Eureka (locomotive)

The Eureka is a privately owned steam locomotive in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of three preserved Baldwin Class 8/18 C 4-4-0 locomotives in the United States, of which it is the only operable example.[2] It is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.[3][4]

Eureka
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 3763 Model 8/18 C Build date 1875
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0  • UIC 2′B n Gauge 3 ft (914 mm)[1] Driver dia. 42 in (1,067 mm) Loco weight 22 short tons (20.0 t) Fuel type Wood Boiler pressure 120 psi (0.83 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 12 in × 16 in (300 mm × 410 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 5,595 lbf (24.89 kN)
Career Operators Eureka & Palisade Railroad, Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company, Warner Brothers Entertainment Numbers 4, SNW&L 5 in 1896 Retired 1896 (E&P); 1938 (SNW&L); 1976 (WB) Restored 1991 Current owner Daniel Markoff Disposition Restored to operating condition; privately owned
Eureka Locomotive
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Address Restricted
Nearest city	Las Vegas, Nevada
Coordinates	36.227330°N 115.209348°W
Built	1875
NRHP reference No.	94001575
Added to NRHP	January 12, 1995

History

The locomotive was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1875 for the Eureka & Palisade Railroad in Nevada, which was built to transport passengers and goods from the mining town of Eureka to connect with the Central Pacific Railroad in Palisade. The engine served on this railroad until 1896, when it was sold to the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company. It operated on the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber until 1938 when the company dissolved and the engine was sold to a scrap dealer.

Warner Bros. bought the engine in 1939, and it was featured in many films, such as Torrid Zone, Cheyenne Autumn, and The Great Train Robbery. The Eureka's last film appearance was in the 1976 film, The Shootist.[5][6] In 1978, the California State Railroad Museum was in the process of restoring North Pacific Coast no. 12 Sonoma, another 8/18C class 4-4-0 nearly identical to the Eureka. The museum had the latter stripped down to reveal its original paint scheme that was still on the engine, and used it as a guide for restoring the former. The Eureka was later sold to Old Vegas, an amusement park in Henderson, Nevada, where it was placed on display in 1980.[7] In 1985, a fire occurred at Old Vegas, with a burning building collapsing on the Eureka, badly damaging the engine.[6]

A year later, the engine was discovered by Las Vegas attorney Dan Markoff, who then purchased the engine and restored it to operating condition with the help of his father. The restored Eureka debuted at Railfair '91 at the California State Railroad Museum. It was then operated on U.S. Gypsum's private tracks in Plaster City, California, in 1993.[8] The locomotive was listed as a structure on the National Register of Historic Places on January 12, 1995[9] and was the first transportation listing in Las Vegas.[10]

In 1997, Eureka was transported to Chama, New Mexico, for a series of operational excursions over the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in late June.[8] The engine continues to make appearances at various narrow gauge tourist railroads during special events, such as the Cumbres and Toltec, Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Nevada State Railroad Museum, and the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum among others. When the engine is not participating in such events, it is kept stored in Markoff's specially constructed shed, which is not open to the public. Dan Markoff is rather cautious as to how often the engine operates, and does not intend to have the engine operating regularly as the engine still retains its original boiler and several other components.

References

1. Steamlocomotive.info
2. "Las Vegas, Nevada (Official City of Las Vegas Text Site)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
3. "National Register of Historic Places". Retrieved 2007-03-20.
4. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - Eureka Locomotive" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. 1994-12-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
5. Schorr, Melissa (September 21, 1998). "C'mon baby: Do the Locomotion". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
6. Lopez, Sandy (January 20, 2016). "Railroad rescue: Man shares 140-year-old locomotive he found languishing in museum". Boulder City Review. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
7. "News". The News Journal. February 17, 1980. Retrieved January 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Jennings, Stan (October 2, 2006). "A Narrow Gauge 4-4-0 on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad". The Narrow Gauge Circle. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
9. "Nevada Entries in the National Register of Historic Places". Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
10. "National Recognition Near for Bonanza Rd. Underpass". Retrieved March 20, 2007.