Steam & Excursion > Challenger #3977 as Snow Melter 900079

Could anyone shed any light on Union Pacific Challenger #3977's second career as a snow melter (MOW # 900079) after it was officially retired in 1961? How did it perform its snow melting function? Did it still move under its own power?

HotWater? Realist?

When I was in North Platte, Neb during late 1963, getting ready to put the EMD GP35/DD35 Demonstrator set together, I remember seeing the Challenger in the roundhouse. They had shop steam piped into it, and when I inquired as to what the purpose of the steam pipe with all the holes in, attached to the bottom of the pilot was for, the Foreman explained "the plan". It was supposed to be for snow removal at all the turnouts throughout the yard. However, the downside was, unless the MoW "operator" was VERY careful with the steam supply to that pipe under the pilot, not only was the snow removed, but also all the ballast, tieplates, and some spikes! We did get some snow while I was still there, but didn't get to see the Challenger "in action".

So I'm guessing if it had shop steam running into it, the boiler may have just been used for steam storage rather than it actually being fired up? Maybe then it was just pushed around by a diesel to the locations it was needed.

davew833 Wrote:
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> So I'm guessing if it had shop steam running into
> it, the boiler may have just been used for steam
> storage rather than it actually being fired up?
> Maybe then it was just pushed around by a diesel
> to the locations it was needed.

No. They had shop steam piped into it so that it would be ready at a moments notice, i.e. boiler with nice hot water and steam pressure, so that lighting the oil fire took only a few minutes. She would then be quickly ready for "work" by the time a crew showed up, as the roundhouse forces/Hosteler had her ready to go, quickly.

Some additional information from Don Strack's Utahrails.net site:

Most people know that 844 was used as a snow melter in Council Bluffs in late 1959 and early 1960. The 3710 was used as a source of steam for a separate snow melting machine in the North Platte yards occasionally until 1967 or so. However, it was no longer a locomotive; it was classified as a piece of Roadway (maintenance of way) machinery and was numbered 900079. When it was no longer needed for this job, it was donated to the City of North Platte, which renumbered it 3977 (it's original number) and put it on display in Cody Park, where it remains today. I do not know if it moved itself and/or the melting machine in this service or not, but even if it did, it might have looked and sounded like a locomotive but for ICC and accounting purposes it was not. (Steve Lee, May 13, 2001)

The folks at the North Platte Roundhouse, told me that it did indeed move under its own power, when I was there in late 1963.

Thanks HotWater! It sure is a good looking locomotive.

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davew833 Wrote:
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> Some additional information from Don Strack's
> Utahrails.net site:
>
>> Most people know that 844 was used as a snow melter in Council Bluffs in late 1959 and early 1960. The 3710 was used as a source of steam for a separate snow melting machine in the North Platte yards occasionally until 1967 or so. However, it was no longer a locomotive; it was classified as a piece of Roadway (maintenance of way) machinery and was numbered 900079. When it was no longer needed for this job, it was donated to the City of North Platte, which renumbered it 3977 (it's original number) and put it on display in Cody Park, where it remains today. I do not know if it moved itself and/or the melting machine in this service or not, but even if it did, it might have looked and sounded like a locomotive but for ICC and accounting purposes it was not. (Steve Lee, May 13, 2001) <<

This comment by Steve Lee comes from a discussion on the now-defunct Streamliner discussion group back in 2001. The general question was if the new SD24s delivered in 1959, ever operated with or near any of UP's last Big Boy steam locomotives.

http://utahrails.net/up/up-diesel-misc-notes.php#sd24sandbigboys

The miscellaneous notes in the linked page above, come from my efforts to capture UP information in the bits and pieces I've kept over the past 40 years or so, either on paper, or digitally since the late 1990s.

UP 900079 was renumbered from UP 3710 in November 1961, numbered in sequence behind UP 900077/900078, the two-piece Barber-Greene snowmelter machine put into service in March 1959, and before UP 900080, UP's first home-built rotary snow plow, completed in December 1958 as UP 080, and renumbered as UP 900080 in December 1959.

One last bit of trivia, the tender used on UP 900079 when it officially entered snow melting service in November 1961 came from UP 3717, which had been retired in October 1959. This comes from the pages of UP's equipment record, which shows 900079 as a "Roadway Locomotive." The actual modification was likely done sometime in late 1959.

If Jack doesn't mind, I'll add his description about the snow melting device mounted on UP 900079/3710 to the roster listing and a couple other places.

http://www.utahrails.net/up/snowplows-rotary.php#snowmelter900079

When Dave asked his question, I recalled a photo showing the front end of either 844 or 3710 in snow melting service, but was unable to find the photo in any of my books.

Don Strack



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/15 05:29 by donstrack.