Some of the first rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida were scheduled for testing in the 1950s. Launch Pads 1, 2, 3 and 4 were quickly built into the sand dunes adjacent the Atlantic Ocean. Launch of Bumper 7 and 8 rockets were launched from the Launch Pad 3 in July 1950. The first structure for the launch team was a temporary wooden building, erected some 500 feet from the rocket. Later assessments cited the temporary block house as inadequate in the event of a rocket explosion.
At the same time, Electro-motive Division of General Motors Corporation in La Grange, Illinois began production of America's medium horsepower switcher, EMD-SW8. Engine 2021 began service in the Korean Conflict with the 724th Railway Operating Battalion of the U.S. Army. During its tour of duty, engine 2021 received the Purple Heart, painted on her side, for taking a few rounds of enemy fire.
In 1965 the locomotive was put back into service at Cape Canaveral, transporting Titan rockets. After four decades on the job at Cape Canaveral, 2021 is now retired at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum at Cape Canaveral. This fully refurbished 800 horsepower workhorse sits on the same track it traveled for the last 40 years.