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Cheyenne in Laramie County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
 

Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242

 
 
Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 27, 2016
1. Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 Marker
Inscription. Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 is the oldest coal burning steam locomotive in Wyoming. Union Pacific Railroad (UP) donated "Old Sadie," as she was nicknamed, to the City of Cheyenne in 1955 after being retired from the Walcott-Saratoga-Encampment branch line.
The engine ran the line from November 1, 1921 until its last trip May 15, 1954 with UP engineer, Floyd Young, Sr. The 44 mile Walcott-Saratoga-Encampment short line was originally built to haul copper from the Encampment area, but the mines closed soon after completion of the line in 1908. The line was then primarily used to bring livestock and forest products to the UP main line connection at Walcott Junction, 127 miles west of Cheyenne. The main UP train stops, east of west, across Wyoming (built in 1867-1868) are etched along the walkway surrounding Engine #1242.
After World War II, the popularity of efficient diesel locomotives eventually overtook the steam locomotives. Though steam engines were as powerful and often fast or faster than diesels, their huge appetite for fuel, water, and labor-intensive maintenance brought about their demise. Steam locomotives retreated to a stronghold in Wyoming, where the big engines ran their last miles in 1959. Union Pacific's heritage steam operations are still maintained in Cheyenne in a portion of the old roundhouse in the
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Statistics Built: December, 1890 by Cooke Locomotive & Machine Works of Petterson, NJ
Type: Ten-Wheel (4-6-0)
Drivers: 57" diameter
Weight: 198,370 pounds
Length: 63' 1 1/2"
Operating Boiler Pressure: 165 pounds
Tractive Force: 21,318 pounds
Tender Capacity: Water - 7,000 gallons, Coal - 12 tons
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is May 14, 1954.
 
Location. 41° 9.459′ N, 104° 49.954′ W. Marker is in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in Laramie County. Marker can be reached from Lions Park Drive near Carey Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4603 Lions Park Drive, Cheyenne WY 82001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Floyd and Edna Young Folk Art Fence (a few steps from this marker); The Trails (Part I) (within shouting distance of this marker); Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (Part II) (within shouting distance of this marker); The Trails (Part II) (within shouting distance of this marker); Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (Part I) (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Trails (Part III) (about 400 feet away); Early Cheyenne Reservoir (about 500 feet away); Fort Laramie Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cheyenne.
Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 27, 2016
2. Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 and Marker

 
More about this marker. Union Pacific Locomotive #1242 is located in Lions Park.
 
Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 27, 2016
3. Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242
Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 27, 2016
4. Union Pacific Steam Engine #1242
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 765 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on June 16, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 16, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.

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Mar. 29, 2024