Union Pacific 4014 "Big Boy" Steam Train

[bigredseo]

As Monty Python would say, And now for something completely different!

This morning, I was out "chasing trains" and while I've got a handful of pictures, the following is some 4k video of the largest steam engine in the United States.

Today, it was on an excursion run from Omaha Nebraska to Boone Iowa. This is only the second trip for this Steam Engine which was restored about 2 months ago. It took 5 years to restore to operating conditions.

It's a break for the everyday mundane tasks we go through as computer people.

Further information;
UP 4014 - 4-8-8-4 (4 lead wheels, 8 driving weeks, 8 more driving wheels, 4 trailing wheels). The tender also has another 26 wheels!
It was built in December 1941 and retired in December 1961 with only 20 years of service it put just over 1 million miles on it. While there are several static displays around the country (25 were built and 7 still exist), it's the only one that is operational.

132 feet long with a tractive power of 135,375 lbs. There's a reason they call it the "Big Boy"!

I took the video this morning as it was leaving out of Omaha Nebraska and crossing the Missouri River headed east to Chicago. As of that moment, it was the furthest east that it had ever traveled.

https://youtu.be/AWDPM2k3qYY (4k video - a little windy, but still a thrill)

 

[easyhostmedia]

As Monty Python would say, And now for something completely different!

This morning, I was out "chasing trains" and while I've got a handful of pictures, the following is some 4k video of the largest steam engine in the United States.

Today, it was on an excursion run from Omaha Nebraska to Boone Iowa. This is only the second trip for this Steam Engine which was restored about 2 months ago. It took 5 years to restore to operating conditions.

It's a break for the everyday mundane tasks we go through as computer people.

Further information;
UP 4014 - 4-8-8-4 (4 lead wheels, 8 driving weeks, 8 more driving wheels, 4 trailing wheels). The tender also has another 26 wheels!
It was built in December 1941 and retired in December 1961 with only 20 years of service it put just over 1 million miles on it. While there are several static displays around the country (25 were built and 7 still exist), it's the only one that is operational.

132 feet long with a tractive power of 135,375 lbs. There's a reason they call it the "Big Boy"!

I took the video this morning as it was leaving out of Omaha Nebraska and crossing the Missouri River headed east to Chicago. As of that moment, it was the furthest east that it had ever traveled.

https://youtu.be/AWDPM2k3qYY (4k video - a little windy, but still a thrill)

Nothing better than seeing a stream locomotive in action

 

[bigredseo]

This is a much cleaner version from Friday - https://youtu.be/KLIVAYjWyBs

I wish there were more Steam Engines running around, but the rarity makes it a special treat too!

 

[easyhostmedia]

This is a much cleaner version from Friday - https://youtu.be/KLIVAYjWyBs

I wish there were more Steam Engines running around, but the rarity makes it a special treat too!

over here in then UK, any steam train running on the main line need to be attached to a dirty diesel unit, also for some reason The Flying Scotsman gets away with this.

https://youtu.be/l6VEi1auupg

i feel sorry for this guy though

https://youtu.be/zWW57BG8jmQ

 

[bigredseo]

Yeah, the second video has happened to me a few times. Between that, and being totally covered in smoke (wind blowing wrong direction).

Odd that The Flying Scotsman doesn't get the diesel. I know others on their private networks don't need to worry about it, but any disruption on the main line causes delays through the whole country.

There was a proposal to stop ALL mainline excursions on the UK network - and that's still somewhat pending. The problem was that the average speed has increased, and the steam engines can't keep up with it.

We'll see what happens in the future.

 

[easyhostmedia]

Yeah, the second video has happened to me a few times. Between that, and being totally covered in smoke (wind blowing wrong direction).

Odd that The Flying Scotsman doesn't get the diesel. I know others on their private networks don't need to worry about it, but any disruption on the main line causes delays through the whole country.

There was a proposal to stop ALL mainline excursions on the UK network - and that's still somewhat pending. The problem was that the average speed has increased, and the steam engines can't keep up with it.

We'll see what happens in the future.

It is not so bad with Network Rail as more do travel without diesel, but when the tracks were run by railtrack we had accidents every other week.

I was involved in setting up a narrow gauge railway at local colliery museum and running next to museum is a freight line and 1 day a train pulling aluminium blew an oil seal, so was going no where, the driver contacted his bosses to tell railtrack he was broken down and railtracks response was ' no train has broken down as driver had not contacted railtrack' so could you image if it was the mainline and railtrack had allowed a high speed passenger train through because the driver had not told them he has broke down.

 

[Artashes]

This is a much cleaner version from Friday - https://youtu.be/KLIVAYjWyBs

Those wheels are insane! Beautiful trains, beautiful engineering.