Back in steam. According to UP, 4014 leaves Cheyenne for Ogden tomorrow morning.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MjoMBKWW0ag
Andre
Thank you.
Allow me to paste the link here:
Enjoy, Ed
The only time that I ever saw a Big Boy was #4012 at Steamtown many years ago and I thought that was impressive. After watching the videos of #4014 on it’s shake-down run, I was just enthralled. What a machine! [tup]
I saw the Steamtown big boy a little over a year ago and it looked very forelorn.
So, what are the chances that another Big Boy will be released/re-released on the market; this time with road number #4014??? I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Along with NYC #2933, I got to see UP #4006 up close at the National Musuem of Transportation (Kirkwood, MO) last year on my way to Tucson, AZ. Big beast. Still would rather see #2933 restored and given a head of steam since there are so few NYC steam locomotives left to view. And I would walk to MO from OH to see that…
Tom
We’ve been to the National RR Museum in Green Bay a couple of times. They have UP 4017 on display.
https://nationalrrmuseum.org/visit-us/exhibits/
It’s inside, so it’s hard to step back and get a good overall view of just how big it its!
Mike.
Hard to believe! Doesn’t it seem to have a lot of rod slap or clank for a newly rebuilt engine though? I always thought that meant the bearings were worn when they did that.
oldline1
Tune into virtural railfan on youtube and you can watch live.
I am not giving you a link because I am not promoting a channel and hopefully not going back to moderation.
Well, it does have 4 sets instead of 2 of a non-articulated engine. And they appear to mostly be coasting.
–Randy
Seeing that thing running is truly amazing! I’ve seen two of the ones on display, and even got to go into the cab of #4006. There is nothing about the Big Boy that isn’t downright huge, and I’d love to see #4014 in person if I ever get the chance.
Here’s the schedule. I joined the UP Steam Facebook site & love it.
Since this is a celebration of the driving of the Golden Spike is there any chance the SP will be represented by the 4449?
oldline1
SP equipment would be good, I feel that we often forget that the UP was only half the transcontinental railroad. SP 4449 would be a good representation of the Central Pacific (SP leased and then bought CP in the early 1900s).
Unfortunately I doubt that is going to happen. SP 4449 isn’t owned by UP like UP 844 or 4014. It’s owned by an organization in Portland. That will make it difficult to get both together.
It would be pretty cool if someday they got all the preseved/restored steamers in one place, like a Streamliners at Spencer thing just for steamers. We could get all the UP stuff, SP 4449, SP&S 700, etc.
Oldline,
That would be a great meet indeed! I can visualize them touching noses!
Surely the organization that manages 4449 must have been asked in a timely fashion. The home of 4449 in Portland is the is the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (www.orhf.org). But the organization who cares for her is the Friends of 4449 (www.4449.com). Their home page notes the following under a header that asks when she will next be available for excursions: “Due to Amtrak’s ban on charter services and special trains there are no excursions being planned for the SP 4449 at this time.”
This seems to raise two questions. First, if 4014 is hauling more than just the basic supplementary equipment to Provo, why couldn’t 4449 do the same? That may be a funding issue. Second, if the Big Boy is hauling paying passengers, why not 4449? Perhaps 4014’s trip is classified as something other than a “charter” or “special”.
I’m hoping someone out there can resolve this conundrum.
John
There;s no conundrum. 4014 is owned by the UP, and running on their railroad. They can run anywhere on their railroad, any time they feel like it. And they are using all their own equipment - tool car, passenger cars, etc. 4449 is owned by a provtae organization, who must get permission from the various railroads, along with insanely expensive insurance. And get cars from someone.
I understnad various railroads not want to risk 60+ year old steam locos breaking down and stopping all revenue traffic, but almost all such excursions tow alonmg a diesel to move the train in case something happens. The business has become a pure numbers game these days, the concept of attracting attention and generating goodwill has largely gone away - how many people riding on an excursion train own a business, let alone one that is rail served and might be swayed to use the host railroad as a carrier?
–Randy
I beleive the thing here is 4014 is owned by UP, who own the track they run on, so it’s easy to get a steam special. UP also has it’s own passenger cars and desires to provide backup power. 4449 is no owned by UP, so UP will be less willing to run 4449 on it’s tracks.
Also normally the 4449 would run with borrowed Amtrak cars and locomotives, but this Amtrak charter ban (let me guess, this is an Anderson special?) ends that. Real shame 4449 isn’t going to run soon, I mean what’s the point of a beautiful, restore steamer if it can’t run?
UP already announced that the two engines facing each other to represent the original event will be the Big Boy and #844, which is why they’re traveling together. Seeing the #4449 or another SP steam engine would be great though.
Thanks, Randy, for restoring my perspective. In the end, dreams are obliged to give way to good thinking and truth (otherwise known as cold, hard facts). I had forgotten that 844 was also making an appearance.
It would be interesting to know just how much UP is shelling out -mostly to themselves - for both the restoration and for the event.
Can’t wait for the coverage, stories of railfanning pilgrimmages, and estimates of the crowds.
John
Makes it sound like the project is free.
I haven’t found a number for the cost, but $1 mil for a regular old run of the mill steam loco restoration.
Let’s go with $2 mil. just because it is easy.
The cost of plant and equipment: tools, lathes, castings, machinings and wear and tear of all the machinery used for restoration is a charge, born by UP and you can look that as paid to UP
Salaries, include benefits, future pension, health care, social security, none of that is paid to UP.
Parts, no one has said they found a warehouse of old Big Boy parts. They had to build buy or manufacture parts. That’s a cost for steel, pipe, bearings things that they couldn’t make in house, or at least had to buy raw steel to make things in house.
Oil, water that’s not anything UP gets for free
Throw in the diesel engine to tag along. That is no longer in revenue service. All the maintenance people that will also go along to make sure they don’t have a mechanical catastrophe.
Just because there were passenger cars in the consist, doesn’t mean you or I had a snowball’s chance of buying a seat. There were probably filled with company directors and big wigs and there was no shortage of food and liquor for the open bar.
On the income side is $20 tickets to tour the steam shop and the PR value. That is an intangible. I didn’t see anything on TV about it. If I did and decided I should give them some business for their good deed, well I don’t have a business that needs rail. If I did, I don’t live in UP territory.
CSX paid Hunter Harrison $151 mil for 9 months work, so I’d say UP’s money was well spent.
My biggest question is, why couldn’t they flip that yellow aux tender around so the flag isn’t flying backwards?
[:D]