# Union Pacific Steam Shop Tour!



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Me sitting in 844.

Had fun touring the UP steam shops in Cheyenne. Anyone can arrange a tour, they have one at 9am and 1pm, if they are in town, or not engaged in something. Call 307-778-3339.

You get to see the two steamers and the streamliner in a modern shop building. In the old roundhouse area that is left are a couple of old steamers, one they use for parts for 844, other is to go to a museum soon, it is a 10 wheeler. Shiny snowblower is also in there and a private UP car you can go through that is all neat inside.



The Challenger has been waiting on a spring. They saw the front truck wheels were wearing oddly, so they replaced those, then found the problem was a spring that keeps the pivot centered, so they ordered a new one. The first company kept putting them off so they had someone else make it, just got it but too late to get it ready for the show in North Platte next month on 17-21 Sept. So, 844 and the streamliner are going down. 









844 is ready to roll to North Platte on the 17th of Sept 09.








Challenger is waiting for a new spring to be installed on it's pivot.








E-9 is ready to go to North Platte.








UP turntable looking West.








Looking east, you can see some of the tank cars for the steamers setting out.








Funky little switcher the steam shop uses, guess you deisel guys know what it is. It is restored.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Are you sure your the right scale for the 844, you look too small.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry
Certainly one of those most do on the check list if in the area. Would of been interesting if you brought you engine there and go a photo with the 1:1 "model."


[script removed]


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Great pics and Info Jerry 

Thanks


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the pics. Cool. Can't believe the UP could not make there own spring. As big as shops as they have on ther RR. Latr RJD


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

It was pretty big RJ, about 1/2" diameter metal was used for the coils, then about 30" long.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Just remember they use to do a lot of this back in the steam days. Later RJD


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Jerry,

Thanks for posting those great pictures.

Les


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## digger (Jan 2, 2008)

Great shots, Jerry! I took that tour a little over a year ago and was really impressed with what they get done with a minimal staff. What impressed me as much as anything else was the cleanliness of the shop. Spotless and very professional looking. The guys who used to make those parts in house are mostly long retired or long gone. The UP now has to send that work out simply because the tooling and the expertise are no longer at hand. They used to have close to 1500 people working the locomotive shops when steam was still the rule. Hard to argue the economics that brought that era to a close. 

While in Cheyenne, another "must see" is the museum in the depot. Definitely a first class venue, with lots of old pix and information that help one better understand "the way it was".


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By aceinspp on 29 Aug 2009 06:31 PM 
Thanks for the pics. Cool. Can't believe the UP could not make there own spring. As big as shops as they have on ther RR. Latr RJD 

For the cost of a coil spring machine i doubt it would be cost effective for how many 1 off springs they need per year. All the current locos probally use off the shelf springs.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Posted By Kovacjr on 30 Aug 2009 08:51 AM 
Posted By aceinspp on 29 Aug 2009 06:31 PM 
Thanks for the pics. Cool. Can't believe the UP could not make there own spring. As big as shops as they have on ther RR. Latr RJD 

For the cost of a coil spring machine i doubt it would be cost effective for how many 1 off springs they need per year. All the current locos probally use off the shelf springs. 



As has already been put forward, spring-making is almost as much an art as a science. True, Obamamobiles get production springs, but one-off springmaking is a whole different can of worms. I enjoy this fantasy that management really hates the fact that it takes, beyond excellent metallurgy, people on the floor who actually understand what the rest takes.

Doubt me? As a one-time professional blacksmith (if you define 'pro' as making money and teaching) I tried making springs. Go try for yourself. And that was just common flat springs for muskets and whatnot, not coil springs for gazillion-ton locomotives where people's lives depended on non-catastrophic failure, cold, hot, whatnot.

Les


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Wow, that cab looks huge! Great pics, thanks for sharing them.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry,

Great photos!! Thanks for posting them and the info about the tour. If I find myself headed to Cheyenne, I will look in to this. Sort of strange to see a commerical drop ceiling around steam locomotives. I guess I am used to seeing old, soot covered roofing on the inside of steam shops.

Probably a LOT cheaper for UP to have someone who specializes in springs to make one than to rely on a shop staff used to installing ready made parts. I wonder if UP had a few springs made, seeing as how they were having 1 made, it probably makes sense to have 2 or 3 made, just for the shelf. I think I read on RYPN about how the Strasburg tends to make multiples when they have a single part to make. Sort of justifies some of the tooling costs if you make more than one.


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