Steam & Excursion > UP 4014 East to West next year

I just read on Trains news that UP’s Jim Vena announced they are working on a full east coast to west coast tour with UP 4014 collaborating with Norfolk Southern for the eastern part of the tour. Will be interesting to hear how this all pans out as time gets closer. I wonder if this might get BNSF on board with their own tours next year on their system with other steam locomotives ready to go.

BNSF has options around their system with SP4449 and SP&S 700 in the Pacific Northwest, Santa Fe 3751 in Southern California, Santa Fe 2926 in New Mexico and Milwaukee Road 261 in the Midwest.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/25 12:50 by GNRocky.

Options with 4449 and 700? They need PTC! Wonder how that's going to work out..Along with 261, 3751



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/25 14:14 by CR6377.

CR6377 Wrote:
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> Options with 4449 and 700? They need PTC! Wonder
> how that's going to work out..Along with 261, 3751

If BNSF was actually interested and talking to any of these groups, I’m sure they would do what it took to make PTC happen. There just has not been any opportunities to justify the costs.

Posted from iPhone

Up's blitz is most likely all about their merger with NS,  nothing more.

GNRocky Wrote:
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> CR6377 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Options with 4449 and 700? They need PTC!
> Wonder
> > how that's going to work out..Along with 261,
> 3751
>
> If BNSF was actually interested and talking to any
> of these groups, I’m sure they would do what it
> took to make PTC happen. There just has not been
> any opportunities to justify the costs.

Please be advised that 4449 is NOT "ready to go" on main long distance movements, besides the PTC crap. We no longer have a main line experienced crew, as we are all way too old. Also, BNSF management really doesn't give a crap about ANY "touring steam locomotives", since they have a really big railroad to run!

how many months/years did it take
 for logistics for the AFT?

masterphots Wrote:
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> Up's blitz is most likely all about their merger
> with NS,  nothing more.

the trip was planned before that, up-ns been talking for at least 18 months at this point i think

the nations 250th  waqs the initial  draw, now  to hype the merger, horeshoe curve was considered earlier, but now,? Ed mentioned he had been reviewing a bunch of routes.

Hopefully 844 will be along for the ride.

Mike6640-2 Wrote:
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> how many months/years did it take
>  for logistics for the AFT?

What does THAT have to do with the subject at hand?

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GNRocky Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CR6377 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Options with 4449 and 700? They need PTC!
> > Wonder
> > > how that's going to work out..Along with 261,
> > 3751
> >
> > If BNSF was actually interested and talking to
> any
> > of these groups, I’m sure they would do what
> it
> > took to make PTC happen. There just has not
> been
> > any opportunities to justify the costs.
>
> Please be advised that 4449 is NOT "ready to go"
> on main long distance movements, besides the PTC
> crap. We no longer have a main line experienced
> crew, as we are all way too old. Also, BNSF
> management really doesn't give a crap about ANY
> "touring steam locomotives", since they have a
> really big railroad to run!


There isn’t anyone? ANYONE?! Who belongs to the group or who are friends with the group that you feel is “qualified” to operate the locomotive on the mainline? Not a single person in the membership or who have close ties?

That’s unfortunate.

Posted from iPhone

The Friends of the #4449 has a very experiened crew to run the engine and can be easiy qualified to run on any railroad if access was granted. When the 49 runs locally out of the OHRC in PDX, the crew of the 700 and 4449 can run either engine flawlessly.  Yea folks are getting older and maybe Doyle and others may not to want to work 8 to 10 hours ion hot, humid weather in the cab but there are others who know how to run those engines and are as good as any engineer and can do it seamlessly.  I woulds like to hear HOT WATER opinion here.  I know he is qualifieid on UP and has fired and run the #4449 going back to the AFT days of the mid 70's all across the great land of ours.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/25 23:35 by weather.

My bet is on a 4014 only show, pending the merger, and the BNSF and UP aren't exactly the best of friends right now, so any 250th steam engine collaborations are probably not going to happen between the two railroads, but maybe separately yes?
The pending merger and the Nation's 250th are probably two separate subjects in thier eyes for now.
I'm thinking 4014 will do the tour, with some kind of 250th logo on her flanks or smoke lifters or one of the tenders maybe?
They might combine the merger and 250th at same time, with some kind of catchy phrase like "Worlds Biggest Steam Engine...Nation's Largest Railroad" ?

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/25 01:47 by RailRat.

President Trump has offered his view that the United States should have a big, beautiful 250th birth day celebration.  He might be interested in assisting this project.

BNSF would have a Pilot on board any steam train in any case..  That is one qualification which I think is needed along with a qualified steam crew. 

czuleget Wrote:
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> BNSF would have a Pilot on board any steam train
> in any case.. 


The Union Pacific also has a Pilot Crew on board every place the steam locomotive/locomotives go, and they always have.


That is one qualification which I
> think is needed along with a qualified steam
> crew. 


Any Pilot Crew must be familiar/qualified on their own specific territory. A Pilot Crew does NOT have to be "steam qualified".

>
> There isn’t anyone? ANYONE?! Who belongs to the
> group or who are friends with the group that you
> feel is “qualified” to operate the locomotive
> on the mainline? Not a single person in the
> membership or who have close ties?
>
> That’s unfortunate.
>
> Posted from iPhone

There are plenty of steam qualified people who could assist if the 4449 was contracted to do a run.

Bill Stetler
Steve Sandburg
and even Ed Dickens if he wasn’t busy on one of the UP engines just to name a few.

GNRocky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > There isn’t anyone? ANYONE?! Who belongs to
> the
> > group or who are friends with the group that
> you
> > feel is “qualified” to operate the
> locomotive
> > on the mainline? Not a single person in the
> > membership or who have close ties?
> >
> > That’s unfortunate.
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> There are plenty of steam qualified people who
> could assist if the 4449 was contracted to do a
> run.


Not really.


> Bill Stetler
> Steve Sandburg
> and even Ed Dickens if he wasn’t busy on one of
> the UP engines just to name a few.

Bill Stettler has always been the Second Engineer for 4449 on long runs. Bill may even be retired now.

It would be interesting to see how close UP/NS could take 4014 to Schenectady, where it was built.

Tom Coughlin
Stow, MA

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/25 06:43 by tomcough.

some of the big engine steam guys in the east, CP may have indivuduals that could assist?

dan Wrote:
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> some of the big engine steam guys in the east,

The "big steam" locomotives in the east are coal burners.

CP
> may have indivuduals that could assist?

Two of the CP "steam guys" are already from the 4449 crew, i.e. Justin Tracy and Mike Manwiller.