UP 4014

It's not 4014, but there's a video of UP Challenger 3985 "guesting" on a 7,600 ton doublestack train in August 1990. It's under SVP reference S16 and the full title is "Union Pacific's Last Steam Giants and heavy freight with 3985". It's a remarkable film and at times the Challenger sounds just like a Jumbo jet-well worth seeing.

 

YouTube clip:

 

The train had been arranged after the head of American President Lines, who's train it was, had asked the head of UP if he could make the arrangements, and after the run he was so impressed with the performance of the Challenger that he reportedly asked UP where he could get more of these locomotives!.

 

Well worth a watch.

 

Very interesting and informative. It shows just what is possible when you have the muscle and commitment of a big company behind you. What a difference such a facility would make in the UK.

 

Recent presentation by Zoom, using Zoom to the Rocky Mountain Rail Road Club

November 2020 RMRRC Meeting - Ed Dickens and UP Steam - YouTube

 

Video on the conversion to Oil Firing, worth a watch

UP Steam Update: Converting Big Boy No. 4014 to Oil - YouTube

 

A most interesting feature guy. I'd presume that they do something similar on other oil fired engines.

 

Yes, i am sure they did the same with 844 and 3985 prior to that as well.

If everything goes to plan, and 2021 sees UP run some excursions, I am going, no doubt, worth subscribing to the UP page for info.

ATVB

 

Had this from UP yesterday, in answer to a question posed from FS thread.

More than 1.1 million people visited Big Boy during the 109 days on tour.
More than 115,000 visited the "Experience the Union Pacific" rail car.
Fans traced the Big Boy's location on the Steam Trace map more than 3.5 million times.
More than 1,500 TV, print and digital news stories were published about the tour with a potential reach of more than 105 million.
We'd like to thank all of you for helping us celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad in 2019. More than 1 million people visited the Big Boy No. 4014 as it travelled on its unforgettable tour across the Union Pacific system.
The celebration began with the christening of No. 4014 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, May 4, followed by the historic double-header excursion where Big Boy was joined with the Living Legend No. 844 as they travelled to Ogden to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at ceremonies held May 9.
The Great Race to Odgen was followed by The Great Race Across the Midwest throughout the summer. The tour season concluded with The Great Race Across the Southwest in the fall. Over 109 days, No. 4014 travelled 8,645 miles though towns, cities and communities in 17 states Union Pacific is proud to serve.
No doubt thousands of photos and videos were taken at tour stops and locations along the way, many of which you shared on the UP Steam Club Facebook group – thank you! In fact, fans posted more than 55,000 photos, videos and stories, helping us record this very special moment in history.
We're proud of everyone who helped make the 2019 steam season a success, and we're thankful that you helped us keep safety at the forefront during these celebrations. We couldn't have done it without you.

 

News received today that an August Excursion is in advanced planning, for 4014.
This from the UP Steam Club.

Big Boy (Coin) In Space

You may have seen this graphic on social media in recent days and wondered just what the heck it meant.



Last month, Astronaut Megan McArthur piloted NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 to the International Space Station, and on board with her is a coin from Union Pacific's Steam Crew. McArthur's son loves trains, and she contacted the Union Pacific Railroad Museum for something train-related that she could take up into space. In honor of the 152nd anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, McArthur plans to show off the coin in space. Follow her on Twitter at @Astro_Megan or Instagram at astro.megan to see it happen!

When McArthur's six-month mission ends, the coin will join the Union Pacific Railroad Museum's permanent collection in Council Bluffs, Iowa.


That's all for now. Be safe, and we'll see you trackside (at least 25 feet away) later this summer!


Union Pacific Steam Club

 

Tours announced for August/September...

 

Union Pacific Steam Club Update No. 16 - June 14, 2021




Stop the speculation, we're moving full steam ahead! Steam Club members are getting the first look at the route for the Big Boy 2021 Tour. Big Boy No. 4014 will depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, Thursday, Aug. 5, traveling through Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. We're still working out the details of overnight and whistle-stops along the way, but we can tell you the Big Boy will be on display at the following locations:

• Saturday, Aug. 14: Fort Worth, Texas
• Tuesday, Aug. 17: Houston, Texas
• Saturday, Aug. 21: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Sunday, Aug. 29: St. Louis, Missouri
• Monday, Sept. 6: Denver, Colorado

Following the Denver stop on Labor Day weekend, the Big Boy and its crew will return to Cheyenne. Stay tuned to the Steam Club for more details, but we wanted to get the word out so you can save the dates!

Big Boy (Coin) In Space



In case you missed it in May, Astronaut Megan McArthur floated a commemorative Steam Crew coin in the weightlessness on the Space Station, tweeting: "We love trains in my family! One day I will take my son to see the reenactment at #GoldenSpike, and we are definitely going to chase down #UP4014 when I get back on Earth. Cheers to the Steam Crew that restored Big Boy Locomotive 4014 in time for the 150th Anniversary!"

In April, McArthur piloted NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 to the International Space Station. McArthur's son loves trains, and earlier this year, she contacted the Union Pacific Railroad Museum for something train-related that she could take into space. When McArthur's six month mission ends, the coin will join the Union Pacific Railroad Museum's permanent collection in Council Bluffs, Iowa.


That's all for now. Be safe, and we'll see you trackside (at least 25 feet away) later this summer!


