I wish they’d have at least shown the 3985. Well aside from the quick front end flash of it in the shop. You could see the E units in the background in one of the shots too. My biggest gripe is that there is always so much cool stuff around them that they don’t show and what they do show passes by really quickly. If they are going to call the Cheyenne roundhouse “the busiest steam shop in the country”, they should have at least shown what else is in there. With only 2 active engines that shouldn’t have been hard to do. I think there are probably a couple of steam shops that stay busier though but obviously aren’t class 1 railroads.
The 844 had the Centennial behind it. Not even a mention of it at all. He also mentions that the UP passenger cars are “among the oldest in the country”. Hardly. There are much older passenger cars around than those although theirs are probably the nicest.
I’m always excited to see the show and am happy that we have it but every episode leaves me a little disappointed as you can see all of the missed opportunities in the background that could have made a really great show. I’m getting used to the host. He’s annoying but I can tolerate it.
I do not like being told the same thing over and over again, especially when I am really familiar with the subject. How many of the people who have seen and will see these episodes are as familiar with railroad operations as the contributors to the Trains forums are? Now, for one reason or another, I have not seen any of these episodes; I have thought about doing so, but did not get to it, so I do not know how bothersome the repetition really is. I do know, however, that the reported excitement that the host has shown would really irritate me.
If young people can be given an interest in railroading, perhaps they will be supporters of rail transportation when they grow up. Stating something twice may help get their interest. A question: Does the host use the same phrasing when he says something again, or does he rephrase it? I do get weary of hearing the same thing over and over again, but if it is rephrased it is not as irritating and can even be more understandable.
There is another brief glimpse of the 3985 during the sequence showing the fueling of the 844 when Matt Brown is standing on top of the tender. The Challenger is actually sitting on a track next to the 844. I had to hit the freeze button on my DVR to confirm it. You can clearly see that there is boiler work going on on the 3985…I wonder who excluded the 3985 from the show, the producers or UP?
I would have liked them to have mentioned the Centennial but then again, the topic of the episode is Steam locomotives…
Well I watched the “Steam Train” episode, and it was a lot better in many ways compared to last week’s. The shots of 844 were awesome (and most of them wern’t sped up!), and there were only a couple parts in the show where the camera jerked from scene to scene in split seconds. Lots of interesting subjects, like the information about the Art Lockman car (I hadn’t realized it was a tool car), adding steam into the engine before firing it up, splitting the train in Denver Union Station, etc.
But, I have to agree that there were many things left out of the show that would have made it more interesting. Like others have commented, we see 3985 at the steam shop in Cheyenne but it is never mentioned by the host. In fact, it wouldn’t have been mentioned at all if one railfan on the train didn’t say anything. At the steam shop, I noticed a huge amout of rolling stock around the sheds, but noting was ever said about any of it. The Centennial was pulled on 844’s train, both to Denver and back, but it was never mentioned. Most people who noticed it probably didn’t realize 844 was pulling the largest operable diesel locomotive in the world. And in Denver, we see the Rio Grande Ski Train on one of the station tracks, and even though the cameras get really close to it, it, too, is never mentioned at all.
Another thing I found discouraging was when Matt got on the train and said he was going to talk to some railfans, he never really talked to any real railfans. The people singing in the one car looked like they had name tags on, like they were paid to come on the train or something. The people he talked to briefly that were dressed up wild-west style didn’t look much like railfans, either. The only real railfan he talked to was the guy standing in the vestibule of the cars recording the sounds of the train. We don’t get to see any real foamers.
And the show seemed to end abrubtly. I was expecting to see a final shot of 844 or someth
I see most everyone watch last night’s episode, and I am glad to see you like this one the best ! SO DID I ! There is no better looking,sounding locomotive in the world than UP 844 ! I love it ! Iv seen 3985 several times and have chased it and got miles of video but it just aint as pretty as 844, man o man ! I see now why they called them greyhounds…Did everyone catch the railfan recording the whistle and train noise ? Thats me made over LOL ! I too have an 844 HO model that I pull my UP passenger cars with…About the Centennial unit,I was surprised that nothing was said about it,also I was surprised to learn they had to steam up the 844 the way they did,I guess thats because of its age? Well, maybe all of our questions will be answered in the next 3 episodes,I hope so anyway…I also like the way he mentioned railfans and rodeo fans…Was the guy and his 2 sons singing, railfans or rodeo fans?
OH Yeah Matt, He was tolerable as some one previously said last night and his antics werent as pronounced as in previous episodes,this worked for me…
The 844 looked very nice - all polished up, and the aerial views were great. For sure, I’ll now have to put seeing her “live” on my “bucket” list ! Really enjoyed watching the rods go around - that’s something to see, that long silvery bar rhythmically rising and falling inside that long wheelbase of rotating discs. And the shots from underneath on the ties as she passed overhead were neat - really get to see a different view of the running gear. Love that steamboat whistle, too.
