Meanderings in Cheyenne, Wyo., where Union Pacific hits the Rockies

I spent a few days in and around Cheyenne, Wyo., last week.  It ranks up there with those railroad cities that you have to see for yourself like Altoona, Pa., and Roanoke, Va. Most of us know these places for their legendary roles in the days of steam and for their continued prominence as busy hubs of American railroading. Cheyenne was home to Big Boys, gas turbines, and DDA40Xs. It’s the place where the UP wisely chose to cross the Rockies at an amazingly low point. But it’s still at the start of a mountain railroad, and as recently as the 1950s, UP was still trying to figure out a better way to get across it.

I have been coming to the capital of Wyoming for almost 30 years, but I still learn something new on each visit. This trip was no different.  I spent more time on back roads on hallowed Sherman Hill; I ventured east of the city to one of railroad’s famed locations, Archer Hill; and I took in the line to the south, the Greeley sub, and was amazed at what I found.

I had breakfast with renowned UP historian Jim Ehrenberger, and that helped to confirm or deny some of what I found or thought I’d found. Three days in the field got me more interested than ever in this railroad. Here are the highlights of what I found and saw:

First, there are an amazing number of dirt roads that will take you into the back country of Sherman Hill. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most of the land is privately held, and in years past ATVers and hunters did not add to good will held by landowners. So, you’ll find yourself tantalizingly close to the main lines here, but unable to reach them across private property or on private roads. All is not lost: There are lonely crossings of Track 3 at Harriman (site of a couple of maintenance shanties and a big water tank that once supplied those who lived nearby as well as steam locomotives) and of Tracks 1 and 2 at Dale that are accessible by county roads. You can watch and photograph the action there, but just don’t expect to come away with a huge variety of shots beyond stretches of old U.S. 30 and a Warren Road near Granite. One tip: Bring a 600mm lens for a few long distance shots that are visible from the dirt road, but not accessible close up.

Second, if you like a bit of archaeology to go with your train watching, there are still traces of the original transcontinental railroad that was built through here in 1868. You can find them if you keep a keen eye to the south off Otto Road in the Borie area, and at Remount Road where the original grade, a stretch of the fast-fading Lincoln Highway, and today’s public road converge near the tracks. Eherenberger, whose work you can find regularly in the Union Pacific Historical Society’s excellent Streamliner magazine, says that the tracks west of Remount came back to the location of present I-80 near Buford and then veered off toward the Ames Monument just past the Tree in the Rocks (a point of interest in the middle of the interstate; allegedly, it was a sapling next to the tracks and passing locomotive firemen splashed it with buckets of water to encourage its growth). At Monument Road, which leads to the Ames Monument, a pyramid-shaped  salute to the financiers of the first transcontinental railroad, you can make out the railroad grades here. Just watch out for the antelope. Even the site of the old turntable, roundhouse, and a building are easy to detect.

Third, Archer Hill, just east of Cheyenne, remains a formidable foe to eastbound tonnage. I saw more than one plume of locomotive exhaust shoot skyward as engineers took another notch to make the climb. It’s a short hill, but it has plenty of curvature. The classic shot near the top is tough – there’s a tower and a tall fence surrounding it that can crowd the image you’ll seek, but it still can be done. Just plan to park a good bit away and take a hike – a narrow road and a pair of closely situated guard rails make this an area where you need to stay aware of the passing vehicular traffic for your personal safety and not get lost in the trains.

Fourth, the line south to Greeley, Colo., and Denver, is remarkably attractive. It’s lost in high plains near Carr, Colo., and you can still follow it on dirt roads, but for much of its route U.S. 85 hugs it to the West, making it a natural for afternoon photography. The line was pleasingly busy the afternoon I drove it. And I even found a great Italian restaurant, Pinocchio’s, in Brighton, with outside seating adjacent to the tracks.

Lastly, Cheyenne is still a busy, impressive place, even with traffic off significantly. On more than one occasion, I witnessed two trains pull in or leave side by side. I saw trains change crews at the historic downtown depot (a great museum is inside, BTW, and The Albany Restaurant across the parking lot is a classic with good food) and be on their way within a matter of minutes. And when things are right, there’s an endless parade of trains.

Heck, it’s so good, that I will probably write a Hot Spots guide to the area for an upcoming issue. Be sure to check our pages regularly for it and plenty more details about Cheynne, Wyo., the heart of the UP out west. And when you decide it’s time to go, just bring your boots and your cowboy hat, and you’ll fit right in.