Jupiter Locomotive NPS Photo / Courtney Cochley
Golden Spike National Historical Park is wrapping up a banner year of celebrations and events.
The last event of 2019 will be the Winter Steam Festival, scheduled to take place Saturday, Dec. 28-30.
“This is a special event that we just do in the winter,” according to Park Ranger, Lucas Hugie.
“Unlike the summertime when we run our locomotives, this cold dense air really brings out the steam. It looks really good for pictures,” he said.
The park’s Central Pacific Jupiter locomotive will make five demonstration runs throughout the day on December 28th and 29th at 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. On December 30th the Jupiter will have a standard run schedule of 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.
“It’s a great opportunity to see a steam locomotive in action in the winter,” said Hugie
A hand car and motor car will be available for rides on the 28th and 29th.
A ranger program – “It’s Snow Challenge: Snow Removal on the Transcontinental Railroad” will educate visitors on how snow was cleared from the tracks and the difficulties encountered by the Central Pacific Railroad as they built across the Sierra Nevadas.
An additional ranger program – “Reaching for the Stars: The Naming of the Central Pacific Locomotives” explains the eclectic collection of names that graced the sides of CPRR locomotives.
In May, the park hosted the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike, which marked the transcontinental railroad’s completion.
The park will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Regular entrance fee of $10 per vehicle or a federal pass accepted.