A historic neon sign that once stood atop the Denver & Rio Grande Western depot in Salt Lake City has been restored and is now on display at Utah’s Heber Valley Railroad. 

The sign was built in the 1950s and was part of the station until it was replaced by a newer version a few years ago. The original was then preserved and placed inside the Heber Valley’s shop in Heber City. Earlier this year, the railroad decided to restore it and paid for it to be trucked to an outside shop where it was refurbished. The sign was completed last month and then moved back to Heber City, where it was installed atop the shop earlier this week. Although the sign now features state-of-the-art LEDs, it illuminates just as it did in the 1950s. 

“We’re so glad to have this sign back on display so that people can really enjoy it,” said Heber Valley Chief Mechanical Officer Michael Manwiller. “This has been a very rewarding project.”

The sign is right at home since the Heber Valley operates excursions on a former Rio Grande branch between Heber City and Vivian Park, Utah. The railroad is also home to a number of pieces of historic Rio Grande equipment. —Justin Franz 

The sign being installed atop of the Heber Valley shop in Heber City, Utah, earlier this week. Photo by Michael Manwiller.

Heber Valley GP9 5926 (ex-Pan Am Railways Maine Central heritage unit 52) sits beneath the newly-installed sign at Heber City on June 4. Photo by Michael Manwiller.