EVANSTON — On Thursday, March 4, switch engine 4420 and its coal car were pushed into the Roundhouse by a front-end loader driven by city employees. The engine and coal car will remain sitting on old rails in their home as they await a complete restoration. 

Union Pacific Employees Club No. 20 and the Uinta County Historic Preservation Commission, together with city employees, have spent many hours planning and preparing to move the engine back to its original home at the Roundhouse.

Earlier this year, 4420 was moved from a park near North Elementary, where it had resided for years after being moved from the courthouse lawn. Crews moved it onto tracks outside the Roundhouse until preparations were complete for moving the engine inside. 

The sidewalk in front of the doors, where the engine would enter, had to be removed and track and rails were laid connecting to the track where 4420 will permanently reside. The dirt under the permanent track had to be removed in order for repair and for restoration personnel to be able to work beneath the engine. City employees contributed many hours to these preparations.

UP Employees Club No. 20 President Wayne Morrow and Secretary/Treasurer David Joe Dean began planning the move of the engine into the Roundhouse on Feb. 22. However, on that day, when the city employees tried to push the engine, the wheels wouldn’t turn — it wouldn’t budge.

Morrow said he called Steve Lee in Cheyenne, who is knowledgeable about old engines, and Lee told him to make sure the rails were heavily greased. They did as Lee suggested and on March 4, Engine 4420 was successfully moved into the Roundhouse with no problems. Morrow said the drivers on the engine didn’t break loose, the wheels turned, and the engine just slid on the rails and was positioned on the track inside the Roundhouse.

“Joe and I would like to thank the Union Pacific employees who helped: Taylor Oakden, Colton Argyle, Reuben Gomez, Jason Murphy, Brecker Curtis, Dwight Lloyd, Jarred Barnes and Matt Sundquist,” Morrow said. “I would especially like to thank Steve Lee and Ralph Lee (he worked on 4420 in his younger days) for their advice and knowledge. We would also like to publicly thank the city employees: Micki Cox, Jesse Hawkins, Brad Tollefson, Ron Peterson, Spencer Huffaker, Darrin Damron, Billy McDermott, Skip Smith and Chevy Huffaker. The city is in good hands; this is a great group of men, and it’s nice to work with Micki. She’s good people.”