Cheyenne Depot Museum

Railroad Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Preceding station	Amtrak		Following station
Laramie toward Oakland-16th Street		San Francisco Zephyr 1972–1979	Greeley toward Chicago
Laramie toward Oakland-16th Street		City of San Francisco 1971–1972	Greeley toward Chicago
Preceding station	Union Pacific Railroad		Following station
Borie toward Ogden		Overland Route	Hillside toward Council Bluffs Transfer
through to Ogden via Overland Route		Cheyenne – Denver	Speer toward Denver

Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Union Pacific Roundhouse, Turntable and Machine Shop

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

Union Pacific Passenger Station

Location121 W. 15th St., Cheyenne, WyomingCoordinates41°7′54″N 104°48′51″W / 41.13167°N 104.81417°W / 41.13167; -104.81417Built1887 (1887)ArchitectVan Brunt & HoweArchitectural styleRomanesque Revival, Richardsonian RomanesqueNRHP reference No.73001934 (depot);
92000930^[3]Significant datesAdded to NRHPJanuary 29, 1973 (depot);
July 24, 1992Designated NHLFebruary 15, 2006 (depot)^[4]

The Cheyenne Depot Museum is a railroad museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. It is located inside the 1880s Union Pacific Railroad depot. A National Historic Landmark, the station was the railroad's largest west of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and a major western example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.

The museum, founded in 1993, interprets Cheyenne's early history and that of the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. It houses multiple exhibits and occasionally offers tours of other railroad facilities.

History

The station is built from blocks of sandstone quarried in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Depot was built directly down the street from and facing the Wyoming State Capitol building, signaling its significance to the city and state.

The building was lengthened and renovated in 1922 and redecorated in 1929. Further renovations were made from 2001 to 2006, including a $6.5 million improvement by the city of Cheyenne and a plaza built in front of the Depot. This plaza hosts a variety of music and events throughout the year.

Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr ceased serving this station directly in 1979 in favor of a new station in Borie, nine miles to the west. This eliminated a time-consuming backup move in and out of the Cheyenne station.^[5] Passengers were bused between Borie and Cheyenne. Passenger rail service ended altogether in Wyoming when Amtrak canceled its Pioneer in 1997.

As of 2022, a new train service is proposed to connect Cheyenne and Pueblo, Colorado.

The Old West Museum and Cheyenne Frontier Days made an agreement that established the Cheyenne Depot Museum, Inc., as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The organization leased the depot from the city of Cheyenne for 25 years.

Gallery

2011 photo of the depot
The nearby roundhouse where the Union Pacific Railroad stores its historic steam locomotives and E9 diesel locomotives.
UP's nearby machine shop, where it services its steam locomotives.

References

^ "Amtrak Timetable - Effective October 1, 1979". timetables.org. Amtrak. October 1, 1979. p. 44. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
^ "Amtrak Timetable - Effective October 28, 1979". timetables.org. Amtrak. October 28, 1979. p. 44. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ "Union Pacific Railroad". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
^ "Other Board Actions Tied to Route Restructuring". Amtrak News. 6 (10): 5. September 1979.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Pacific Depot (Cheyenne, Wyoming).

Cheyenne Depot Museum Website
The Rotary Steam Plow # 900082 in Cheyenne
Union Pacific Depot National Historic Landmark Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Union Pacific Roundhouse Turntable and Machine Shop Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Union Pacific Passenger Station, 121 West Fifteenth Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)

Amtrak stations in Wyoming

Former stations

Cheyenne
Evanston
Green River
Laramie
Rawlins
Rock Springs
West Cheyenne–Borie

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