Steam & Excursion > UP 3985 ... asking the same question I asked in 1973

GRNDMND's great #3985 IOTD post brought back fond memories of good times and good friends ... what follows are 9 of them, in 3 segments, with very short notes ...

1. Here's a shot I took on Feb. 25, 1973 in Cheyenne .... at the time I wondered what would be the future of this war horse ....
2. On Mar. 25, 1981 the future showed up in the form of this shakedown run form Cheyenne, here shown at Eaton, CO. There were certainly others shooting pics of this
historic event but ours was just a trio: Howard, his son Pete and myself.
3. Howard Fogg waiting to shoot movies at La Salle, CO. He was also the reason for the last 4 pics of this post that I took from the cab of 3985 in 1988.

Now, all these years later, the same question I wondered about in 1973 has returned ....

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4. & 5. @ La Salle, CO on 3/25/81
6. near Colores WY on 10/1/88



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/20 08:27 by valmont.

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these 3 in Sherman Hill area on 10/1/88



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/20 08:28 by valmont.

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An excellant question Vince, then and now. We know the answer to the former, it's history. It's the answer to to the latter that we will all wait to hear and or see. I will add a caveat to my
earlier post, in that my first view and photo of 3985 is similar to your first image here. It was of the big girl sitting there at that same spot in Cheyenne in July of 1969. 

KC

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Looks like another 3900 behind 3985--do you recall the number?

thanks for the great pictures
D.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/20 11:42 by dougd.

Don't suppose you have any scenes of the other chasers on the shakedown run?  My dad and I found out at the last minute and gave chase in our green VW Rabbit.

dougd Wrote:
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> Looks like another 3900 behind 3985--do you recall
> the number?
>
> thanks for the great pictures
> D.

I was thinking #3977 which is now at North Platte but it shows it was donated in 1968

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/20 12:29 by Spoony81.

Its 4023.

I was first in Cheyenne during 1968.  We took the Denver to Yoder 8444 excursion, and got off at Cheyenne somehow.  Went into the yard and there was a line-up of engines there, including 3985, 4023, maybe 4005, and maybe 5511, and another one or two.  The line-up dwindled over time and some got put in the roundhouse like 5511, while others were sent for display like 4023.  1968 was less than 10 years from their last operations.  My dad was lucky enough to visit Cheyenne and Laramie in 1954.
Greg Scholl
http://www.gregschollvideo.com

Really good thread. Always wandered what the steam program would have looked like if copy19 and cannonball had hijacked the 4023 for destination Cheyenne. Nice catch of Mr Fogg also.

It's not another #3900 behind #3985. There's no shield, or place for one on the smokebox door. It's a Big Boy, most likely #4023. Could possibly be #4005, which was donated to the Forney Museum in Denver in June, 1970.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/20 18:30 by davew833.

So many times we made break in runs to LaSalle Colorado to turn on the wye track there and servidce the loco to return to Cheyenne.
And it was on those very brief layovers that i would get to visit with Howard Fogg and his friend Hank Townsend (a defintie Pennsy man).
Also in your 7th photo that is Steve Lee on the cab apron plate and at the throttle is M. "Tuff" Samuelson.
 

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/20 05:53 by Bob3985.

Them were the days.......

Was delighted to see your slide of UP 3985 at Colores, WY on 10/1/88 . I was fortunate to have ridden that excursion , sponsored by the Intermountain Chapter of the NRHS. Of all the steam excursions I've ridden , none offered more photo stops and perfect weather for photos than that trip !   --Kelly

Great stuff and subject Valmont!, like all the rest of your great stuff.
Never really saw a picture of Mr. Fogg before, kind of reminds me of Ed Sullivan (the TV show host) :-)

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/20 09:17 by RailRat.