But that said, there was still way too much of the “DANGER !” stuff* - “This thing could - [choose 1] - EXPLODE !!! " or " - DERAIL !!!” Yes, we know about boiler explosions - but although he pointed out the water glass, he never explained that there are multiple pumps and/ or injectors, plus a low-water alarm, plus the fusible plugs in the crown sheet. And even though he legitimately got in the history of several long-time ago boiler explosions, no mention of the 1995 (?) quasi-explosion of the boiler on the Gettysburg RR.
(* - Anybody else remember that stupid robot from the 1960’s TV space drama with the “Space Family Robinson” - Lost in Space ? It always used to say, “Warning, Warning - Danger, Danger !!” On of my former co-workers used to do a pretty good imitation of that whenever his AutoCAD program would encounter a fault or corrupted file or something else that it didn’t like.)
Also, for all of the valves and gauges on the 844, only a few were explained or mentioned - the whistle cord (chain), the water glass, and the firing handle. Nothing really about the throttle, or the reversing lever, adjusting the cut-off, the air brakes, or the valve gear and what it does, etc., etc.
But we got told time after time unto death that there were "750 railfans [mostly - “rodeo fans” a couple of times] that they h
If you think Matt’s “it could explode” every 15 minutes was annoying, did you stay tuned for the “Glow Train” show that followed? Talk about paranoia. They kept showing a mushroom cloud superimposed on a Las Vegas shot. I turned it off in disgust, the show was so slanted.
That is becasue society today is only interested in Global Crisis… so the media uses that to generate interest…
Aids, SARS, Bird Flu, Global Warming, Rainforest Deforestation, El Nino. Just a few of the examples of how that worked in history… Notice how most of them rose quickly in the media attention, and then after a while faded out because of another global crisis?
…Everything has been covered that I saw and would have complained about. Do enjoy seeing that great steamer 844 in what must be excellent running condition.
Watching from a pacing vehicle as the driving rods flashed around at speed just boggles my mind how those pieces do stay together. I realize everything has been sized via the engineers of design to be able to do the job…it really is fascinating.
A beautiful steam engine in such shape still available for us to see doing it’s job is wonderful and a real machine of beauty. Glad to get to see it perform. Now if somehow Matt would be reprogrammed to a more suitable dialog and presentation.
Some of the best camera work I’ve seen so far, as long as it was directed at the train (I just watched it tonight). UP comes off looking pretty good.
He pushed a button. Big deal! He moved the turntable. Bigger deal (and how’d he get it to speed up that way?)! He threw a switch. Even bigger deal–but you don’t get to see how that works.
So much more could have been shown (Pat’s less of a railfan than I–having to answer her questions gives me a fairly good idea of issues that could have been addressed, but weren’t).
Anyone else find it interesting that he didn’t offer to help out or ride at the rodeo?
I was wondering about something. I keep seeing a car with dynamic brake fans on its roof during the Steam Train episode and I finally got to see the locomotive around 00:58:00 helping the 844.
Before their CEO died the NYS&W had a steam program but the locomotive was always assisted by another unit. I’m not sure they will still run the Mikado since the forums have reported sales of their stock and they cleaned out their Butler yard of some old stock.
One question I do have. In the steam days, how long is the consist of an engine like the 844? Surely not the huge consist on the Extreme Trains Steam episode?
I watched the 844 episode in a motel room Tues. Last night I watched it at home on my 57" HD. All I can say is “WOW” Great camera work. This episode is the best one so far. Matt is starting to grow on me. If you all get a chance, watch the show in HiDef. It is “Awesome”
I think you are seeing the HEP generator car, OR it could be the Centennial locomotive that was helping the 844 due to the very large consist (I think Matt said 28 cars).
A normal consist for an 800 “back in the day” would have generally topped out at 15 or 16 cars.
I caught the last 25 min of the UP 3985 presentation this afternoon while channel surfing. Although THC is one of my favorite networks, I was not impressed. Just me, but the host seemed to want to be the main attraction of the program. Don’t plan to watch any other episodes. And to think I could have tuned into the first hr of Money Talk on ABC talk radio instead.
I was privileged to visit the Cheyenne roundhouse a couple years ago. The host - the steam engineer - said there is always a diesel in the consist every time they put the steam locomotive on the road. He said that assures the railroad that they will be able to clear the track in case the locomotive falters.
When I was there, 844 and 3985 were both in residence. 844’s trailing truck was lowered. 5511 and 838 were there too, 838 a shadow of her former self.
