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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, May 16-18, 2018 The Park Record W AY WE WERE In the winter of ‘64, a braking point Park City Ice Arena skates to efficiency DAVID NICHOLAS Park City Library Researcher The term “off the rails” barely needs an explanation. The phrase makes it clear that a calamity has occurred – the only question remaining is how bad the situation may be. Today we will investigate an “off the rails” incident in Park City that happened on March 9, 1964. Fay Dearden, Union Pacific Railroad station agent for Park City, waved goodbye as the “local” began its 70-mile return to Ogden. Fay exemplified the professionalism associated with the Union Pacific. He knew well the challenges of running a railroad, especially during winter in the Wasatch Mountains. As the two GP-9 engines and one caboose rumbled away, Fay glanced at his watch – it was 3:00 p.m. – and returned to the warmth of the station. The winter of 1963-64 had been brutally cold with temperatures averaging 20 degrees below normal along the Wasatch. In February, only one day exceeded 32 degrees, with 12 nights below zero. March continued the frigid trend with evening temperatures below zero and daytime highs below freezing. Sunday, March 8 delivered heavy snow that persisted into Monday, creating havoc for drivers and disrupting rail operations. Fay was concerned about the braking systems on the engines. Deep snow and extreme cold was known to induce brake line malfunction. Despite speed restrictions in town, without brakes, the GP-9 engines – weighing 130 tons each – could experience trouble quickly, especially considering the ruling grade leaving town. He would not be able to relax until he received the routine phone call confirming the crew’s return to Ogden, expected in about two hours. Putting worries aside Fay sat down at his desk to complete the day’s paperwork. He looked forward to the return of his three children from school and his wife Donna from job as branch manager at the First Green Tips MARY CLOSSER Recycle Utah The Park City Ice Arena opened doors in 2006 as a year-round ice facility owned by Park City Municipal. It is home to skaters, hockey players and curlers. Our local arena understands the demand on energy, gas and water to create these indoor programs. The city has aggressive goals for city operations to be NetZero by 2026, and Arena operations are working to align with those goals. First, staff chose to enhance the public recycle program to reduce contamination. All trash and recycling receptacles are now paired and include communication on what goes where. Onsite birthday parties now source recycled-content paper products, and name tags for Skating Academy are now reusable verses disposable. Additionally, the Arena completed an extensive gas, energy and water audit for recommendations to reduce PHOTO COURTESY MARIAN DEARDEN MCGUIRE Fay Dearden, center, served as Union Pacific Station Agent in Park City for 20 years. Security Bank. Deep in thought, Fay was surprised when his office phone rang. He was further startled when he heard the engineer’s voice say, “The train is off the rails, nobody’s hurt.” In the ensuing conversation Fay learned that the brakes had indeed failed as the train was turning around in the wye at the northern edge of town. The train was upright but stranded. It would need to be re- railed. Fay said he would make the required phone calls and be right there. First he called the Road Master’s office in Ogden. The Road Master was responsible for marshalling men, equipment and materials to re-rail trains and repair damaged track. Subsequent calls were made to section crews from Echo, Coalville and Park City. Next Fay called Donna explaining that there’d been a A-9 wreck, the crew was safe, he was heading over to crash site and that it would be a long night. Dressed in his warmest gear, Fay drove the short distance to the switchyard just across from the City Cemetery, near today’s Blind Dog and Boneyard restaurants. Come back next week to learn about men and machines battling the weather to re-rail the Park City local. facility resource usage. A control system, which will allow in depth monitoring of where energy is going, will be installed to ensure maximized efficiency for the refrigeration system. This project has an estimated energy reduction of 55,000 kWh per year and will cost $17-25,000. Another upcoming project includes re-designing the domestic hot water system to maximize water and heat efficiency. This $30,000 project is certain to conserve resources, a priority objective for the Arena and Park City Municipal. The Ice Arena industry understands that if natural outdoor ice is to remain in our future, there is an urgent need to nurture our earth by reducing impact. Thank you PC Ice Arena for being so committed to the future of our planet, and our ice-dependent athletes. If your business, any type, is interested in learning about Recycle Utah’s Green Business program, contact 435649-9698 x13. |