Welcome back, UP 4014.....

[Tishimself]

Continuing my very popular postings on the restoration and eventual return to service of the UP 4014. Better known as the Big Boy. These were the largest steam engines ever built, and were built solely for one railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad. My Alma Matter, so to speak. Before I came to Amtrak, I worked for 17 years for the UP, so this engine is as much my heritage as the guys still over there. So enjoy the postings, feel free to ask any questions about the engine....I will post to it time to time, but not daily, as the news on it is sporadic at best......enjoy.....:wink_002:

This months installment is about the prep work going on to prepare the engine for the long journey back to Cheyenne, where it worked nearly all of it's life, and will be rebuilt also....for those that are not familiar with steam locomotives, this is power on a level that most people can not comprehend even to this day....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhAFMuMRyxU

[GotHalos]

Very cool, thanks for sharing :thumbup:

Riding on a steam locomotive is still on my 'list' of things to do.

[Stainless]

Subscribed!

[McRib]

Went to see it at the fair 2 weeks ago. They've moved it from up front to the rear of the track it sits on. According to the museum folk they're (UP) gonna lay temp track from the museum to the metrolink tracks on the north side of the fairgrounds. From there its supposed to go to the colton locomotive yard for final prep to move to WY. Im curious if UP is fast tracking the resto or if it a project that will be done as money and time allow.

[314joey]

Back in my much younger days (back in the late 70s) when I was putting myself through school I worked at a steel mill that made bolsters and sideframes for the railcars and I was around locomotives all the time, it was hot heavy work, but I made a lot of money and it paid for my school, I eventually retired early at 49 so it worked out well, cool stuff.

[Tishimself]

Went to see it at the fair 2 weeks ago. They've moved it from up front to the rear of the track it sits on. According to the museum folk they're (UP) gonna lay temp track from the museum to the metrolink tracks on the north side of the fairgrounds. From there its supposed to go to the colton locomotive yard for final prep to move to WY. Im curious if UP is fast tracking the resto or if it a project that will be done as money and time allow.

It's fast tracked for the 2018 season as I recall. Could be earlier. Time will tell if it makes it down here into Cal. supposedly as part of the deal with the Historical group that gave the engine back to the UP, they are supposed to bring it down here and donate all of the proceeds from the ticket sales to the society. But the Bigboys did not like coming into LA as the curves were too sharp....so they stayed out in the Midwest where there are not too many tight curves. UP brought her into LA in 1962 via Cajon pass...supposedly as the story goes, the Santa Fe banned them because they straightened out all the curves on Cajon...LOL....

[McRib]

It's fast tracked for the 2018 season as I recall. Could be earlier. Time will tell if it makes it down here into Cal. supposedly as part of the deal with the Historical group that gave the engine back to the UP, they are supposed to bring it down here and donate all of the proceeds from the ticket sales to the society. But the Bigboys did not like coming into LA as the curves were too sharp....so they stayed out in the Midwest where there are not too many tight curves. UP brought her into LA in 1962 via Cajon pass...supposedly as the story goes, the Santa Fe banned them because they straightened out all the curves on Cajon...LOL....

so the drivers dont articulate like the leads and the rears?

[2FORCEFULL]

so the drivers dont articulate like the leads and the rears?

you coming out this weekend to havasu......we hav an extra room if you want,...

[McRib]

you coming out this weekend to havasu......we hav an extra room if you want,...

I totally would but I have a early morning appt sat and normas school she works for has a graduation at noon.

[McRib]

Im off this weekend and can't go to the river. Errrr. I havent been to havasu since DS. Squeezed in a couple of parker trips and the damn run though. This season has sucked for me with everything I got goin on. :thumbsdown

[Tishimself]

so the drivers dont articulate like the leads and the rears?

