Steam & Excursion > "Headin' Home" with 8444 -- a series 3 of 10

Here is a young Steve Lee being interviewed at one of our stops down South. He attracted reporters like pigeons to corn. One question that kept coming up was how old he was. Many people assumed the engineer would have to be a former steam man called out of retirement. I assured them he could handle it.

I first encountered Steve on the telephone when I was working out of Salt Lake City and he was road foreman of engines in Cheyenne. A rancher had been killed on Sherman Hill at a crossing on the "Omaha Road," the nickname the locals used to refer to the UP service road on the Hill. The accident attracted a lot of attention since the victim was a noted rodeo star. Steve helped me understand the situation. I didn't meet him face to face until 1982 when the Challenger 3985 came out for the Centennial Celebration in Pocatello. He burst into my office in the Salt Lake depot and said he was on the steam crew and he wanted the tape made by a local TV station that followed the train in a helicopter when the Challenger ran southbound from Pocatello to Ogden.

I don't remember if I was able to get the tape, but I'll never forget Steve! I still don't know how old he is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/18 06:35 by Copy19.

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John, Steve isn't too far behind me in age and is still working for Wasatch Railroad Contractors. I still get together with he and the folks at Wasatch occasionally. But the UPHS office keeps me busy too.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

He's definitely one of the good guys. I know how old he is, but I ain't tellin.

I landed on his bad side after I refused to send my manager of the company store, Carol Bertelson, to staff his planned souvenir car and sell company store inventory. At the time Carol and I were consolidating numerous store outlets to better control inventory. After that I had occasion to visit the steam shop in Cheyenne. I happened to see the door to the restroom in the office had a sign that read “Public Relations”. He did eventually begin to speaking to me again and his souvenir car manned by volunteers proved to be a great success.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/18 15:46 by Copy19.