Western Railroad Discussion > The Big Boy... with Freight!

That's right!  You heard correctly.  Freight! 

Before leaving Kansas City on Tuesday, the Big Boy dropped off many of its passenger cars for transportation back to the shops in Council Bluffs, and for whatever reason, upon leaving Topeka today, they picked up ten clean, WFRX covered hoppers for the trip west to Salina.  Admittedly, the "sunlight" for a westbound in the morning on a cloudy day was questionable, but there was no way that I could pass up this opportunity!

Photo 1: Departing Topeka, as seen from Button Rd., MP 70 on the UP Kansas Sub

Photo 2: Further west along the KP, the train is seen rolling through the town of Wamego, KS on UP's Salina Sub.  There were TONS of school children out here on a field trip of sorts today, which I thought was pretty great.  It's not every day that these kids will get this sort of opportunity in their town, especially with the rumors of UP's sale of the KP.

Thanks for looking,
- Jeff Carlson

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In case you’re one who prefers video over still photos, here you go!  This was taken in Wamego, KS and some of the students referenced above can be seen at the end of the video.  Pretty cool!  If you would have told me a few years ago that I would ever get to see an operational Big Boy, I would have laughed at you. Had you mentioned that it would be hauling freight as well, I would’ve had some serious questions for you regarding your mental fitness.

- Jeff Carlson 

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Nice series Jeff! Nice to see some tonnage behind 4014....

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

What? No Caboose?   lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 16:32 by LarryB.

No graffiti anywhere :-)

Posted from iPhone

Yeah, I don't think that was accidental.

- Jeff

DJ-12 Wrote:
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> No graffiti anywhere :-)
>
> Posted from iPhone

Grab 'em while they're fresh!
Boxcars, UP. Lots and lots of boxcars for Big Boy to pull. 

Wow, 10 cars

Most likely, 10 empty cars.

Out

Looks very nice Jeff
Brian Stevens

Posted from iPhone

PSR in action!

TJY

That's good for a start.  Let's hope they get the BOY firing really good and hook on another hundred cars some time.  Wouldn't that be fun ?  Maybe a unit of new unmolested. grain hoppers.  Not stacks, please.

Somewhere in my junk, I've got a photo and original negative of a Milwaukee Road Hiawatha 4-6-4 with 84 inch drivers, pulling a freight train.  It was brand new on a break in run.  Looked really strange.

Craig Hanson
Vay, Idaho

 

They are mty. listen to them or stop it and look at the springs.

UP 4014 looks good with some freight behind it! Nice shots!

Larry

Not so quick there. Check the chalk marks on the smokebox door, top left side.




bnsfsd70 Wrote:
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> Yeah, I don't think that was accidental.
>
> - Jeff
>
> DJ-12 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No graffiti anywhere :-)
> >
> > Posted from iPhone

Okay...I'll bite.  Many seem to scoff at the pulling abiltiy of this Big Boy...for example...kind of laughing at pulling ten empty hoppers.

Why is that Big Boy now limited in the tonnage it can handle...what's changed?

Was it a "pulling fraud" in its heyday?

It is running...what limits the tonnage it can handle.

Thanks for any kind response.

Time for W. Camp to jump in.  I think it's been explained on here before, but it seems to me that the Big Boy is able to make 300PSI of steam, but it MAY not have the ability to continue making enough steam quickly enough, under heavier loads.  It was designed for use with coal for fuel originally, and it could take more work on the oil burner arrangement to make it fire better.  They tried only one Big Boy altered to run on oil and changed it back to coal.  The whole inside of the firebox has to be designed differntly to get the most out of the fuel used.  It will probably take more tweeking to get it perfected.  I hope they do it.  They've done a pretty good job on it so far.  There's a lot more to it than just hitting a starter button.

C Hanson
Vay, Idaho

Cool, a mixed freight with shades of PSR.
I remember one trip out of North Platte eastbound we had our usual support cars and a block of empty covered hoppers billed for a grain elevator along the way. After we were out on the mainline for a while the dispatcher woke up and called us on the radio. A conversation began between the dispatcher and Steve regarding these cars. The dispatcher instructed Steve to cancel the setout and bring the hoppers to Council Bluffs. Steve said we can set them out as scheduled and the dispatcher said we couldn't. Steve asked why not and the dispatcher stated (as we had heard many times before) You are a steam locomotive. Laughter erupted in the cab and Steve replied "How did they spot cars at the elevator in 1948?" Silence was what followed. The dispatcher said that the locomotive would be too heavy for the elevator track. Aha, finally a real concern. We explained that with our support equipment behind the locomotive, it would never touch the lighter rail. And so we were graced, OK but be careful.
Well, we arrive in town and pull down to the elevator track with a small group of admirers including the elevator manager and workers looking at us stopping in front of their business. We began to draw interesting looks on the people around us. The conductor cut off the caboose and we began to set out the elevators cars. We actually had to sit a minute while the elevator crew took photos of us spottting their cars for them. And then a short discussion took place between Steve in the cab and the manager of the elevator. We gave him a quick visit to the cab and then went back out to the main to grab our caboose. 
We were off to Council Bluffs and we had made a small Midwestern town and especially a shipper very happy.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

callum_out Wrote:
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> Most likely, 10 empty cars.
>
> Out

i think you're one of 3 people who cares whether or not they're loaded 

WAF Wrote:
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> Wow, 10 cars
So what? no matter what they do its always good for another stupid comment on TO by some.