Cheyenne Train Webcam – Union Pacific Yard and Roundhouse

The Cheyenne Train Webcam is a fixed camera pointed west over Union Pacific’s Cheyenne Yard at Milepost 509, in Wyoming’s capital city. Virtual Railfan runs it and the Cheyenne Depot Museum hosts it. The camera overlooks the railroad’s 1931 roundhouse, its 1941 turntable and the 1919 machine shop, part of the complex where Union Pacific still looks after its working steam locomotives. Westbound trains start the Laramie Subdivision climb over Sherman Hill here, and Virtual Railfan counts more than 100 trains a day past the spot: freights, intermodal stacks and, on rare days, a steam excursion behind No. 844 or Big Boy No. 4014. The angle never changes, so what changes is the traffic and the High Plains weather.

About Cheyenne Yard and the Historic Roundhouse

Cheyenne owes its existence to the railroad. Grenville Dodge established the town in July 1867 as Union Pacific built west toward the 1869 completion of the transcontinental line, and the city sits at about 1,850 meters (6,063 feet). The Cheyenne Depot at 121 West 15th Street opened in 1887, a Richardsonian Romanesque building by Van Brunt and Howe with a six-story clock tower and sandstone from Union Pacific’s quarry in Bellevue, Colorado. It became a National Historic Landmark in 2006, and the museum inside has operated since 1993.

The yard buildings in the camera’s view are historic in their own right. The brick roundhouse, with its three-tier roof, went up in 1931 to maintain and store steam locomotives. It began as an almost complete circle of 48 stalls, the largest roundhouse on the Union Pacific system, and seven stalls remain. The 38-meter (126-foot) continuous span turntable followed in 1941, replacing a smaller 1911 table, and was designed to take the 4-8-8-4 Big Boys. The roundhouse, turntable and machine shop joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Next door, the Steam Shop maintains No. 844 and is home to Big Boy No. 4014. Built in 1941, No. 4014 is one of 8 surviving Big Boys out of 25 and the only one still running, which makes it the largest operating steam locomotive in the world.

West of the yard the line climbs Sherman Hill. The original 1868 summit stood at 2,512 meters (8,242 feet), at the time the highest point on any railroad in the world. A 1901 realignment between Buford and Hermosa lowered it to 2,443 meters (8,014 feet), with a maximum grade of 1.55 percent for westbound trains and 0.8 percent for eastbound ones. That still leaves about 595 meters (1,950 feet) of climbing from Cheyenne, and it is the hill the Big Boys were working freight over in the 1950s.

Weather and Climate in Cheyenne

Cheyenne has a High Plains climate with around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. January highs average about 4 C (40 F) with lows near -8 C (19 F), and January is also the windiest month, with average winds around 22 kilometers per hour (14 miles per hour). Chinook winds off the Rockies can swing the temperature sharply in either direction. Snow typically falls from mid-October to late April and adds up to roughly 160 centimeters (63 inches) a year, so winter frames can show snow on the ground between the tracks and around the roundhouse.

Spring warms slowly, with April highs around 13 C (55 F), lows near -1 C (31 F) and snow still possible. July is the warmest month at about 29 C (84 F) by day and 13 C (56 F) at night. May to July is the wettest stretch, mostly from afternoon thunderstorms that sometimes bring hail, so a clear morning over the yard can turn dark by mid-afternoon. October averages 15 C (59 F) highs and 1 C (34 F) lows.

Things to Do Near Cheyenne Yard

The camera’s host, the Cheyenne Depot Museum, is the natural first stop. Its exhibits cover Cheyenne’s early history and the building of the Union Pacific, the visitor center in the depot hands out a Tracking Trains brochure on the city’s railroad history, and the depot plaza hosts music and events through the year. A few times a year the museum also runs tours of the Union Pacific Steam Shop, starting at the museum and riding out to the shop on the Cheyenne Street Railway trolleys. Hardhats, safety glasses and earplugs are provided at the shop.

Holliday Park displays Big Boy No. 4004 year-round, so you can stand next to one of these giants even when No. 4014 is away on its summer tours. For the railroad’s old high point, head out between Cheyenne and Laramie to the Ames Monument, which Union Pacific erected on the abandoned Sherman townsite to mark the original 1868 summit after the tracks moved south. Back at the yard, a scanner tuned to the frequencies in the FAQ below lets you follow the radio traffic while you watch the Cheyenne Train Webcam.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more freight yards, Union Pacific traffic and another corner of Wyoming, try these cameras next.

• Belle Plaine Webcam
• Belen Webcam
• Baggs Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Cheyenne Train Webcam located?

At Union Pacific’s Cheyenne Yard, Milepost 509, in Cheyenne in southeastern Wyoming. The Cheyenne Depot Museum at 121 West 15th Street hosts it, and it faces west over the roundhouse and turntable.

What can you see on the Cheyenne Train Webcam?

Virtual Railfan describes a fixed westward view over Cheyenne Yard that overlooks the 1931 roundhouse, the 1941 turntable and the 1919 machine shop, with Union Pacific trains on the Laramie Subdivision. Freights and intermodals make up most of the traffic, and steam excursions with No. 844 or No. 4014 appear on the days they run.

What is the weather like in Cheyenne?

Sunny and windy. January averages about 4 C (40 F) by day and -8 C (19 F) at night, July about 29 C (84 F) and 13 C (56 F). Snow falls from mid-October to late April, and summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms.

How many trains pass through Cheyenne a day?

Virtual Railfan puts it at more than 100 trains a day at this location, mostly freights and intermodals.

Is Big Boy 4014 kept in Cheyenne?

Yes. No. 4014 is based at the Union Pacific Steam Shop beside the yard and travels the United States on tours in the summer months. Another Big Boy, No. 4004, is on permanent display in Holliday Park.

How high is Sherman Hill?

The current Sherman summit is at 2,443 meters (8,014 feet). The original 1868 line topped out at 2,512 meters (8,242 feet), a spot now marked by the Ames Monument between Cheyenne and Laramie.

Can you tour the Union Pacific Steam Shop in Cheyenne?

Sometimes. The Cheyenne Depot Museum runs Steam Shop tours a few times a year, with museum admission and a trolley ride included. Tickets usually sell out, so buy early, and wear closed-toe shoes.

What radio frequency does Union Pacific use in Cheyenne?

Virtual Railfan lists 160.680 MHz (AAR channel 38) for the Laramie Subdivision and Cheyenne Yard, and 160.410 MHz (AAR channel 20) for maintenance-of-way crews.

Source: Virtual Railfan