Steam & Excursion > UP Big Boy more details

We left this NewsWire item open to the public because we know you'll want to read all about this amazing development. Jim


http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2012/12/Union%20Pacific%20looking%20to%20restore%20Big%20Boy%20for%20excursion%20service.aspx

Thanks for sharing that. Good luck UP, and to your fine people. Looking forward to this happening.

Al Seever
Phoenix, AZ

The third party comment in the Trains article is interesting - hadn't heard that detail before. I wonder who approached UP about restoring a Big Boy?

-James
http://www.steamtrainvideos.com

typebangin Wrote:
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> I wonder who approached UP about restoring a Big Boy?

"Our investigations indicate the third party is a man named Danny Bishop." - Geraldo Rivera

johnacraft Wrote:
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> typebangin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I wonder who approached UP about restoring a Big
> Boy?
>
> "Our investigations indicate the third party is a
> man named Danny Bishop." - Geraldo Rivera


Now THAT is hilarious!!!

The article says an operating engine would be converted to burn oil. Seems to me UP tried that and it didn't work out so well.

HotWater Wrote:
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> Now THAT is hilarious!!!


I'm here all week.

Try the veal, and don't forget to tip your servers.

This will be an interesting story to follow.

Here is UP #4014 in service in Cheyenne, Wyoming in October, 1957.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/12 15:37 by LoggerHogger.

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I snapped this tourist while cab docent this fall at LA fair Pomona.
Also snapped 4014 in fair parking lot earlier. and cab.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/12 16:04 by Spikes.

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Third party: The Greenbrier express?


The article also said that UP would give some thing to Pomona for this. 3985?

I would rather see the 2-10-4 restored.

I could be wrong, but giving a perfect, operating Challenger to an outdoor museum, only one of two, I say the chances are totally zero....they sure better be zero.

I sure agree with OKTrainboys. I would sure hope that 3985 doesn't end up in the outdoor display.

Big Dream
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In the 2020, have the UP Big Boy and UP Challenger 3985 doublehead over Sherman Hill


Drool Drool Drool Drool

I thought the current infrastructure could no longer handle something that large?

UP 4017 at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay Wisconsin (Summer 2012)

Me in the cab of UP 4017 (Summer 2012)


NRM has done a nice job on this unit :^)

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Interior cab shot of the UP 4017 in Green Bay Wisconsin (Summer 2012)

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OKTrainboys Wrote:
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> I could be wrong, but giving a perfect, operating
> Challenger to an outdoor museum, only one of two,
> I say the chances are totally zero....they sure
> better be zero.

Well, let's think about possibilities here.

Which is easier to maintain: 3985 or a 4000? I'd bet 3985, at least by a little.
Which can probably run on more of the system? Again, probably 3985?
Which is currently working? At the momennt, neither.
Which is restorable? Almost certainly both 3985 and 4014.
Which could be stored for a while in a dry safe area with little or no deterioration? Either.
Which would probably give 'more bang for the buck' as 150th publicity? Probably the 4000.
Which would probably be more desirable to run, except as a special event? Probably 3985.

Pomona isn't (can't) give up 4014 without a very obvious replacement of equal or better quality. They are tenants of Fairplex, and these days it is being run by a bean counter, who has been throwing out 'heritage exhibits' left and right over the last 5 years, replacing them with things like an expansion of the 'fun zone' and 'shopping areas'. The historical exhibit doesn't draw a big crowd compared to the shopping buildings or fun zone. If they lose a major attraction and get an SW1 in its place, or just empty space, I can almost guarantee they will be looking for a new hunk of land to lay their track.

Now, taking out a big black hunk or ironwork and replacing it with another hunk of historical iron (or possibly two) would be good. Especially if the new iron happened to be painted in bright colors that would draw in some people to look at it. They might still lose their lease, but it would be a lot less likely.

Given all of the above, I'd be willing to bet on the POSSIBILITY of a short-term trade between Pomona and Cheyenne. Pomona gets not completely restored 3985 for display and safe-keeping thru 2020, and UP gets 4014 for restoration and display thru 2020. If Pomona wants to complete restoration on 3985 on their dime, they are free to do so (they won't, of course).

At 2020, Pomona would get the Big Boy back in running condition as an oil burner.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/12 19:11 by lwilton.

Since hearing this news, I've been sitting in my back yard looking up to the sky. I haven't seen a flying pig yet, but you never know.

Here might be the other thing we haven't thought of. What if something is very wrong with the 3985 that they feel is going to cost potentially as much as a 4000 to restore. This could be their sole motivation for wanting to go ahead and get the biggest they had restored. Rail infrastructure is still being strengthened to the 315k standard and I bet we see if continue up. They already know almost all the railroad and it's clearance problems and know where the challenger can run. It shouldn't be a big deal to figure out where a big boy can run. I haven't heard much buzz out there about the 3985 and would bet that there may be a bigger issue to keep it running than we know.

Joe

#3985 is one of my favorite restored locomotives and I've ridden behind it a number of times starting with an unusually snowy excursion over Sherman Hill in October 1984. Still, it's been operating for 30+ years in post-restoration service and I'm probably not the only fan who wouldn't mind seeing it moved to temporary display status in Pomona if it meant seeing #4014 return to operation. Alternately, UP could also offer the only remaining 2-10-2 in the world, #5511, for display there.

#3985 is arguably not as significant in the history of UP as #844 OR any of the Big Boys since it wasn't the "last steam locomotive delivered" or the "only steam locomotive never retired" or the "biggest ever built". As I understand it, #3985's restoration was initiated as a personal project for the UP steam crew and only gained the full weight of UP corporate sponsorship later on. In other words, it was not a carefully considered, focus-group vetted, top-down corporate decision designed for maximum PR value as this Big Boy project seems like it might be. If UP had made a top-down decision that they needed another operating steam engine in the late '70s when the restoration of #3985 began, who says they wouldn't have chosen a Big Boy at that time instead? They still owned #4023 at the time, and it was probably in as good a shape as #3985. #3985 owes its significance to its history as an excursion engine and the fact that it's one of only two remaining Challengers left in the world. Perhaps UP has an eye to retire and preserve it on that basis now. After all, there are 8 "Big Boys" left, almost one third of the total production of 25.

The good thing for foamers if the restoration actually happens is that UP can do it without the benefit of the revenue from excursion tickets that they probably wouldn't buy anyway (and UP likely won't sell.) They can take all the pictures they want to their heart's content and not feel guilty. (Not that they'd feel guilty anyway.)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/13 17:25 by davew833.