Locomotives - Union Pacific Railroad 4-4-0 Type Engine Number 23 On Dale Creek Bridge
by J Craig Thorpe
Title
Locomotives - Union Pacific Railroad 4-4-0 Type Engine Number 23 On Dale Creek Bridge
Artist
J Craig Thorpe
Medium
Painting - Oil On Watercolor Paper
Description
Among the many natural obstructions that plagued the builders of the first Transcontinental Railroad was the steep, wide valley cut by Wyoming's snaking Dale Creek. This section of the route meanders through craggy granite ridges located just a few miles west of Sherman Hill - the railroad's highest point at 8,242 feet. Thus, Union Pacific (UP) engineers were faced with the challenge of spanning the chasm to avoid impeding the progress of advancing track-layers who were fast on their heels. To construct what one of UP's engineers called "a big bridge for a small brook that one could easily step over," Union Pacific workers built the railroad's highest trestle. Formed from hundreds of timbers that towered 126 feet over the creek bed and stretched 700 feet across it, this engineering spectacle was completed on April 23, 1868. However, government inspectors refused to approve the bridge until guy wires were added to keep the trestle from swaying in fierce Wyoming winds and from the weight of passing trains. As an added safety measure, the speed limit on the Dale Creek Bridge was set at four miles per hour. Shown on this artwork is one of the locomotives that steamed through Wyoming's rugged Western terrain - the UP's No. 23. Built by Schenectady Locomotive Works in 1868, this 4-4-0 engine sports a spectacular rack of antlers mounted above the headlight, as well as a polished steam dome.
Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.
Artwork Copyright © 1995 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB14989
Uploaded
April 19th, 2022
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Locomotives - Union Pacific Railroad 4-4-0 Type Engine Number 23 On Dale Creek Bridge. Click here to post the first comment.