Wyoming’s Heritage to the Rails

Before Wyoming was founded as a U.S territory in 1868, a railroad had already been established. The Union Pacific Railway company set up shop and started building the transcontinental railroad in 1867 on the site of present-day Cheyenne. With the prosperity of the railroad, came development as well as territory status. After the two-year construction of the transcontinental railroad, business and expansion was brought to the new territory, qualifying it for statehood in 1890.

Since then, the railroad has spread across the state and has helped the commonwealth of Wyoming, by connecting the vast state to better establish a functioning economy. None of which would not have been possible without the help of line workers, engineers, station masters, conductors, and all others who represent the state’s railroad industry. These people and places of this influential, connective industry are what the state of Wyoming was built upon. This state’s heritage to the rails, although rich with history, is not a thing of the past. This heritage is seen in the faces of those who have loved the railroads, who love the rails now, and those whose respect for this industry is yet to come. I hope, at the very least, the last listed might be you.

Jim Leonard first started with Union Pacific in 1964 working as a corridor dispatcher in Omaha, Nebraska. Now serving on the steam fleet as a conductor, Leonard has been able to make an impact in the lives of the passengers of such operations. Due
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Scattered within this vast state are remnants of railroad history. Although some are left where they lie from years past, some towns have preserved locomotives, structures, and other memorabilia. An example of a Wyoming town hoping to bring the pas
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In front of the 133-foot-long 4014 ‘Big Boy’, passengers Thomas and Patricia Melly pause for a quick memento in celebration of their 57th wedding anniversary. The locomotive pulled into the Cheyenne Depot, during the final days of Cheyenne Frontier
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Just as these embroidered seats within Big Boy 4014 have been maintained and preserved, the Union Pacific Historical Society (UPHS) preserves artifacts of the railroad industry. Union Pacific retirees Bob Fryml and Bob Krieger work tirelessly, ensu
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Bob Krieger, Union Pacific Historical Society (UPHS) business manager, prepares for the society’s upcoming convention. The 2022 convention was the first since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Krieger has been in the railroad business since 1972,
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Individuals of all walks of life draw in close to the ‘Big Boy’ 4014 to get a better look as the locomotive stops for a routine pitstop in Greeley, Colo.
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At 85 years old, James L. Ehrenberger is one of the oldest Union Pacific retirees in the state of Wyoming. Starting his work for the railroad in 1953, 16-year-old Ehrenberger became a train-crew caller in Cheyenne. During this time, he picked up ph
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After graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1977, Nancy Bath found herself in search for a job. With help from her sister, Bath applied for a railroad position in Laramie. She was pushed in the direction of a secretary job, but since the pay
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Fireman Austin Barker leans out of the cabin of ‘Big Boy’ 4014, looking over the crowds gathered to see the locomotive. A young face such as Barker’s provides hope in keeping alive the railroad industry’s past and fostering continued interest in it
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A passenger in the Challenger Observation car waves to people on the street below as the ‘Big Boy’ 4014 returns home to the historic Cheyenne Depot.
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Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins (left), James L. Ehrenberger (middle), and sculptor Joey Bainer (right) smile for a picture with the newest edition to Cheyenne’s Capital Avenue Bronze Project called “Checking Time”. The sculpture depicts a conductor
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Evanston locals Rod and Blanca Vega walk around the Evanston Historic Roundhouse. The roundhouse is another addition to the city of Evanston’s project to restore historical sites. Even though renovations are still under way the public is allowed fu
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