Cheyenne, Wyoming

Our next stop on the way West was Cheyenne, Wyoming.   We have tried very hard not to drive ourselves till we drop and have made an effort to only go 200 to 300 miles a day, stop early and smell the roses or even do a little exploring.    Cheyenne just happens to be home to the Union Pacific Railroad and they have a museum downtown in this fantastic old stone Railroad station.   See below.

The interior besides being used in some areas for the museum has been restored to its original splendor with the Union Pacific’s growth west inlaid in the floor.

Behind the station is their workshops and yards that are huge….although they were much bigger during the heyday of steam.   There are still roundhouses and remnants of older buildings and equipment.

Today, no less that 74 trains pass through these yards every 24 hours

In going through the museum we came across this photo of a  “railroad windmill” such as we had seen in Nebraska

Last but not least we saw one of the original “Big Boy’s”  the largest steam locomotive ever built.   It weighs 1,250,000 pounds.   They used to haul the heavy loads over the western mountains before the influx of diesel locomotives.