announcement!

I'm happy to share that we have completed the restoration of Western Pacific GP35 #3002! We are waiting for an inspection from Union Pacific, then once complete, it will be heading to the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden for preservation.

This project has been over 13 years in the making.....ever since my brother and I visited the WP museum in Portloa for our first time, back in 2010. Since then we felt the WP needed to be preserved and represented on the eastern end of the former WP system, and have been watching for opportunities to accomplish this. Luckily, The Arkansas Midland Railroad was willing to donate this loco to the museum, when they retired it back in 2022. Since then, we have spent over 800 volunteer hours prepping it. Once we completed the prep work, UTA Frontrunner used it for Training and Familiarization in their newly completed Paint Booth.....talk about a win-win situation! 

These photos are all recent, provided by myself, my brother Kerry Klarr, as well as Schon Norris (all UTA employees, taken on UTA property). Please note that we have since installed the rear Class Lights and MU hoses, on the rear of the unit.

Below is from Ogden Union Station's Facebook Page:

ANNOUNCEMENT:
 
We will soon be home to a new Western Pacific locomotive. This engine, the Western Pacific #3002, is the first piece of our railroading stock to represent Western Pacific’s history in Utah. Built in 1963, this is a four-axle GP35 diesel-electric locomotive and served Western Pacific for nearly 20 years before its freight service with several other railroads. It has just completed a major restoration collaboration by Ogden City, UTA, the Union Station Foundation, and many individual volunteers.
 
We’re excited to have this new piece of railroad history!
 

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And on top of looking pretty, she also is operational! along with a Nathan M5! (video provided by Christian Hawkes - Volunteer)

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Beautiful job

VERY impressive.   Congratulations and thank you for your successful effort to preserve the unit and make it accessible.

Really Nice job!!

Larry

Ritzville Wrote:
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> Really Nice job!!
>
> Larry
I agree 100%, always glad to see a piece of rail history preserved.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Incredible piece of work! Hats off to all responsible for making it happen.
—Mac

Excellent restoration.
Bob

Amazing work and glad she has been preserved!

There's a complete history of where the unit went after service on the WP/UP (as WP 3002/UP 783), on the Utah-Rails page:

https://utahrails.net/up-diesel-roster/up-diesel-roster-10.php#gp35-782

Rich

I'll contribute to the 3002 gallery.  Here it is exiting a tunnel north of Greenville on the high line.  6/16/71.    When digging into the Logan,  I discovered 3002 is the only  WP GP35 I don't have a roster shot of.

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Excellent restoration. WP had small orris M5 horns, from the sound here this sounds like a large orifice M5 like SP and some eastern
railroads used.
Regards, Jim Evans

Looks great.

Victor Baird

Excellent restoration!

dklaRR Wrote:
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> And on top of looking pretty, she also is
> operational! along with a Nathan M5! (video
> provided by Christian Hawkes - Volunteer)

Thank you for sharing the video!  Until now, I never knew how the horns on a WP second-generation diesel sounded.

Love the video!

Would you run it up to Ogden on the UTA tracks?  It seems as though the museum would want to develop a relationship with UTA to allow(wild and crazy thought) for an excursion or two?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/24 11:23 by hawkeye.

The work on the old girl looks great. The nose looks pretty nice restored back to original and the Orange and black stripes look great. But that stand in color for silver is not aluminium. Shame as the rest of the restoration is spot on.

Outstanding!  Congratulations to all the Volunteers, UTA, and the Western Pacific Railroad Museum.