Union Pacific's Big Boy gets a big welcome in Omaha

[Omaha Steve]

By Jessica Wade / World-Herald staff writer 12 hrs ago

Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam engine was greeted by a crowd in Omaha on Friday evening, an arrival that resulted from more than two years of restoration work.

Big Boy No. 4014 was retired in 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. The railroad obtained the locomotive from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013 and sent it to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for restoration.

No. 4014, the only operational Big Boy left, rolled out of the shop in May, according to Union Pacific.

Flooding in south-central Nebraska had halted the steam engine’s trip across the state this week, but after a detour to Grand Island, Big Boy continued its journey Friday, with stops in Central City, Columbus and Fremont before arriving in Omaha near 12th and Cuming Streets about 6:30 p.m.

FULL story: https://www.omaha.com/news/metro/union-pacific-s-big-boy-gets-a-big-welcome-in/article_266839e6-5487-5d93-9d7c-1ad8f4b35c5c.html

[RKP5637]

1. Amazing!!! I watched the videos on Big Boy some time ago. Amazing restoration!!!!!! n/t

[ProudLib72]

4. I seem to remember watching some of those videos too

But I can't remember how they got the thing into restoration in the first place.

From the article The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds.

Did they break it down or did they use a massive, massive crane to load and unload it from a flatcar?

[hunter]

7. Same way they got it to the fairgrounds in Pomona... by rail.

I remember visiting it with my grandparents in the 'sixties as a crazy-about-trains kid.

This restoration is wonderful.

[wryter2000]

2. I saw one of those

There was a rail fair in Sacramento many years ago, and one of those showed up. It's quite a sight.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Here it is in May. It was sent out to Utah for the 150th anniversary of

the completion of a railroad from Omaha to Sacramento.

Back when they were in regular servivce:

Full disclosure: I am a UNP shareowner. I don't mind seeing my money spent on this at all.

[shanti]

5. Thanks for the link!

Dad was a huge railroad fan and would've loved this.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. I've got lots more where that came from.

Happy 150th anniversary, the (not really) transcontinental railroad

Thousands come from across the country for the Big Boy

Thousands come from across the country for the Big Boy
By Ramsey Scott Wyoming Tribune Eagle May 5, 2019

CHEYENNE – The air was thick with excitement, anticipation and the smell of oil and steam mixed together as the Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 let out a mighty bellow and started on the tracks toward history Saturday.

More than a thousand people crowded every viewpoint they could find to watch the 4014 make its new maiden voyage out of Cheyenne after almost 60 years of retirement. The newly refurbished train has undergone years of rehabilitation by UP in anticipation of this trip to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.
....

The Big Boy 4014 departed Cheyenne on Saturday morning and headed to Harriman, Laramie and Medicine Bow before stopping for the night in Rawlins. The goal is to get to Ogden by Thursday for the city’s Heritage Festival, before heading back to Cheyenne by May 19.

This trip has been marked on the calendars of train lovers the world over as they have waited with anticipation for this behemoth of a locomotive to be brought back to life. Despite some serious doubt that a train that had sat idle for more than half a century could ever operate again, the team at the Union Pacific Steam Shop in Cheyenne made it happen. And just in time for the celebration Saturday.
....

From May 8, 2019:

[demosincebirth]

8. How much tunnage could it haul?

[Omaha Steve]

9. I found this

Power output 6,290 hp. They were capable machines; their rated hauling tonnage was increased several times over the years.

[Omaha Steve]

10. It could haul a 3,600-ton train unassisted up the Wasatch Mountain grade.

Found it.

[Celerity]

11. wowowow, that thing is HUGE, you can just feel the massive power looking at it

wonderful videos!!

THANKS SO MUCH!

[Stuart G]

12. This is a wonderful story, about the largeset locomotive ever made.

Helps to recall the old "steam days" of trains. I think it is worth a read. And if you got time, ...please watch the videos..You will get a feel for what they are like, but I think you got to be there and see, feel and hear the power to get the true picture. I have seen a few steam engines moving along, but never the Big Boy.

[Celerity]

13. biggest steam one left but there were a 4 bigger more powerful that are all scrapped now or only

dispay models.

The most powerful steam locomotive ever:

Pennsylvania Railroad class Q2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_class_Q2

The Pennsylvania Railroad's class Q2 comprised one prototype and twenty-five production duplex steam locomotives of 4-4-6-4 wheel arrangement.

They were the largest non-articulated locomotives ever built and the most powerful locomotives ever static tested, producing 7,987 cylinder horsepower (5,956 kW) on the PRR's static test plant. They were by far the most successful duplex type. The duplex propensity to slip was combated by an automatic slip control mechanism that reduced power to the slipping unit.

The Q2 locomotive was 78% more powerful than the locomotives that PRR had in service at the time, and the company claimed the Q2 could pull 125 freight cars at a speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). These were an improved version of the previous Q1 class, which was a 4-6-4-4 instead of a 4-4-6-4.

Despite overall success, the Q2s were all out of service by 1951. With dieselization, they were the obvious first targets to be withdrawn since they were only a little more capable than the conventional J1 class 2-10-4s but with far higher operating and maintenance costs. The final Q2, 6199's power output is 7,987 hp. All have been scrapped and none are preserved.

snip






The Big Boy was the 5th most powerful ever steam locomotives (6290 cylinder horsepower).

The 4 above it (but 1 is a steam turbine, so not true apples to apples)

1 Pennsylvania Railroad class Q2 I just posted (7987 cylinder hp)

2 Class H-8 'Allegheny' class and 'Blue Ridge' class (identical) 2-6-6-6 type , built by the Lima Locomotive Works (7500 cylinder hp)





3 Pennsylvania Railroad class S1 (7200 cylinder hp)




4 Pennsylvania Railroad class S2 (6900 cylinder hp) (steam turbine)

[denbot]

14. Smoke stack lightning!

Way back when, after dark younger people would gather at the tracks to watch the steam powered locomotives roar by. At night you could see tiny embers shooting out of the stack along with the smoke. Back then it was known as “Smoke stack lightning”.

Howling Wolf had an appropriate tune.