Jupiter and 119 gold spike recreation

[Terry Toenges]

Here's a video from June '97 when we traveled out West. I had been wanting to visit this place for a long, long time and finally got the opportunity to see Jupiter and #119. I know they aren't the originals.
Golden Spike National Historic Site. I also have some video from when we went and traveled the old road bed for a ways outside of the historic site. I have to get that edited yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8FRdSxxlg

[dutchbuilder]

I didn't know they had microphones in that era?
Nice video Terry.

Ton

[Terry Toenges]

I don't believe they wore shorts either.   They asked for volunteers from the audience to play some of the parts. I would have done it but I didn't trust my wife to do the filming with the video camera.  She might have paid more attention to what other women were wearing or what make up they had on rather than train stuff.

[Terry Toenges]

Here's footage of them stationary and in loco motion. At about 11:10 in this video, you can see the wood in 119's tender as she goes by.
https://youtu.be/5664eYlGO_Y

[Terry Toenges]

June 1997. We had been at the Golden Spike reenactment at the historic site. When we left, I wanted to see where the original track was laid by the Central Pacific Railroad. They had started laying track in Sacramento and worked their way to this point. We drove on the old road bed and I found a couple of old spikes and tie plate bolts. I like to get off the beaten path when we travel. How many tourists do you think traveled this route after the rails were torn up and got to see this bit of history?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmLQR_Kjjtc

[Trainman203]

I read a long time ago that the Jupiter survived until 1911 as a rebuild on an SP branch in Arizona.  Apparently everyone around knew what the engine was.  The railroad decided to scrap it but made it available for $1000, a lot of money in those days, to whoever wanted it. The regular engineer, whose name was Seth Arkill, tried to raise the money in a campaign but was unsuccessful .

[RAM]

A call to the bench.  The Jupiter and 1119 were not the locomotive that were picked to have the honor of pulling the specials.  The Antelope hit a log and was replaced by Jupiter, the other special got to a flooded river and some of the bridge supports had washed out.  The cars were light enough to make it across,  so they were given a push and rolled across the bridge one at a time.  119 was at the right spot at the right time, next to the main, so she got the call.

[Terry Toenges]

But they were the ones at the ceremony whether they were meant to be or not. History doesn't say much about the "almost made its". I guess there's a reason Bachmann does #119 and Jupiter.