Hey
I might stop in Cheyenne Wyoming soon and was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up on what would be the best places to see. Is UP hostile or is there some place one might get a look at their operations?
I appreciate any suggestions.
Lee
Lee,
The UP is hard to miss in Cheyenne, as it bisects town. There is a small museum at the old station downtown, which is right next to the steam shop. The area has several bridges, but right now I can't recall if any have pedestrian access, but surely there must be some.
http://www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org/
BTW, Harry Brunk's old HOn3 railroad modeled on the Clear Creek Branch of the C&S, famous from his writings in the NG & SL Gazette, was relocated recently to the depot's second floor. Here's a link to pics of it by Mike Pannell:
http://car57.zenfolio.com/p540335402
A good spot to watch trains first thing in the morning is at the diner in the old Hitching Post Inn on the west side of town. The RR tracks are just on the other side of the highway and you can easily chase out of town from there if you see something interesting. Visible along the Lincoln Highway in the link here.
http://www.hitchingpostinns.com/
I don't know if they have rooms with a view of the tracks, but they might. We stayed around back last time we were through on the way to Boise for a convention a few years back. Lots of other places around town look likely. The folks at the station downtown can probably suggest more.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
It's been years since I have been home to Cheyenne, but when i was a kid we used to walk up the pedestrian path along the western viaduct next to the yard tower (adjacent to the depot). From there you can see most in bound and out bound trains, the back of the depot, the yard and even down as far as what is left of the old round house.
Found a photo from that general location looking North West to give you an idea of its relative location.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80651083@N00/247979429/in/photostream/
Also, and I am not sure how this might affect the lodging accommodations at the hitching post, but its main lodge burned down 3 years ago in an insurance / arson scheme.
Thank-Q, Thank-Q,Thank-Q Very much. (Bad Elvis impression)
MikeVery helpful, Lots of detail that I will use. The model railroad sure looks worth seeing.
EdGreat pictures, I will go back through them several times.
This is what I was looking for but I may need more time than I had initially planed.I also saw some pictures from St. Louis Mo. Home turf for me.
Thanks for the help.
Ed,
Yeah, I'd heard that somewhere, but that they've since reopened. Looking at the sat photo link zoomed in, I believe you're right as far as the diner I recalled enjoying the view from. It's toasted, along with a bunch of what was the main lobby, biz offices, etc.
But if you look a little further back, there is what looks to be the new lobby and reception area. My guess is they're looking for customers.They always fill it up for Frontier Days.
Just look for this.....
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
This fellow Missourian just was there a few weeks ago.
The highway bridge over the steam shop and roundhouse has a pedestrian bridge. Great views. Roundhouse and outdoors equipment in perfect photo range. One portion is directly over the sanding racks, so lots of idling locomotives.
UP 4004, one of the Big Boys, is in Holliday Park towards the east side. She needs some TLC, but still worth a look. UP 4005 is in Denver if you're headed that way.
There's some motels on the west side near the tracks. The Days Inn was pretty nice, and had a great view of trains headed to and from Sherman Hill.
eagle1030The highway bridge over the steam shop and roundhouse has a pedestrian bridge. Great views. Roundhouse and outdoors equipment in perfect photo range. One portion is directly over the sanding racks, so lots of idling locomotives.
Eagle1030,
Thanks for confirming the bridge has good pedestrian access. We were there in the winter driving around a little in the middle of a long trip, so didn't get out of the truck much. Your description makes it clear what a great spot that is to hang out - at least when it's warmer!
Just a little off topic...
I have a special tie to Cheyenne. This was only my second time through there. I'm pretty sure we went through on a 1967 family vacation to Yellowstone from Texas. I "was there" at one time before, but don't remember it. That's the last station my dad was at training before he went overseas to Saudi Arabia, leaving my mom pregnant with me I was apparently conceived in an apartment right off the main square in downtown Cheyenne.
If you were there for Desert Storm or since and thought things could be a little primitive, then check out this fellow's website who was stationed where dad was when I was born, only a few years earlier.
http://www.zianet.com/tmorris/dhahran.html
Dad said it didn't change much in the next few years before he did his year there. Hush-hush stuff to do with nuclear intelligence. The reason Cheyenne is relevant is that is where they were doing a lot of the early training on liquid oxygen generators there, as it helped when it became one of the first locations where the first Atlas ICBMs were deployed a few years later. What dad did was use the same equipment they trained flight and life support technicians for aircraft oxygen systems on to make liquid oxygen, then already in wide use for high-performance jets, but then attached a special top secret manifold to its output, sniffing for certain radioactive isotopes, primarily krypton-85. This allowed Air Force intelligence to track Soviet fissile material production rates to within 5% accuracy.
BTW, dad didn't spill any of the beans on this to me. He's never actually discussed his work there with me and only told stories of daily life once that I heard while growing up. I came up with it while doing research on my dissertation, but that's a longer story...
yankee flyerThis is what I was looking for but I may need more time than I had initially planed.
Sorry, just noticed the up date.
We plan on being in Fort Collins and then going back to Fort Collins before heading to Steamboat Springs VIA the scenic route.I had quite an experience talking to the people in Cheyenne. The person at the Colorado Rail Museum didn't have any information and referred me to the Colorado Tourist office but they didn't know anything about the trains. After waiting to be transferred to some one else I gave up.I don't think any steam runs after the end of August. We plan on the first weeks of September.
Thanks for any help. Cheers.
yankee flyerWe plan on being in Fort Collins and then going back to Fort Collins before heading to Steamboat Springs VIA the scenic route.
http://www.gfsm.org/pcindex.html
I model the UP in the steam era. I've been to Cheyenne Wy several times in the past and as recently last year. I will be going back 09/06/13. Sherman hill that the place I would go to watch trains. Head out west on the old Lincoln Hwy 30 which is Lincoln Way and follow road till you reach I-80. So take the Interstate and go west. You will see trains. Stop in one place every 20 min train west bound or east. My favorite place to go is over to Hermosa tunnel. It take little time to get there but it would worth your time. From I-80 take the Ames Monument Rd, you see the a prymid shape in the distance , drive to it and you have drove over the original transcon railroad road bed and the original town site of Sherman Wy. The town was relocated in 1903 to the south and east on today UP.
I hope I'm not late
I hope this will Help.
Curt
Thanks Guys for the advise.
I found out that most of the train activities would end before I could get out there, so maybe next year.
We have visited the Rocky's from Canon City Co. to Jasper BC. even past through Cheyenne once, just never stopped in Cheyenne. O,well There is next year,
"Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise"
Love the mountains.