Historic Standard Oil Locomotive Returns to Casper

City officials will return Standard Oil No. 1 to Casper after more than 60 years at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. The 1920 steam locomotive will be displayed at Fort Caspar Museum.

The American Locomotive Company built the 0-4-0T locomotive in Paterson, New Jersey in 1920 for Standard Oil Company of Indiana. It switched tank cars at the Casper refinery before its retirement in 1962, when the Colorado museum acquired it.

Fort Caspar Museum volunteer Con Trumbull spent a year coordinating the locomotive's return. "He recognized this locomotive's historical importance to Casper years ago and has devoted an extraordinary amount of time and effort toward bringing it home," said Steve Gainer, museum supervisor.

Gainer said Casper ranks among Wyoming's most historically significant railroad communities but lacks a prominent public railroad artifact. The locomotive will sit near the museum entrance as part of a broader interpretive project on the city's rail and refinery history.

Fort Caspar Museum and community partners will raise $15,000 to cover transportation, placement preparation, interpretive planning, and initial restoration work. For details, contact Fort Caspar Museum.