Wyoming Breezes

Engineer for Big Boy #4014 Medicine Bow, WY May 4, 2019 Workers on the ground, tossed "fobs" to the engineer, and he clipped them to the blue metal holder. No one seemed to know what these items were. Any ideas? a railroad security guard answers questions from spectators. Four uniformed Railroad Special Agents wandered around the area, and based on my observations, I think there were at least one/two plain clothed agents as well. I believe they were at this stop because it did not have barriers between the spectators and the tracks. I visited with several people as we waited for the train, and some were from Maryland, New York, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado and northern Wyoming. Many other states were represented, based on the license plates I saw. One couple was staying the night at the historic Virginian Hotel, across the street from the depot. The population of Medicine Bow is not quite 300, and the spectators stopping for the steam locomotives caused ...

Big Boy Union Pacific steam locomotive 4014 Medicine Bow, Wyoming May 4, 2019 Saturday, two steam locomotives passed through Wyoming on their way to Ogden, UT for 150th anniversary of the competition of the transcontinental railroad. The largest of the two locomotives, #4014 a Big Boy, was the lead engine. It is a massive machine and impressive to see in person. Even though the train was stopping in Laramie, I decided to drive an hour northwest to Medicine Bow, a small town that converted its former depot into a museum. The crowds anticipated in Laramie were huge, and I thought my chances of seeing the locomotives up close were better in Medicine Bow. I was not disappointed. The train was over an hour late in arriving, but it was worth the wait. Big Boy (click image to enlarge) Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, and the first was delivered in 1941. The Big Boys were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pound. Because of their grea...