By Justin Franz 

Two century-old Denver & Rio Grande Western flangers have been acquired by the Heber Valley Railroad. The flangers will be used to help keep the Utah tourist line clear of snow in the winter months. 

D&RGW flangers 052 and 062 arrived by truck in Heber City on Monday, January 15, from Colorado, where they had been owned by a private individual. They were last based in Alamosa, Colo., to clear snow on nearby LaVeta Pass. 

Chief Mechanical Officer Mike Manwiller tells Railfan & Railroad, that the Heber Valley’s winter schedule has grown in recent years and keeping the line clear of snow is important. That was especially obvious last winter when Utah received a deep snowpack. Manwiller said the railroad was often running its wedge plow once or twice a week. However, that wedge plow can’t move snow out from between the rails, which is why these flangers are the perfect addition to the fleet. The fact that they will also be used on a former Rio Grande branch line is an added bonus (perhaps even behind Heber Valley’s Rio Grande-painted GP9). The flangers will maintain their D&RGW appearance and identification. 

On Tuesday morning, flanger 052 was inside the Heber Valley Railroad shop being prepared for service. Photo by Mike Manwiller.

The flangers arrived in Heber City on Monday and were unloaded that evening. Flanger 052 was quickly put into the shop where it is now being worked on. Manwiller said the hope is to have both flangers in service this winter. Because the railroad does not presently have a way to turn equipment, one flanger will face north and one will face south so they can plow in both directions. 

The flangers are more than 100 years old, although, like any piece of maintenance-of-way equipment, they were heavily modified and changed over the decades.