UP Big Boy to steam again in 2019

[PaulRhB]

It’s at Laramie  got a leaking gland on the front left cylinder. 

Theres several videos up on YouTube 

fast forward to 22 mins on this one

 

 

[298]

I'm at a party, but managed to see the streaming as it arrived.

[PaulRhB]

Nice shot on their twitter feed off the tracking page. 

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/WyoWeeds/status/1124760283136679936/photo/1

 

[KeithHC]

Managed to see the arrival on Railfan Youtube. I did like the nice touch I saw on one of the videos of the first run . Someone had written in chalk on the smokebox door "Big Boy".

 

Keith

[PaulRhB]

9 minutes ago, KeithHC said:

. I did like the nice touch I saw on one of the videos of the first run . Someone had written in chalk on the smokebox door "Big Boy".

Yes going back to the origin of it 

[APOLLO]

She sounds like a Dub Dee at 3 min 25 secs - clink clank clink clank !!!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvKfu_EGZIk

 

Lovely loco - Well done Union Pacific !!!!!

 

Brit15

[DavidB-AU]

 

[DavidB-AU]

If they are going to be doing more double headers, they should put through water pipes on the locos so they don't need to separate them with a water tender. New South Wales did this in regular steam days so multiple locos should share travelling water tanks, which has proved very useful in preservation.

 

Cheers

David

[PaulRhB]

They struggled to get it all in without adding more  they rarely doublehead, only special occasions like this, simply because they don’t need any more power! 

Here’s a bit of history when 8444, out on a test run, came to the assistance of a freight. Steve Lee established qudos for the steam programme just being another loco

 

Mind you nothing has beaten that Challenger on stacks . . . Yet

 

[melmerby]

5 hours ago, APOLLO said:

She sounds like a Dub Dee at 3 min 25 secs - clink clank clink clank !!!!

 

Brit15

Sounded the same when being moved under tow to Cheyenne with the piston rods removed and the valve gear dismantled.

[melmerby]

4 hours ago, DavidB-AU said:

If they are going to be doing more double headers, they should put through water pipes on the locos so they don't need to separate them with a water tender. New South Wales did this in regular steam days so multiple locos should share travelling water tanks, which has proved very useful in preservation.

 

Cheers

David

Maybe if 4014's auxillary tender was black rather than UP's "Building America" livery it wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb?

[railroadbill]

Well some fantastic footage,  hadn't realised that 4014 would double head with 844,  what an incredible sight!

 

This is a very useful thread with the various links,  thanks for that!

[LNER4479]

Some pictures of mine from Saturday - a first ever day spent chasing a train as a 'railfan' in the US.

 

Here we are just a few miles outside Cheyenne, where the 1952 'Harriman Cut Off' route up Sherman Hill branches off from the original route (seen in the background). Train more or less on time at this point but that was not to last.

 

Other than Harriman itself, there is only one other point on the 1952 route that is publicly accessible, fortunately the other side of the booked stop at Harriman so we managed to get past the train and bag this rather satisfying result in full sunshine. 4014 was clearly taking it easy (understandable in the circumstances) and you can see the ridiculous amount of head end power on tap but - hey - I've seen a Big Boy climbing Sherman Hill which was the main object of the exercise.

 

An interesting experience to be part of a US chasing posse of cars - there was as many behind us as in front of us!

 

Taken from the car window during the chase! To be honest, after the excitement of Sherman Hill, the vast plains of Wyoming offer few really great photo spots  - but, hey, it was fun all the same.

 

With all the attention of #4014, it would be easy to overlook No.844, which is a mighty impressive beast in its own right. For those unaware, this was the last steam locomotive delivered to Union Pacific (in 1944) and is remarkable for the fact that it has never been officially retired, remaining in active use (overhauls etc permitting) for publicity / promotional use, sometimes referred to as 'The Living Legend'. Saw her in the steam shops in Cheyenne five years ago undergoing repair so this was the first time I'd seen her in steam. Photo taken as the train rolled in for its stop at the location below.

