The Siding Gallery, by design, does not show any trains (unless it is unavoidable) in pictures of the sidings. This is so you can see the layout of the land and get your own ideas on how to take pictures of trains. However, if you'd like to see pictures taken from various spots at this siding, then you can Search the Photo Gallery for pictures here on ColoradoRailfan.com!

The siding of Kyune is located at milepost 638.9 on the Provo Subdivision.While it is true that sidings are not needed nearly as frequently in a 2MT territory,they are still needed. If, for example, one of the two tracks are closed for repairs,a meet may well need to take place. Kyune is the first siding west of Helper in the2MT territory.

An interesting facet of Kyune (and Gilluly, further west) is the fact that the sidingis located in between the two main tracks, as apposed to on either side of one ofthem like at Solider Summit. At Kyune, access to the siding is easily attainable fromeither main track.

Picture 1
Just east of the east switch of Kyune are the Kyune tunnels. They are 410 feet and468 feet in length for tracks 1 and 2, respectively. I would be surprised to see a slidefence built on the (trackwise) north side of the tracks for protection from the numerousrocks lying on the ground.

Picture 2
Forgive the horrible sun glare in this picture; when you are 600 miles from home andhave a full day of pictures to shoot, you can't just sit around and wait for perfectlighting conditions! This shot shows the bridge the US Highway 6 runs on as it headseither east toward Helper (left), or west toward Provo/Salt Lake City (right).

Picture 3
This is the east end of Kyune siding (looking west). Notice the two main tracksseparate to make room for the siding in between them. Running through the valley,Kyune has some outstanding S-curves, as you can see in some pictures below.

Picture 4
One thing of particular interest to me is that the siding does not come toan end by running through a "Y" switch. Instead, there is a standard right turnoutswitch, staggering the switches on the mainline. If you notice in this picture, theswitch here on track 1 is not parallel to the switch on track 2.

Picture 5
As always, I try to get a least one picture in of the silver control box atthe end of the siding. Here you can see the new Union Pacific sign, giving not onlythe siding name, but also which end of the siding we are at (E = East) and themilepost of the switch.

Picture 6
This picture better illustrates the switch at the east end of Kyune. As you cantell by the alignment of the switch, the last train to use the siding either enteredor exited from or to track 2.

Picture 7
This, hands down, as to be my favorite picture of Kyune. This is an S-Curvelike none other, just begging for an eastbound to come whining down the canyon infull dynamic [breaking] mode.

Traveling a little farther up the canyon brings us to the west of Kyune. Thewest end has some extremely good lighting for westbound trains in the latter part of theday. One thing of interest at the west end of Kyune is that the two main tracks do not"converge" (that is, their proximity does not close) directly after the west switch. Itlooks as though it may have once been longer, but the 1977 DRGW Timetable lists Kyuneas being 5,200 feet long, which is 30 feet shorter than today.

Picture 8
Here are the signals at the west end of Kyune. This picture was takenaround 5 o'clock in the afternoon on a day in May 2001. The signals look directlyinto the sunset during this time of year, and the lighting is great for awestbound train.

Picture 9
Once again, the switch at the west end of Kyune is not a "Y" switch, butrather a standard right turnout. This is why, again, the switches on the mainlineare not parallel, but rather the one on main 1 (left) is further east than theone on main 2.

Picture 10
The signal on main 1, seen on the left side of the picture, is somethingof a rare signal on Soldier Summit. The style of the signal matches the style ofthe signals found on the Moffat Road (originally Denver & Salt Lake). Thesestyle signals were not typically found anywhere else on the Rio Grande system.

Picture 11
Because the siding is a "center" siding, it can be used as a crossover if need be.A westbound train could enter the siding from main 2 at the east end of Kyune, proceedstraight through the siding, and leave on main 1 at the west end. Indeed, the switchesin this set of photos of Kyune support that theory. The switch on the siding at eitherend are aligned for opposite main tracks.

Picture 12
Generally "dwarf" signals on Soldier Summit are appropriately named. Otherplaces on the Rio Grande will find "dwarf" signals as high as 15 feet off theground. On Soldier Summit, however, a dwarf signal is never more than fourfeet off the ground, as seen here.

Picture 13
Not too far east of the west switch of Kyune is the public bridge overthe siding. It can be seen towards the right of this picture, just above thegrass in the foreground. There is a wonderful curve that runs under thebridge and into this short straightaway, making for great picture taking.

Picture 14
As mentioned above, notice how the main tracks do not "come together" afterthe siding ends. It looks as though at one point the siding could have continuedwest as there is more than sufficient room to continue the siding west, at leastaround the curve a ways.

Picture 15
Here is the silver control box at the west end of Kyune. The sign seen herelooks as though it had been recently replaced. Prior to this sign, there was anothersign which simply said "KYUNE", but gave no indication as to the milepost it waslocated at.

Picture 16
We close out Kyune with this picture looking along the relatively short housetrack (located off of track 1) and underneath the bridge looking east. This righthand curve continues under the bridge and then swings around into a left hand curve,following the river down stream toward the east end.

KYUNE STATISTICS
Subdivision.. Provo
Milepost..... 638.9
Length....... 5,230 feet
Speed........ 30-30
Dispatcher... DS-78
AAR.......... 23 (160.455)
House Track.. Yes (track 1), approx 250 feet
Branches..... None
Grade Xing... None
Access Road.. One Bridge Over Siding

EAST SIGNALS
Westbound......... Approach Lit
Eastbound Main.... Approach Lit
Eastbound Siding.. Approach Lit

WEST SIGNALS
Eastbound......... Approach Lit
Westbound Main.... Approach Lit
Westbound Siding.. Approach Lit