Central Pacific No. 60, Jupiter, became famous because it carried company president Leland Stanford’s party to Promontory Summit for the completion ceremony of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
Jupiter was built in 1868 by Schenectady Locomotive Works as one of several locomotives of similar design.
Because no rail connection yet crossed the continent, the locomotive was dismantled, shipped around Cape Horn to California, moved by water to Sacramento, and reassembled.
It entered Central Pacific service in March 1869, less than two months before the Promontory ceremony.
Jupiter burned wood, reflecting fuel availability on the Central Pacific side of the railroad.
At Promontory it faced Union Pacific No. 119 across the joining point. The famous locomotives were present for the ceremony, but the ceremonial golden spikes were not left as working track fasteners.
After 1869 Jupiter returned to ordinary passenger service and underwent major changes, including renumbering, a replacement boiler, changed fittings, and conversion to coal.
The original locomotive was eventually sold to another railroad and later scrapped in the early twentieth century.
The Jupiter seen today at Golden Spike National Historical Park is a fully functional replica delivered in 1979, reconstructed from photographs and historical research because complete original plans were not available.
For TransitSatellite, every modern Jupiter image must be labeled replica. The 1869 story should use period photographs or clearly marked reconstruction rather than imply the original engine survives.