Union Pacific Steam Club

 

Up date on 4014 touring this Summer, pity we can't get there!!
Union Pacific Steam Club Update No. 17 - July 7, 2021


We know you've been anxiously awaiting the details of where Big Boy No. 4014 will be stopping during this summer's 2021 tour, and now Steam Club members are getting the first look at the schedule:

• Thursday, Aug. 5: Cheyenne, Wyoming to Sidney, Nebraska
• Friday, Aug. 6: Sidney, Nebraska to North Platte, Nebraska
• Saturday, Aug. 7: North Platte, Nebraska Viewing
• Sunday, Aug. 8: North Platte, Nebraska to Fairbury, Nebraska
• Monday, Aug. 9: Fairbury, Nebraska to Kansas City, Missouri
• Tuesday, Aug. 10: Kansas City, Missouri Viewing
• Wednesday, Aug. 11: Kansas City, Missouri to Parsons, Kansas
• Thursday, Aug. 12: Parsons, Kansas to McAlester, Oklahoma
• Friday, Aug. 13: McAlester, Oklahoma to Fort Worth, Texas
• Saturday, Aug. 14: Fort Worth, Texas Display Day
• Sunday, Aug. 15: Fort Worth, Texas to Hearne, Texas
• Monday, Aug. 16: Hearne, Texas to Houston, Texas
• Tuesday, Aug. 17: Houston, Texas Display Day
• Wednesday, Aug. 18: Houston, Texas to Beaumont, Texas
• Thursday, Aug. 19: Beaumont, Texas to Livonia, Louisiana
• Friday, Aug. 20: Livonia, Louisiana to New Orleans, Louisiana
• Saturday, Aug. 21: New Orleans, Louisiana Display Day
• Sunday, Aug. 22: New Orleans, Louisiana to Livonia, Louisiana
• Monday, Aug. 23: Livonia, Louisiana to Shreveport, Louisiana
• Tuesday, Aug. 24: Shreveport, Louisiana Viewing
• Wednesday, Aug. 25: Shreveport, Louisiana to Prescott, Arkansas
• Thursday, Aug. 26: Prescott, Arkansas to North Little Rock, Arkansas
• Friday, Aug. 27: North Little Rock, Arkansas to Poplar Bluff, Missouri
• Saturday, Aug. 28: Poplar Bluff, Missouri to St. Louis Missouri
• Sunday, Aug. 29: St. Louis, Missouri Display Day
• Monday, Aug. 30: St. Louis, Missouri to Jefferson City, Missouri
• Tuesday, Aug. 31: Jefferson City, Missouri to Kansas City, Missouri
• Wednesday, Sept. 1: Kansas City, Missouri Viewing
• Thursday, Sept. 2: Kansas City, Missouri to Salina, Kansas
• Friday, Sept. 3: Salina, Kansas to Hays, Kansas
• Saturday, Sept. 4: Hays, Kansas to Sharon Springs, Kansas
• Sunday, Sept. 5: Sharon Springs, Kansas to Denver, Colorado
• Monday, Sept. 6: Denver, Colorado Display Day
• Tuesday, Sept. 7: Denver, Colorado to Cheyenne, Wyoming

All of the details for whistle and overnight stops can be found on the official Union Pacific Steam Schedule at http://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm . Some of the times listed are still subject to change, so be sure to review the schedule as the date gets closer.

Ride Along on the 2021 Union Pacific Museum Special!

As part of the 2021 Tour, the Union Pacific Museum will be hosting a fundraising excursion on Sunday, August 22, from New Orleans to Plaquemine, Louisiana. Museum patrons will get first access to purchase tickets; to join, please visit https://www.uprrmuseum.org/uprrm/join/patron/ for more information.

Ticket information for the excursion can be found at http://uptraintix.com/index.html.

Break-In Run on July 8 and 9

The Steam Crew will be performing a break-in run with Big Boy No. 4014 down to Denver on July 8, returning back to Cheyenne on July 9. No schedule or location information will be available on this break-in run, but if you happen to be out in the area, be sure to wave from a safe distance if you happen to see No. 4014 out and about!

2021 Tour Photo Contest

We LOVE seeing your photos of our steam locomotives, and during the 2021 tour, we're going to be giving away Big Boy T-shirts to people who post the best photos during the tour to their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds using the #BigBoy2021 hashtag! Make sure the permissions on your posts are public so we can see them, and watch your DMs on each platform to see if your photo has been selected as a winner!

That's all for now. Be safe, and we'll see you trackside (at least 25 feet away) starting in August!


Union Pacific Steam Club

 

Hopefully we are in the states when this happens, however, going to plan it correctly for 2022, and do the excursion with her.

 

We have ridden behind 844/3985 /6946/E8 trio on the Denver Rodeo trains in the past, now this has stopped we shall have to see how we can get behind the Big Beast (sorry, Boy!).

 

What were 844 and 3985 like???

 

And here she is with Ed Dickens on the regulator, during her 2 day break in run.

the Big Boy Union Pacific 4014 at Peckham Colorado 7/8/21 - YouTube

 

Been out nearly a week, on her most recent tour, and this piece from the footplate has surfaced, enjoy...

(3) UP4014 Wagoner OK to Muskogee OK August 12, 2021 - YouTube

 

The noise!

So odd so see a fully seated fireman too!