TS18: Highball to 1869!

One of the most realistic, unique – and captivating – railroading experiences ever to be enjoyed in a train simulation is coming soon to Train Simulator – with historic Union Pacific 4-4-0 No. 119 and its accompanying Cheyenne 1869 route as created by Smokebox!

For Train Simulator steam enthusiasts, Smokebox and its maestro, Mike Rennie, need no introduction, having previously created the fabulous Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4, the iconic AT&N 2-8-0 Consolidation, and Central Pacific’s “Jupiter” of Golden Spike fame.

Together with the Central Pacific “Jupiter,” Union Pacific 4-4-0 No. 119 was a locomotive “co-star” during the celebration of the driving of the transcontinental railroad’s Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. Smokebox, as it did with CP’s “Jupiter,” has developed Union Pacific No. 119 employing engineering drawings and has created the locomotive in exacting detail and with an extraordinary range of authentic operating features. And, you’ll soon be able to put the iconic Union Pacific 4-4-0 to work on a marvelous route representing the city of Cheyenne and its immediate surroundings (extending about 6 miles to the east and 20 miles to the west) as existed in 1869!

Union Pacific No. 119 is a classic 4-4-0 “American” type that was constructed by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works (a predecessor of Alco) in the company’s Patterson (New Jersey) shops in November 1868. Rogers was a major locomotive builder in the 19th century and its other products included the famed Western & Atlantic “General” of Civil War “Great Locomotive Chase” fame. Union Pacific No.119, with 57-inch drivers and 16” x 24” cylinders, was one of a group of five sister locomotives acquired by UP. Following its legendary moment at Promontory, UP No. 119 went on to serve the Union Pacific (after being renumbered to 343 in 1885) until it was retired and scrapped in 1903. Like the Central Pacific’s “Jupiter,” however, Union Pacific No. 119 was reborn in the 1970s in the form of a full-sized replica operating at the U. S. National Park Service’s Golden Spike National Historic Site.

Smokebox is renowned for creating locomotives with absolute fidelity to detail and authentic operating characteristics, and Union Pacific No. 119 excels in both. The UP 4-4-0 will provide everything from the challenges of authentic wheel slip and managing the boiler and firebox conditions to the artistry of working with long and quilled toot whistles! Multiple settings for selecting difficulty and use of an auto fireman nonetheless will make the 4-4-0 accessible and enjoyable for users of all experience levels. The locomotive will be provided in two livery variations, including the prominently black and green livery believed by historians to be its original “as delivered” scheme, and the black and red colors that are applied to the replica at the Golden Spike National Park.

Joining Union Pacific 4-4-0 No. 119 on the Cheyenne 1869 route will be a wonderful range of period-authentic rolling stock, including a Union Pacific boxcar, flat cars (empty and with multiple loads), emigrant passenger coach with clerestory roof, baggage car, and combined caboose and coach. The route will offer a captivating selection of 1860s buildings and trackside assets, ranging from a vintage engine house and turntable to working and fully animated ball signals! Five realistic career scenarios will accompany the locomotive and route.

Be sure to stay tuned here at Dovetail Live as we continue our coverage of the upcoming, and truly remarkable, Smokebox Union Pacific No. 119 and its accompanying Cheyenne 1869 route! – Gary Dolzall ■