I am a railroad nut

fredvon4 Fri Jul 26, 2019 1:21 pm

this post is copied --not my work

The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 has been travelling across the midwest for the past week. This is the largest remaining steam engine in the world. It has 7000 Horsepower. Built in 1941, it last ran in 1959. UP bought it from a railroad museum and retrofitted the boiler to burn diesel rather than coal. There are 16 drive wheels under her. Watching the drive rods run outside the wheels is amazing.
No. 4014 has been running in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin for the last couple of weeks. Turnout to see her and film here have been huge. Tons of videos. I'll post a few here that are simply awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WW2qFFiPqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxgPrM9HO98

The next one has a lot of stats including weight at 1.2 million pounds for the engine with the tender the total is 1.5 million pounds. For a great shot at full speed this video is awesome at about 2:00 minutes. It also has a narrative from a former train conductor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMKxHnjNTw

gkamysz Fri Jul 26, 2019 2:47 pm

We are going to see it in West Chicago tomorrow, but I think it will be parked all weekend. I was hoping to have time to catch it on it's way there this morning, but it didn't work out. So, Monday morning I'll catch it departing.

ticomareado Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:47 pm

A recently deceased RR engineer (Southern and Norfolk-Southern Railways) told me that steam locomotives are for more energy efficient than modern diesel-electric locomotives. He said their demise was primarily attributable to very high and frequent maintenance/overhauling expenses.

1/2A Nut Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:46 pm

Union Pacific 3985 & "Full Throttle" Steve Lee, UP Engineer

Oldenginerod Sat Jul 27, 2019 12:49 am

We have an annual excursion train comes through our area. Went through today but I missed it. The clip is from last year.
Check out the clip at 40 seconds. Drouin is my home town. Always lots of spectators because it must climb a long gradient to reach the town and is always working pretty hard on the climb. You can hear it working hardest at 3:20.
For the best whistle check at 9:10. Magic sound. Thumbs Up

You will notice that the second part of the trip has the engines reversed. They can only turn them at Traralgon turntable, one of the few left, so for the return journey they mix up the order.
You'll see from the many carriages that it's a very popular excursion, being booked out nearly a year ahead.

Just a word of explanation. "Snow Train" refers to the fact that many passengers exit at Moe and catch a bus to the local snowfields, then catch the train on the return journey. It is far more popular with train spotters than skiers.

rsv1cox Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:38 am

Rivarossi modeled several steam locomotives in HO and I had most of them. Sold many on ebay years ago. Regret it.

I have ridden a commercially scheduled train pulled by a steam locomotive, late forties between Raymond NH and Boston.

Last one was this excursion Shay up Cass mountain in WV.

ticomareado Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:44 am

That second Aussie locomotive sure is a sooty thing.

OVERLORD Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:49 am

Great video's!!. What makes the Big Boy so attractive to me is the Mallet principle. On the Big Boy, the front drive train is articulated. Otherwise the loc would be unable to negociate turns. She doesn't have compound steam engines so it's in fact a "pseudo" Mallet.

I love the Rivarossi steam locs too, the more when they have articulated bogies and/or are geared. I have a HO 2 truck Heisler. The trcks are driven by cardan shafts.

The V twin engine has plenty of moving parts

And this is a Rivarossi 1340 built with the Meyer principle: 2 articulated drive trains and compound steam engines.

The front cylinder on the left for high pressure steam and on the right the bigger cylinder for the low pressure steam

gkamysz Sat Jul 27, 2019 2:15 pm

I was going add in my previous post that I didn't know 4014 was converted to diesel oil. It makes sense with today's infrastructure. I've said in the past that if steam was so efficient we would have seen engines converted to oil and still running. Steam is efficient, but on massive scale like the turbines seen in power generation.

I got a chance to see it today at the display. What a beast! They said all the original engineering prints were available for the design. Some parts had to to be special made, like some bearing alloy that is no longer made.

Oldenginerod Sun Jul 28, 2019 4:13 am

The closest we have is H220, Heavy Harry. Only one ever built. Not quite the size of 4014 but still a significant engine, unfortunately languishing in the weather in an outdoor museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Railways_H_class

rsv1cox Sun Jul 28, 2019 10:20 am

Nice models Lieven, I especially like that Heisler, clean design with a nice sheen to the finish.