 

This was the final en route servicing stop of the day at Medicin Bow. The locals were all delighted to see the train, cheering and waving American flags as the train pulled in. This is a live, running railway, with humungous freight trains passing regularly on the other tracks but that didn't stop the crowds getting up close. There was a degree of policing but all generally good humoured and relaxed from what we could see.

 

Final sighting of the day, train now a good two hours late. This it the small town of Hanna and, on this occasion, the sun didn't play 'ball', retreating behind a cloud as the train appeared, only to bathe the scene in brilliant early evening sunshine the moment it had passed. Not that it was a particularly photogenic spot in any case, so more 'for the record' - at least it's a reasonable broadside of the main item of interest.

 

An amazing and at times surreal day. We've headed off elsewhere for a few days now (Jellystone to try and catch up with Yogi Bear and Boo-boo, to be precise) but we hope to catch up again with 4014 and 844 at Ogden on May 9th before heading to Promontory on May 10th. So, hopefully one further update shortly after that.

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by LNER4479

[PaulRhB]

The first two are cracking photos!   There’s something quite mesmerising watching the online videos of her side on. I bet they’ve been busy repacking the front glands which both seem to have been leaking on the test run and the left side on the run. 

[KeithHC]

Well done on the photos you are a lucky man. I have noticed in a couple of the videos it seams 844 is doing all the work. No doubt 4014 will be unleashed one day on her own. I presume the Diesel is just there for rescue and head end power.

 

Keith

[PaulRhB]

I guess this is still very much gentle running in for 4014 as they were making a lot of service stops on Saturday to grease and check bearings. They knew it would be difficult to test it without the test runs becoming a major event. I’m trying not to buy an HO one which I don’t have space to run except at Freemo meets!!!  

[PaulRhB]

When you think back to the start of this thread, 2012!!  Look at the pics of a rather forlorn 4014  

 

[Titan]

I am very impressed, especially as it is running in 2016 when they said it would at the beginning of the project. To get a massive project like this done on time is really good going.

[KeithHC]

2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

I guess this is still very much gentle running in for 4014 as they were making a lot of service stops on Saturday to grease and check bearings. They knew it would be difficult to test it without the test runs becoming a major event. I’m trying not to buy an HO one which I don’t have space to run except at Freemo meets!!!  

I have often wondered about the Revel kit. It's a lot cheaper than an HO one. But could I build an outdoor run just for the Big Boy oh and maybe a 9F.

 

Keith

[298]

I've dug my Revell one out this weekend for another look, apart from the moulded on handrails and full knowledge that like every Airfix kit I've seen that promises but fails to return working valve gear if you carefully glue it together yet still ends up gummed up, it doesn't look too bad for ~£20. 

 

Loco numbers in the kit are 4006 and 4023, without upsetting Uncle Pete would anyone be interested in numbers for 4014...? I need to comission some white decals soon and could add them to the sheet.

[roundhouse]

11 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

I guess this is still very much gentle running in for 4014 as they were making a lot of service stops on Saturday to grease and check bearings. They knew it would be difficult to test it without the test runs becoming a major event. I’m trying not to buy an HO one which I don’t have space to run except at Freemo meets!!!  

I might have to bring my Trix one to Christow

[sncf231e]

Big Boys in various scales:

 

 

The 1 gauge version (4012) is running under its own steam, not since a few days but already for almost 40 years (but not daily):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4tUsnHhyfY

 

Regards

Fred

 

[PaulRhB]

Nice runby here

 

[KeithHC]

11 hours ago, 298 said:

I've dug my Revell one out this weekend for another look, apart from the moulded on handrails and full knowledge that like every Airfix kit I've seen that promises but fails to return working valve gear if you carefully glue it together yet still ends up gummed up, it doesn't look too bad for ~£20. 

 

Loco numbers in the kit are 4006 and 4023, without upsetting Uncle Pete would anyone be interested in numbers for 4014...? I need to comission some white decals soon and could add them to the sheet.

If there where new transfers could they include the chalk Big Boy for the smoke box door.

 

Keith

[298]

2 hours ago, KeithHC said:

If there where new transfers could they include the chalk Big Boy for the smoke box door.

 

Keith

 

I could give it a go when I get the time, but it's be tricky for me, either copying it freehand or scanning a photo.