Steam & Excursion > Chasing UP 4014 Advice

Good morning all! So now that I live in SD and am actually close enough to see the Big Boy in action, I'd like to venture out this Sunday, June 11 to get a glimpse. I'm not really interested in seeing her sitting idle in Omaha, I wanna see her in action! I figured I'd catch her departing at either Columbus or Fremont but I guess what I'm asking is for some advice or resources to be able to track where grade crossings are, or perhaps where some good photo/video spots between there and Council Bluffs, IA are for catching her. I also have a friend going with me who is curious about steam, so I'd really like to show him a good time. 

Any help is appreciated, thanks guys!

Searching YouTube for videos of previous excursions to get an idea of what I'd want to see is where I'd start. If you're lucky they'll have locations in the description. Then plot those out on Google maps, look at the schedule and make a SWAG if it's feasible. If you're after good photos or video you'd have to set up for at each spot, the chasing motorcade is likely to kill the possibility of multiple shots between stops. If you're just out to see it as much as possible, I'd look for long stretches of decent road(preferably highway) parallel to the tracks. This day in age, I'd go with the latter. There will be plenty of people doing the former and you can just see what they post. That's pretty much how I planned it the few times I've chased steam in an area I wasn't already familiar with. Stay 25 feet back, have fun and good luck!

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/23 07:27 by A-1.

Shot 844 several times coming into Lexington NE, nice and open to the West and good access.

Out 

dcoursey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good morning all! So now that I live in SD and am
> actually close enough to see the Big Boy in
> action, I'd like to venture out this Sunday, June
> 11 to get a glimpse. I'm not really interested in
> seeing her sitting idle in Omaha, I wanna see her
> in action! I figured I'd catch her departing at
> either Columbus or Fremont but I guess what I'm
> asking is for some advice or resources to be able
> to track where grade crossings are, or perhaps
> where some good photo/video spots between there
> and Council Bluffs, IA are for catching her. I
> also have a friend going with me who is curious
> about steam, so I'd really like to show him a good
> time. 
>
> Any help is appreciated, thanks guys!

Columbus area first is better . I prefer west of Columbus . Then stop again between Columbus and Fremont and then again between Fremont and Valley. Next get on I-80 East to downtown Omaha and get on the 10 th St. bridge over the UP and BNSF. UP tracks are on the north side.  Safe and fun travels. You'll be impressed by the 4014. 

Name of the game is to shoot and move. Have to have a route that doesn’t parallel the tracks as the train moves around 40 mph therefore traffic will also move at that speed. US 30 will be a zoo but with US30 east of Columbus being mostly 4 lanes it might be manageable to get ahead. Plan for shots before and after each scheduled stop.

If you have the ability to chase the day before farther west between North Platte and Kearney would likely yield more opportunities as you can shoot then hop on I-80 and fly to the next town ahead of the train.

Have fun and be careful. There will be some crazy drivers doing dumb things. Don’t let it get under your skin.

That's the nice thing about shooting in the Lexington area, you can jump right back on 80 and head for
Kearney at 75 and easily beat the train. 

Out 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/23 19:23 by callum_out.

That's what's funny, 40 for 4014, but before it was was restored, 844 and 3985 hauled butt across that stretch keeping the fans on their toes all the time!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> That's what's funny, 40 for 4014, but before it
> was was restored, 844 and 3985 hauled butt across
> that stretch keeping the fans on their toes all
> the time!

I did one chase from Cheyenne to North Platte back then. It was a blast. I would love to see a steam engine scream by at 80mph again.
But now that I’m older and wiser I think I prefer the slower pace. Trade off is more people keep up but you can get more locations without grossly exceeding the speed limit all the time.

Be safe, keep your cool--- expect some people, driving or standing by, to be not safe. 
 Been there, done that, had the t-shirt.  ;>/

Allow several hours to scout locations and pick your spot.  Best to have some link to facebook(?) or other people / media that may offer updates on a delay or problem.  

My experiences with 3985 on numerous Frontier Days and other excursions was to try to avoid any crowd when possible. Takes more time and a hike or other effort.   That doesn't work all the time, but definitely my preference. 

I wanted to thank you all for your advice on chasing 4014. I had a fantastic time on Sunday. Started off in Columbus and followed her to Fremont where I caught some pics. 

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Also caught a handsome GP-30 with an interesting moniker...

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