Steam & Excursion > The name BigBoy...

It is said UP was originally going to call the 4-8-8-4 Big Boys the "Wasatch Type", after the tough Wyoming grades they would face. However, as #4000 rolled out of the ALCO plant, a worker chalked "Big Boy" on the smoke box or a rod. It summed up the locomotives nicely, and the name stuck. The name was chalked again in Pomona, CA in 2013 on the smokebox door of #4014, as seen here. (screen capture enlarged)

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Is what may have been the crew's mascot creature going to ride to Colton?

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Will this fellow go also, and who took this pic of Big Boy at Pomona?

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While the name "Big Boy" stuck with the media of the time and has carried on among us railfans, the operating crews of UP never called the 4-8-8-4 engines "Big Boys". To them, they were always referred to as "4000 Class Engines".

Martin

I did this several years ago for a friend on the steam era freight car list who was looking for photos of Big Boys on Sherman Hill.

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pullmanboss Wrote:
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> I did this several years ago for a friend on the
> steam era freight car list who was looking for
> photos of Big Boys on Sherman Hill.


And I'll bet he was much appreciative of your efforts in finding that rare photo too!

KC

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> While the name "Big Boy" stuck with the media of
> the time and has carried on among us railfans, the
> operating crews of UP never called the 4-8-8-4
> engines "Big Boys". To them, they were always
> referred to as "4000 Class Engines".
>
> Martin

Not only for the Big Boys but the UP railroaders always called the Locomotives by their class numbers instead of their wording nomenclature, i.e. Northerns were 800's and such.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

spikes and pullmanboss: LOLOL! Very funny!
Yep, the Big Boy restaurant chain is still around!
(And has dibs on "bigboy.com" -- darn!)

Onward and upward, as a friend used to say!

Hey Spikes my brother and I placed that BIG Boy all over the 4014 , when it is running I will have to put him up there again.

Spikes Wrote:
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> It is said UP was originally going to call the
> 4-8-8-4 Big Boys the "Wasatch Type", after the
> tough Wyoming grades they would face. However, as
> #4000 rolled out of the ALCO plant, a worker
> chalked "Big Boy" on the smoke box or a rod. It
> summed up the locomotives nicely, and the name
> stuck. The name was chalked again in Pomona, CA in
> 2013 on the smokebox door of #4014, as seen here.
> (screen capture enlarged)

Not to mention the V for victory!