Annual Winter Steam Festival connects community with locomotive history
Handcar rides are one of the featured activities during the Winter Steam Festival on Dec. 28-30, 2015, at the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit.
Replica locomotive Jupiter will run the tracks at the annual Winter Steam Festival Dec. 28-30, 2015, at the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit.
PROMONTORY SUMMIT — A cold, wintry day and a steam engine make a great combination.
The folks at the Golden Spike National Historic Site know this and offer the three-day annual Winter Steam Festival during winter break, which lets visitors see the steam billow from the engines, go on handcar rides and cab tours, and watch video shows about the transcontinental railway.
The festival starts on Monday, Dec. 28, and runs each day through Dec. 30. The locomotive Jupiter appears on the tracks at 10 a.m. each day, with demonstrations at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Jupiter departs at 4:30 p.m. each day.
Handcar rides are also available on the tracks during those hours, weather permitting, as well as cab tours of the engine. A video presentation will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The video is “The Seven Wonders of the World: The Transcontinental Railway.”
Other films can be watched throughout the day including “The Golden Spike,” “This is America Charlie Brown,” “The Great Train Robbery” and several others.
The park itself has more than 16 miles of parallel grade to be explored. There is also a visitor center and bookstore open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance to the park costs $5, but there’s no extra charge for the festival. Donations are welcomed, though.
David Kilton works at the Golden Spike National Historic Site and said the festival is something to behold.
“Seeing the locomotive in the cold is really something. It is like something out of a Norman Rockwell photo. It’s just beautiful in this stark little valley,” Kilton said.
He also advised to not let snow and weather conditions deter guests. The roads are almost always cleared to the site, and many times there isn’t as much snow as in Weber or Davis counties.
Kilton said there is plenty to do to keep families occupied for the day, and the handcar rides are fun for kids of all ages.
“They find what it was really like in those days and people have a lot of fun with it,” he said.
Dale Anderson said he and his family never miss the festival. Kilton said the festival has been going on for more years than he can remember, and the opportunity for excellent photos is also prime.
“There really is nothing like seeing and hearing that huge locomotive. People shouldn’t miss it,” Kilton said.
The Golden Spike site is 32 miles west of Brigham City via Interstate 15 and Highway 83. For more information about the park, visit http://www.nps.gov/gosp/index.htm.