Steam Engine Repair

I recently went up to Golden Spike National Historic Site in the West Desert of Utah. The site features working replicas of the two steam engines that met met there when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. Every fifteen years, the engines go under major inspections and restorations. Staff and volunteers are in the midst of that work this winter. Check out a few photos below and see more photos and the related article here. 

Cody Vosler prepares the underside of the 119 steam engine for welding at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Every fifteen years, the steam engines at the monument have to go through testing and extensive restoration.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Cody Vosler climbs out of the smoke box on the front of the 119 steam engine for welding at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Vosler lives in Wyoming but is in Utah for three months to work on the engine renovations. Dozens of Golden Spike employees, contractors and volunteers are chipping in.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Rodney Lee, a volunteer from Seattle, polishes a piston valve at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. In addition to the major fifteen year renovations, staff and volunteers are also doing regular annual upkeep like polishing and repainting.©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Leo Correa grinds scales while inside the boiler of the Jupiter steam engine at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Correa and coworkers grind down thousands of points on the boiler walls and test them for corrosion and wear.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

The normally colorful Jupiter, right, and 119 steam engines sit in the repair shop at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. The engines are stripped down for the testing and repair, but will be resealed and painted by the spring of 2015.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Cody Vosler cuts and cleans culling for the 119 steam engine at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Bison Auction

Over the weekend I went to a bison auction for ranchers from around the Western U.S. and Canada put on by the Western Bison Association. I've posted a few photos below and you can see more here. Enjoy.

Vaughn Scott hopes on a gate to get out of the way of a 926 pound bison at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Scott is the president of the Western Bison Association, who puts on the annual auction for ranchers from around the Western United States and Canada. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Ranchers and spectators watch as an 1,800 pound bison is auctioned off at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Fifty-five bison from around the Western United States were sold at the annual event.(BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Rex Snyder, left, and Nolan Miller chat during the auction at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Snyder was down from Wyoming to sell some of his animals while Miller was visiting from Manitoba to act as a show judge. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)