Steam & Excursion > Ride "Big Boy" 4014 UP steam special in 4 weeks!

Tickets are on sale at Railgiants.org for Oct 12 or 13 over the famous Cajon Pass and Mojave Desert between Colton and Barstow on the luxury 1950's steam train! Breakfast, lunch, gifts, and motor coach are included. Proceeds benefit the Railgiants Museum and engine collection at Pomona. Various classes and seating available. Total time on the train est. 5-6 hours. Total round trip is est. 11-12 hours. Must be age 10 yrs or older. This may never happen again, folks!

This is once in lifetime event.

Why does it take 6 hours to go by bus from the end point back to the beginning point? Is there only one bus?

Helluva price to pay for closed-up train & a bus ride...
Glad I’m on the east coast...

​W.

CPRR Wrote:
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> Why does it take 6 hours to go by bus from the end
> point back to the beginning point? Is there only
> one bus?

Have you driven in Southern California lately?  Any organizer would design plenty of slack to account I-15 and its potential traffic nightmare.

Travel times are only estimates. Steam trains and buses in SoCal - Cajon rail and freeway heavy traffic can vary up to fifty percent. Several buses plan to follow the train at all times as a safety measure. The lowest Big Boy ticket is $350 now. Previous Big Boy tickets were $700 to $5000 a day. The average price to ride a mainline steam train for a day can be near $200.

I wish them every success. Seems to me that with no open windows and a diesel in the consist those ticket prices are sky high. If there were no diesel and open window availability I'd be interested to make the transcontinental trek to enjoy riding behind this icon (even at those prices) but not captive in a sealed car with a dismal probably doing most of the work !!

   IMHO-Ross Rowland

Amen, Brother...

Sounds like a “worser thing”  is chasing/pacing on SoCal highways..,
6-8 cars + a dismal ...doesn’t actually make any difference: braking or powering.

(Actual dynamic braking “retardation” is greatest a slow speeds, higher speeds generates greater ‘watts’....but, less actual braking effect.
On the diesels, the applied magnetic-field, when braking,  to the motors is reduced as speed increases....thus, maintaining limited & constant KW to the grids.... To be effectively held-down, you’d need to drag more than
5 units [today’s power ] in full dynamic.... if BB was doing 50-per.)

​W.

Oh well guess that many of you know they are making so much money as the cost of the trip is almost nothing.  It never fails, there is always the same ones whining about trips in some way.

BAB Wrote:
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> Oh well guess that many of you know they are
> making so much money as the cost of the trip is
> almost nothing.  It never fails, there is always
> the same ones whining about trips in some way.

And yet,,,,,,,,,,you are the same one whining about.................

BCHellman Wrote:
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> CPRR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Why does it take 6 hours to go by bus from the
> end
> > point back to the beginning point? Is there
> only
> > one bus?
>
> Have you driven in Southern California lately? 
> Any organizer would design plenty of slack to
> account I-15 and its potential traffic nightmare.

I live on Los Angeles, believe me I know about the traffic....but it still will not take 5-6 hours to Barstow or back. The busses should be in Barstow well ahead of the chase up. The train is staying in Barstow for the night, so on the way back, there shouldn't be the rail fans slowing down the traffic. On Sunday morning, the busses should not have traffic in the am if traffic is normal.

i suspect the chasing will happen on old Route 66 than the 15 Fwy. 

The best days to chase chase are the ones before ( coming to Colton) and after ( going to AZ). Besides traveling only at 40 mph, the 4014 will be easy to leapfrog over.....

One thing’s for certain...

BB won’t get to superheat temps.... he’ll be a soaker the whole voyage...

Virtually no train, no load, no draft, no white-hot fire, no hot brickwork, plenty cold firebox .....no way you get near superheat...
A wide open blower barley gets the smoke out he stack...

Track grades are surely not gonna tax the fire.....
He was built for long up-grades, long trains, long trips...
Ain't gonna see much of a show.

( Have’ta run with the cylinder cocks open—- just to blow the water out....Hottest piece of apparatus will be the whistle...).
HA  !!


W.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/19 14:40 by wcamp1472.

Disparaging a fundraiser for a train museum. SMH

Jim Lee

co614 Wrote:
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> I wish them every success. Seems to me that with
> no open windows and a diesel in the consist those
> ticket prices are sky high. If there were no
> diesel and open window availability I'd be
> interested to make the transcontinental trek to
> enjoy riding behind this icon (even at those
> prices) but not captive in a sealed car with a
> dismal probably doing most of the work !!
>
>    IMHO-Ross Rowland

I don't think this is whining per se. And I agree with Ross. I think we're all just lamenting the current state of affairs. 

Run it as a mixed, stick half an LAYR in ahead of the passenger equipment and watch the fun. When I think of
the bucks I've given museum/restoration groups with little more than a passing "thanks", having a ticket on a once
in a lifetime train is a nice bonus for a donation.

Out

Well, you know most fans will be trackside and not ride the train regardless if it is accompanied by a diesel and the windows are open or not...

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

(Da fans,..)

That’s a BFO...

​W.

(  *Blinding Flash of the Obvious)...

Bucyrus-Erie Wrote:
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> Disparaging a fundraiser for a train museum.
> SMH
>
> Jim L

^^^THIS^^^

Bucyrus-Erie Wrote:
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> Disparaging a fundraiser for a train museum.
> SMH
>
> Jim Lee

Same people as always. Bitter and bored. 

Bucyrus-Erie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Disparaging a fundraiser for a train museum.
> SMH
>
> Jim Lee

SMH too. Sad to see.

Slashing prices by 50%  early-on, was telling...

If train is half empty...most of revenue received will be eaten up by legitimate expenses...
THEN, how much does the museum actually pocket..?
Will it really turn into a beneficial fund raiser?
( What is the maximum number of seats they could sell;  or, what is the max. passenger capacity ?)

The best way to tell about the stated objective, is to see if other similar  “fund raisers” are added to the future 4014 schedules...
My bet is that there will be no more advertised  ‘fundraisers’.

If you want to help any museum...make a direct donation.
IMHO.

​W.