Welcome to Laramie, Wyoming Est. 1868
Come to the Historic Laramie Railroad Depot
Welcome the Steam Trains – 4000-Class Wasatch Big Boy No. 4014 and the 4-8-4 Northern
Steam Train Schedule (subject to change): https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm
– Food trucks and vendors willbe in the Depot parking lot!
– Laramie Depot will be hosting historic tours.
– Reception May 4th at the Laramie Depot from 12-2pm
Double Header Both trains will be in town on May 4th!
Saturday, May 4
4-8-4 Northern No. 844 Arrival at 12:30 am Laramie Railroad Depot
Leaves at 1:15 pm on Saturday, May 4.
Big Boy No.1404 Arrival 12:30 pm Laramie Train Depot
Leaves at 1:15 pm on Saturday, May 4
Reception Laramie Historic Railroad Depot 12-2pm
The Great Race from Ogden – No. 844 and No. 4014
Following the 150th anniversary celebrations, No. 4014 and No. 844 will double-head on their return trip.
Friday, May 17th
Arrival at 12:45 pm
Leaving at 8:00 am on May 19th.
DOWNLOAD THE TOUR: Railroads of Albany County https://visitlaramie.org/railroads-of-albany-county-tracking-the-past-brochure or Call 307-745-4195 for a FREE brochure.
History
The 25 Big Boy locomotives were built to haul freight over the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming. In the late 1940s, they were reassigned to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they hauled freight over Sherman Hill to Laramie, Wyoming. They were the only locomotives to use a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement: four-wheel leading truck for stability entering curves, two sets of eight driving wheels and a four-wheel trailing truck to support the large firebox. According to a Union Pacific executive, the class series originally was to have been called the “Wasatch”. One day while one of the engines was being built, an unknown worker scrawled “Big Boy” in chalk on its front. With that, the legendary name was born and has stuck ever since.