Two of my passions, English cars and locomotives. Remember my post - How to arrive at your class reunion.

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t13020-off-topic-how-to-arrive-at-your-class-reunion

Latest issue of Automobile Magazine. Now is the time to buy a used Bentley especially the Continental R.

roddie Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:14 pm

Deceased CEF member wha-tah-hey.. (Terry Caron) was an avid full-scale and model-railroad enthusiast. We shared emails almost daily from mid-October 2016 thru January 2017.

I'd like to share our last personal email which Terry sent me on Jan. 30th 2017;

SUBJECT; Want a great pic for your desktop?

This was taken only about 3 months before 4004, I think the last Big Boy in service,
was "retired".
FYI, thare are 1/2 doz or soon diplay in various places around the country but one,
4014, is currently under restoration in UP shop, Cheyenne, Wy.
One fine day in the (hopefully very) near future she'll be in excursion service -
boggles my mind to imagine the magnificent sight, the sound, the fury.
Excuse me if I seem a bit overboard. :-D

regards,

Terry

Yankin' that steam-whistle lanyard for ya' Terry!

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t11545-we-lost-terry-caron-aka-wha-tah-hey?highlight=terry

rsv1cox Sun Jul 28, 2019 2:31 pm

Yes, Terry was a good friend to everybody here, and he is missed. Conversational and with wit and knowledge. Little did we know until the end that he was dealing with a major problem. It's great that Roddie archives these memories.

Knowing I was a Remington enthusiast he sent me this model that closely resembles a Waco A90 but I try to make it a Grumman product without success.

Cox got into the locomotive business too. Remember this.

GWILLIEFOX Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:43 am

I like trains, too. Here's my Park Ave. Ultra (not exactly a compact car) with a Big Boy at Steamtown in 2004:

And an N scale PRR Mallet and a PRR T-1. Sadly, all the T1s were scrapped

getback Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:49 am

I would love to have a setup like these .. $$$$$ https://familygardentrains.com/primer/o_gauge_outside/o_gauge_outside.htm Beer Cheers

rsv1cox Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:59 pm

Went to the Post office this morning, I always checkout the new stamps. 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Golden Spike, and honoring the First Moon Landing which does not photograph well.

Rivarossi model of the "American" 4-4-0 Genoa on the left. Bought around Christmas 1960ish off a table of like models at a
W.T. Grant department store before they went to plastic tray inserts. On the right, a similar 4-4-0 Inyo.

Picked up a sheet of the "Mighty Mo" last week moored at Pearl Harbor. Using his tablet, my son took me on a virtual tour of it when he visited a few years ago

I no longer collect stamps but I have albums when I did from the 1950's.

getback Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:45 pm

NICE !!! was just listening

Marleysky Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:58 pm

I probably should post this in “off site auctions” but there might be more intrested parties in this thread: Does anyone collect COX train sets? There’s one on Craigslist not to far from me.

Oldenginerod Sun Aug 04, 2019 2:41 am

Just stepping back into my earlier post, here is a video of the very train excursion I mentioned last week, from this year, not last year like my original video. If you watch just a small part of it, make sure it's the start, with the two engines leaving Melbourne city and causing some amasing echos around the concrete canyons.

Marleysky Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:32 am

That was awesome! Play it loud through some good stereo speakers! lol!

rex f. Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:57 am

Magnificect locomotovive is it comparable to our
Newcastle flyer 38 class nsw aus realise a bit off topic
But would like to know
Rex f.,

rsv1cox Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:21 am

Oldenginerod wrote:Just stepping back into my earlier post, here is a video of the very train excursion I mentioned last week, from this year, not last year like my original video. If you watch just a small part of it, make sure it's the start, with the two engines leaving Melbourne city and causing some amasing echos around the concrete canyons.

Eye and ear candy Rod. I watched the whole thing...……..

getback Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:38 am

That was Cool , the eerie sound the horn makes it Popcorn

fredvon4 Sun Aug 04, 2019 12:07 pm

me too....Eye and ear candy Rod. I watched the whole thing...……..

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