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Texas Big Boy makes final move to new museum site
Good for them
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Wonderful photo over the highway,
Nice pic on the overpass!
seeing that big boy on an ovepass brought back memories of the Texas Electric spotting a green express trailer with advertising for its package express service on the Corinth Ave. overpass; the last remnant of the Corsicana branch.
Since the UP has decided to rebuild one of the famous Big Boys maybe someone would talk the UP into rebuilding the Cab Forward now at the California Train Museum. That would be a great controbution to the history of steam.
There are several Youtube videos documenting both legs of the trip. One can fantasize about what it would look like at 60 mph.
Local Channel 8 (WFAA) used a remote controlled mini-helicopter for some footage… way cool! Search WFAA.com for “Big Boy” locomotive.
Question: This applies to this engine and one from California.
I had read somewhere that UP had taken a wedge out of one of the drivers after the engines were parked to keep them from ever moving again. How did Texas and the California group overcome this? In watching the video, I could not tell that this wedge had ever been there, although I have a picture with the wedge OUT of the Texas Big Boy!
Pullman608@aol.com
I was surprised to see that the side rods in place during the move. More than once I’ve steam engines at museums with the side rods removed, because they hadn’t moved the engine into its final display spot, and they didn’t want to damage the rod bearings during the next move. I assume they a lot of lubricating prior to the move?
Oh, and Vince, there is an Espee cab-forward at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
No cab forwards were ever saved by SP…
To view videos of BIG BOY movement do this==type in search=bigboy move to frisco you tube== many videos to view…quess what first moves big boy…be sure to type it exactly as written…
I think that IF the cab-forward ever gets rebuilt, it will have to be a privately funded operation. UP will be pretty well occupied with it’s THREE steamers. They probably view anything else as an addition to UP ranks, not part of its history. Besides, if they wanted to represent SP at all, the 4449 is already available and since they own all of the former SP, where would the cab-forward run?
Given the recent Canadian rail tragedy, I find it ironic that tank cars were used to add braking. That said, glad they got the Boy moved.