Cheyenne, Trains, Immigrant Trails and Fort Laramie

As we headed north to Wyoming, the plan was to spend a couple of nights in Cheyenne, find out what else would be fun to see and do in Wyoming and eventually land at the Grand Tetons.  We ended up staying a week in order to take part in the annual Depot Days, a celebration that centers around the  important train history in Cheyenne.  We even joined their Depot Museum to take advantage of some member only functions.  It was fun  in that we were more a part of the local "train community" than had we only been part of the hoards.  The BIG attraction was the tour to the steam shop to see Big Boy under restoration.  More on that later.

Cheyenne has been a railroad town of great importance since 1867.  It is interesting in the less populated parts of the west to see the prominence of the rail industry.  It is in LA but obscured by the zillions of people, cars, housing tracts.....   Today there are 80 trains a day going through Cheyenne.

I was surprised to see a UP control tower on the bridge which takes vehicular traffic over the train yard.

 Sadly, our RV park is far enough away from the tracks that we don't hear the whistles and rumbling of those massive beasts.  When we are at the depot, you can't miss them as they travel through.  The depot is a beautiful sandstone structure with an art deco lobby.

Cheyenne Train Depot

Depot Lobby

The original roundhouse was reduced in size once diesel replaced steam but a section of it remains.

Remaining roundhouse

While there is a are model trains in the museum, I am spoiled by the ones in Greeley, Co.

The big attraction for the serious train buffs was the tour to the steam shop to see Big Boy.  There are actually two in Cheyenne, one on static display in the park and one in the steam shop undergoing restoration.  Interesting that the latter lived for some time in Pomona, CA before being released by the museum for restoration by the Union Pacific in Cheyenne.

For train buffs, here is a summary of the Big Boys.  Those who could care less might scan it for a sense of how many points  I have racked up this last week.  BTW, Pink Points do not expire, Blue ones do.  More  on the Pink and Blue RV rules some day.  Not original with me.

During the late 1930s, the Union Pacific often used helpers to move trains from Ogden to Wahsatch. The UP wanted to simplify this move so they asked their "Department of Research and Mechanical Standards" (DoRMS) to design a locomotive that could pull a 3600 ton train unassisted over the 1.14% grade of the Wahsatch.The designers determined that to pull a 3600 ton train, a tractive effort of 135,000 lbs would be needed. Assuming a factor of adhesion of 4.0, the weight on drivers would have to be 4.0 * 135,000 = 540,000 lbs. Given an axle loading of 67,500 lbs each, this would require 8 drivers or an x-8-8-x wheel arrangement. The designers agreed upon the 4-8-8-4 design. Next, the horsepower and cylinder sizes were computed based on 300 psi boiler pressure. Although they weren't planning to pull these freight trains at 80 MPH, the DoRMS designed them for 80 MPH in order to have a sufficient factor of safety built into the design. What resulted is considered by many to be the most successful articulated steam locomotive ever built. 4000 was delivered to Omaha at 6PM, September 5, 1941.
The 25 Big Boys were built in two groups. The first group, called "class 1", were built starting in 1941. They were numbered 4000-4019. The second group, "class 2", were built in 1944. They were numbered 4020-4024. The last revenue freight pulled by a Big Boy was in July of 1959. Most were retired in 1961. The last one was retired in July of 1962. As late as September, 1962, there were still four operational Big Boys at Green River, WY.
The total mileage of each of the Big Boys from class 1 were roughly the same -- 1,000,000 miles. 4016 had the lowest mileage -- 1,016,124. 4006 had the highest mileage -- 1,064,625. Of the second group, 4024 had the highest mileage -- 811,956.

For the train buffs, here is a YouTube video of the 4014 leaving Pomona for Cheyenne and the restoration.  The beginning is better than the rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRxKpiD_ntY

BIG BOY

I was curious how the Union Pacific found people to work on the restoration of a steam locomotive.  I pictured a shop full of wizened old men in train overalls.  Here is the steam locomotive foreman-27 years old!

Locomotive Foreman

Curious as to  how such a young man would have the knowledge to oversee such an effort I asked (of course).  He explained that his family homesteaded at the turn of the century and that their ranch still had a variety of steam equipment.  He cut his teeth on steam tractors etc. so the job was a natural.  Talk about finding your passion in your job.

Over the last few years I have become interested in WWII history.  Not the battles so much but the stories of people, tragedy and incredible courage.  I was fascinated to find one of the 49 Merci Trains in Cheyenne at the VFW site.  Here is a bit about touching gesture of gratitude from the French people.

One of 49 Merci Trains

The "Forty-and-eight" boxcars

Photo showing the arrival of the Merci Train.

Forty-and-eights were French 4-wheel covered goods wagons used as military transport cars. The term refers to the cars' carrying capacity, said to be 40 men or eight horses.^[4] Built starting in the 1870s as regular freight boxcars, they were originally used in military service by the French army in both World Wars, and then later used by the German occupation in World War II and finally by the Allied liberators.

In 1949, France sent 49 of those boxcars to the United States (one for each state then in existence and one for Washington, D.C. and Hawaii to share) laden with various treasures, as a show of gratitude for the liberation of France. This train was called the Merci Train, and was sent in response to trains full (over 700 boxcars) of supplies known as the American Friendship Train sent by the American people to France in 1947.

The Train and all 49 cars arrived aboard the Magellan bearing a banner which read: "MERCI AMERICA" on February 3, 1949, with over 25,000 onlookers in attendance. Immediately the trains were distributed amongst the states.

I found a lovely photo taken by the Depot Museum curator that I bought to replace the nondescript art that came with Pancho.  I looked him up at the Member's night event and he explained that he took the picture on the Chama Train, a narrow gauge steam train restored and maintained by volunteers with the support of both New Mexico and Colorado.  We have taken that trip so it was extra special.  He also explained, in enormous detail, every aspect of the two locomotives.  My head was spinning but I did love his enthusiasm.

Chama Steam Train Picture by Kerry Skidmore

Kerry, the Chama Train Photographer.

The old buildings in downtown Cheyenne are quite beautiful, as is the capitol.  

Downtown Cheyenne

Wyoming State Capitol

This statue fascinated the BD.  It is made from all kinds of metal tools.

A very fun side trip was to see the Oregon(California and Mormon at this point) Trail ruts.  It really brought home the difficulty of the journey.

Max and I are on the Oregon Trail.

I had never heard about the Mormon handcarts.  As I understand it, many of the Mormons wishing to go west did not have the funds to buy wagons and animals.  Instead, nearly 3,000 of them made the journey with handcarts, carrying young children and their meager goods.

Also nearby are the Register Cliffs where people making the trek would leave their names.

Fort Laramie was constructed in 1834, serving in the buffalo robe trade with Northern Plains tribes, later an important way station for the thousands of immigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails and eventually it served as a military base in the Indian Wars.

Depiction of Fort Laramie