# Golden Spike Nat'l Historic Site



## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Last month, we went to Golden Spike at Promintory Summit, Utah. They have replicas of the original engines that were at the ceremony completing the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. These new locos were built from photos, drawings, and the little bit of technical info the builders had. According to the personnel at the site, they are accurate to within ¼ inch!!

They are BEAUTIFUL to behold!! The ranger said that back then the railroads were extremely proud of their power, and painted them up to show it. Supposedly, this is what they looked like back then.

Once or twice a day they power up one of them and do a small demo run for the visitors. We got to see the 119 run. It was so COOL!!

http://www.nps.gov/gosp/index.htm


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## Biggie (May 14, 2014)

Such a historical place! The locomotives from that era have a really special flare.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Beautiful locos. Are they housed in a shed off-hours? Just curious.

TJ


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

A friend of mine used to be the head ranger at Golden Spike, so I spent some time there getting some "behind the scenes" tours. Really neat place.......we went out scouting for the old Chinese camps where they wintered over, got to tour the old cuts and fills, ect. The locos are housed in an engine house, which is a modern metal shed. It isn't open to the public last I knew. There's a wye outside the shed so both locos can be backed in, but they can be placed on the display area nose to nose.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, dave ... appreciate the insight.

TJ


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

Any idea of how many visitors a day, week or month?

That is a rather isolated place, isn't it?


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

It is a pretty isolated place, about 45 minutes to an hour north of Salt Lake City. There is nothing else out that direction, so if you go that way, that's where you're going! LOL.

As for visitors, I'm sure it varies with the season and weather. When we were there, it was late September, threatening rain, and about 55-60 degrees, yet I was surprised that there were probably 25 or more people there, out in the middle of nowhere. Summer peak, who knows?


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

I really don't know but that doesn't sound like enough visitors to keep this site open very often.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Looking at the link in my first post, going to "Visitors' Center", it says this:

Golden Spike Visitor Center
The Golden Spike visitor center is built with iron quartzite and rare copper quartzite, which is mined only in China and here in nearby Park Valley, Utah. Now, between 50,000 and 75,000 people visit each year. Though there is no longer a train station or ticket office in Promontory, the visitor center serves as a gateway to the history of one of the most significant events in the American west. Nearly all visitors at Golden Spike come here to see exhibits, view films, watch ranger presentations, and shop in the bookstore.


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