Trains

We live in one of the best places to see trains.  If you're into that sort of thing.  There is no shortage of places to go within our town to see them at any giving time of day or night.  More on the modern trains in another post.

Just north of us in Cheyenne WY the Union Pacific Railroad restores and keeps their historic fleet of locomotives.  Shortly after we arrived I made an early am trip up there to catch the 844 steaming up for its trip to Portland OR.  The 844 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive that was built by the American Locomative Company in 1944.  It was the last steam locomotive that the Union Pacific bought and it is the only steam locomotive to remain in active service.  All other active steam locomotives today have been retired at one point or another.

About a month later Union Pacific's newly restored 3985 Challenger pulled the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus train from Cheyenne to Denver.  The 3985 is an articulated 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company.  It is the largest locomotive ever built in the US by any company.  The Union Pacific Steam crew spent over two years replacing and restoring every inch of the locomotive after some major mechanical issues.  This was also another early morning trip but you would have never known it by the number of people along the tracks.  People young and old were parked on the highway, dirt services roads, and standing in city streets watching.

It was great to see these active pieces of history and not just look at a static display in a museum.  You'll be amazed if you ever have an opportunity to see one of these giants in action.