Will the 4-8-8-4 Union Pacific Big Boy ever return to rails?

Trains.com General Discussion (Trains.com)
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[quote user=“coborn35”]

[quote user=“wrinnsbumboy”]

“…the likelihood of a Big Boy running again for any stretches longer than a few miles are probably about as close to zero as you can get. …the problem at hand is all about infra-structure and not at all about whether the UP or anybody does or doesn’t want to do it… [loco restoration] would be no where near the expense that would be required to bring the infrastructure (right of way) to the conditions necessary to run a Boy Boy. Somebody [Steve Lee] said there are still 2 turntables left still big enough to turn a BB and possibly more if you allow for turning them overhanging the TT [which was the way they were always turned]…”

The turning issue is a complete red herring, propagated by Lee and the UP - who just don’t want to do another locomotive. There are wyes all over the place that could accommodate a Big Boy. Not only have they failed to restore anything new since the 1980’s (when 3985 was done), but they refuse even to entertain the idea of doing anything more - like a 4-8-2, or a Pacific, for example. They take our money through fees on models and spend it to promote Republic politicians and put lousy paint schemes on ugly SD70ACes.

"…the infrastructure (re bridges, track, ROW) for operating between any of those TT’s is not set up top handle the BB [Nonsense. AC4400’s are ballasted to an axle loading of 35 tons, heavier than a Big Boy. Two combined equal the length of a Big Boy and weigh almost as much - 844,000 lbs.]. Steve Lee [our hero!] mentions in Vol 3, that the UP does not even own a single Big Boy (like others have also mentioned) so for starters, they can’t restore one. [Nonsense. Lots of groups restore engines they don’t own.] He then went on to say that even if somebody were to donate one to them to restore it would ne

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And quickly at that.

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UP made many generous donations of steam locomotives to museums and various parks when steam days ended…This isn’t to mention the expense to lay a special track to get these monsters to the city parks…It would have been a lot less hassle for them to tow these monsters to a scrap yard and get paid for their scrap value…

So, doe’s the UP need the 844 and 3985 for public relations and good will…???

What’s in it for the UP???

Not to mention the expense of keeping these two steamers up to FRA standards,but also a complete lineup of passenger equipment to pull behind them…and then lets not mention the three E diesels.

I would like to thank the U P for their generous contributions to history preservation…

A grateful railfan

BDT

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The bottom line is this

If you can run a Challenger (3985) on a particular piece of track, you can run a 4000 series engine as they are not all that much bigger.

A wye will allow you to turn them around just as easy as a 3900.

As far as weight goes the 4000’s are a little heavier but not all that much.

The big issue is what do you feed that monster. Coal is a PITA to deal with and the voracious appetite those beasts had would cost a bloody fortune today.

I live near Portland Oregon and have helped out working on the 4449 and the fuel cost for that engine are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination and its nowhere near the size of a 4000

The cost to refurbish a 4000 would be high but the operational costs would be astronomical as the cheap fuel that was available in the 40’s and 50’s is a thing of the past.

UP did successfully convert one 4000 series engine to run oil. It was done during a time when a coal strike was a possibility and they wanted to explore the possibility of using oil.

It was successful but the strike was avoided and the overall cost of using oil did not offer any savings so the converted it back to coal.

Look at it this way, the 3985 was a coal burner and it is not all that much smaller than a 4000

The 3985 does fine on oil and so would a 4000.

The 4000’s were designed to do a job and they did it well. The engine was designed to haul a 4700+ ton train over the wasatch mountains and it did that just sweet.

To rebuild one of these monsters to play with on a little excursion train is obsurd.

It would be fun but certainly not in any way shape or form cost effective

I dont believe a 4000 ever pulled a passenger train. I wont state for absolute positive because its possible one got yanked somewhere when they needed to move power to some other part of the railroad and deadheading was impractical.

We have to remember that ma