News Release

The Extraordinary Job of Maintaining Historic Stream Locomotives

Date: March 24, 2021
Contact: Brandon Flint, 435-471-2209 Ext 423

Promontory Summit, UT - For over 40 years Golden Spike National Historical Park’s massive, steam-breathing locomotives have captured the imagination of both young and old but keeping these historic locomotives in tip top shape is no small task.

Each winter the park’s locomotive engineers spend thousands of hours repainting the colorful Victorian exteriors, rebuilding valves and gauges, polishing brass bells and whistles, and re-applying gold leaf to ensure the locomotives shine as bright today as they would have the day the transcontinental railroad was completed over 150 years ago.

The Jupiter and 119 are wonderful examples of Victorian Era Locomotives. In the late 1800’s locomotives were seen not only as workhorses but also as showpieces that provided marketing for the railroad, so they were beautifully decorated and covered in glistening brass and gold. For the engineers today, that means each winter all that brass must be polished and the gold leafing checked and reapplied where needed.

Maintaining a steam locomotive is a unique job. There are no “parts stores” so for many repairs the engineers must machine and build their own parts from raw metal. This winter the engineers built new fire grates for Jupiter. The grates had become warped and damaged due to the large logs used for Jupiter’s fuel hitting them in the intense heat of the firebox.

This year, for the first time ever, Jupiter’s 7,000-pound driving wheels and axle were removed for restoration. (For comparison the average car today weighs only about 4,000lbs!) Our engine house has a specially designed cut out in the floor under the locomotive that allows the use of a 20,000-pound jack to lower the wheels off the locomotive and move them to an area where they can be worked on. Once removed the axle’s are checked for wear the old paint is removed, and the wheels are given a fresh coat of bright red paint.

“We take great pride in being good stewards of these two beautiful locomotives,” Superintendent Brandon Flint said, “Seeing the locomotives in the Engine House and Page 2 of 3 getting a behind the scenes look as the engineers preform the annual maintenance is a truly astonishing experience.”

Although the era of the great steam locomotives crisscrossing the country ended in the 1960s, at Golden Spike National Historical Park the great steam powered locomotive breaths on. A winter visit offers visitors the opportunity to see the Union Pacific 119 and Central Pacific Jupiter locomotives up close as the engineers prepare them for summer. Visitors can also explore the historic transcontinental railroad grades and Last Spike Site to gain a better understanding of a part of Utah’s history that truly united the “United” States.”

The park visitor center and engine house are open to the public Thursday through Monday. For the most up to date information please visit the park’s website, www.nps.gov/gosp, or call the visitor center at 435-471-2209 ext. 429. Additional information can also be found on the park’s FaceBook page, https://www.facebook.com/goldenspikeNPS.

Photos and videos of the locomotives and our maintenance operations can be found at: Press Kit - Golden Spike National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Golden Spike National Historical Park is located 32 miles west of Brigham City via state highways 13 and 83.