Steam & Excursion > Big Boy Tour Question

We haven't heard much about the Big Boy Tour lately. could they be waiting for Silvis to return the
completed 4014 tender

Out 

Stay tuned to the official steam club Facebook page for limited information no schedule and heavy moderation.. insert eye roll.

In all seriousness anything is possible but I would be suprised. In a recent news release on railfan.com the tender has been sandblasted and a coat of primer has applied now it is going back to the shop for wheel work. I don't know what all is left in the conversion, is the tank built and installed? How much plumbing is left to do? The tender still needs the final paint job, will that be done at silvis or cheyenne? Then of course the tender still needs shipped back to cheyenne. Will be interesting to see what happens. Who knows maybe a swap will be made while on the tour.

The Silvis report was exactly that, tender is in the works and has been blasted and primed but that sounded like just the start, wheel/spring/brake work along with oil bunker and plumbing awaits, or they may be on it as we type. They do seem to get a lot done in that shop so maybe the exchange is part of the schedule? The recent UP Steam Shop Tour showed the 4014 undergoing maintenance and installation of a new boiler jacket. Can't wait to see the finished product, the jacket work looked excellent. No updates on the tour schedule tho..

Cheers, Dave

 

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry if I've been out of the loop. So the Big Boy
> Tender is being returned to the Big Boy? Now both
> locos will be oil-fired?
>
> Victor Baird

UP 3985 has been oil fired since its conversion from coal in the '80's (correct on the decade?) and 4014 oil fired since its restoration. It was simpler and faster to borrow 3985's tender than convert 4014's so when 3985 was donated to the Midwest group, part of the deal was 4014's tender behind 3985 would be converted and restored for '14 and the '85's tender would be returned to its rightful locomotive. I believe 3985's tender is original to the locomotive.

Cheers, Dave

Hillcrest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sorry if I've been out of the loop. So the Big
> Boy
> > Tender is being returned to the Big Boy? Now
> both
> > locos will be oil-fired?
> >
> > Victor Baird
>
> UP 3985 has been oil fired since its conversion
> from coal in the '80's (correct on the decade?)

3985 was converted to oil during the summer of 1990

4014 is hanging thru depot days in may in Chian , i like to speculate they may dash out to the college world series after, important event in Omaha

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We haven't heard much about the Big Boy Tour
> lately. could they be waiting for Silvis to return
> the
> completed 4014 tender
>
> Out 

I dont have any first hand knowledge of the work being done. But having seen recent photos of the stage of the restoration of the tender they’re in, it would seem highly unlikely they have the exchange done this year.

Posted from iPhone

You'd think by now that they would give some indication of the tour route and dates but I doubt it's all
that far up the priority ladder at the moment.

Out 

UP Steam Program:   Gone but Not Forgotten......

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You'd think by now that they would give some
> indication of the tour route and dates but I doubt
> it's all
> that far up the priority ladder at the moment.
>
> Out 

Lightning_Slinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP Steam Program:   Gone but Not
> Forgotten......
>
Yes, as we remember it as anyway.

Lightning_Slinger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP Steam Program:   Gone but Not
> Forgotten......

Regardless of the regime, UP Steam has been good about posting schedules well in advance. Don't think I would have been able to catch the 844, 3985, and 4014 across state lines otherwise. Let's hope that's still true, so people can plan their time off accordingly.

As for your comment, I'm beginning to enjoy living my life backwards. It's great to live a life of little or no regrets.

They said they were going to visit "every corner" of the UP system, though I have seen no announcement of a return to Southern California which would be an actual corner of the UP system compared to Roseville. Hopefully they come back down here and they just had not finalized that yet.

The level of planning and reconnisance involved in a trip like this is huge and probably a lot of adjustments or changes occur  before finalizing the trip.