Steam Festival provides a flavor of Utah's historic railroad past

By Brett Prettyman The Salt Lake Tribune

Published: January 21, 2014 3:41 pm
Golden Spike • Event will be held Saturday through Monday.
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utahns can take a day trip during the holidays and get a taste of the historic past of the railroad in their state during the annual Winter Steam Festival at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Box Elder County.

The festival is being held Dec. 28-30 and includes rides on the historic handcar and a 1950s motorcar. One of the site's two 1860 replica steam engines will steam to the Last Spike Site around 10 a.m. daily and will be on display until 4 p.m.

"Seven Wonders of the Industrial World," a film produced by the BBC, features a segment called the "The Line" about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. "The Line" will be shown on an hourly basis.

Other videos related to the railroad will be shown on request.

The Golden Spike Junior Ranger program will also be offered during the festival for young visitors.

Entry into the historic site is $5 per vehicle in the winter months and the visitor center at Golden Spike is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Golden Spike National Historic Site is 32 miles west of Brigham City via state highways 13 and 83 from exit 365 on Interstate 15.

Visit the parks website at nps.gov/gosp or call 435-471-2209 ext. 29 for more information.

brettp@sltrib.com

Twitter: @BrettPrettyman

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