It is known as a 4-8-8-4. So the first truck is a guide for the engine....next comes the first engine, (the 8 part) then the second engine, then the last set of wheels...(the 4 part) they are there to support the weight of the firebox. So while the entire engine is rigid, the front engine swivels on a hinge located just between the two engines in order to accommodate curves....the front bogie truck as a part of the lead engine assembly......here is a video of them, the part you are referring to starts at .055 into the video...enjoy....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8f9VFlNyDQ

[Stainless]

Thanks Tis, both videos are very intriguing!! ;)

[Tishimself]

Thanks Tis, both videos are very intriguing!! ;)

Yes, now enter the C&O 2-6-6-6 Allegheny......depending on who you talk to, this is the most powerful engine ever built. I love these engines, they never got out of the coal fields and got to show what they had, but folks think they would have been great with a passenger train also.......seeing one of these being rebuilt and returned to steam is on my bucket list....odds of it happening? Well, they said the UP would never rebuild a bigboy...so you never know....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz14zIBWspA

[Wendi]

Wow very cook Tis!! Very fascinating for sure, keep the posts coming. Thanks.

[McRib]

It is known as a 4-8-8-4. So the first truck is a guide for the engine....next comes the first engine, (the 8 part) then the second engine, then the last set of wheels...(the 4 part) they are there to support the weight of the firebox. So while the entire engine is rigid, the front engine swivels on a hinge located just between the two engines in order to accommodate curves....the front bogie truck as a part of the lead engine assembly......here is a video of them, the part you are referring to starts at .055 into the video...enjoy....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8f9VFlNyDQ

I know what all the numbers mean. Imma bit of a train geek. Lol. I just didnt know if each set of 8 were floaters or if they only gave way via bushings set at the max degree for the tracks in their day. Riverside live steamers on columbia just east of the 215 has a scale replica they carry kids on. Its bad ass. Imma try and find a vid

[Tishimself]

I know what all the numbers mean. Imma bit of a train geek. Lol. I just didnt know if each set of 8 were floaters or if they only gave way via bushings set at the max degree for the tracks in their day. Riverside live steamers on columbia just east of the 215 has a scale replica they carry kids on. Its bad ass. Imma try and find a vid

BigBoy parts in the tender for move. Tender and loco may get onto panel track separately. 4 main rods and 4 cross heads reworked to remount for balance; brass bushings reworked or replaced. What you see here are the literal pistons of the engine. Taken out to protect them during the journey. They are the most important parts of the running gear of the engine...and some of the most well machined....I think you all would be amazed at how much hard, God aweful work is ahead for these guys as they do this. The entire engine will be broken down to the smallest part and rebuilt.....it is a monster task....

Also, the area you see here was once the coal bunker, it will be converted to an oil burner in the future.....that should prove to be interesting, as only one was ever converted, and depending on which old head you talk to, it was either a runner or a dog...LOL.....

18005

[McRib]

Wonder if it could be converted to diesel. Make the tender one big tank then feed the boiler lije a propane bbq. Prob couldn't get it hot enough id bet.

[Tishimself]

Wonder if it could be converted to diesel. Make the tender one big tank then feed the boiler lije a propane bbq. Prob couldn't get it hot enough id bet.

Not even close. They used bunker C back in the day. If you go to traveltown over by Griffeth park, there is an old UP switcher stored over there that still drips it out of the tender. It's the original stuff....kinda cool. Messy but cool. The engine has a HUGE appetite, so it will be interesting to see how they do with getting oil into it. The main question for me has been this.....there are no pistons, piston rods, crossheads, main rods, eccentric cranks, eccentric rods, combination levers, or union links, it also looks like the valves, valve stems, and valve crossheads are gone, too. Wonder how they plan to power the lubricators that put oil in the shoes and wedges, slide plate bearing, buffer, trailing truck pedestals, etc. Those were operated by the valve motion that has been removed.

[McRib]

I have no doubt alot of one off parts will be created to recreate this behemoth. They have the orignal plans from the 40's in a vault somewhere im sure.

[Tishimself]

I have no doubt alot of one off parts will be created to recreate this behemoth. They have the orignal plans from the 40's in a vault somewhere im sure.

Yes, no doubt. What is interesting is that the skills to work on it are nearly gone, as well as the knowledge of how to run it. The guys that ran them, that can be of help on how to run them ( it was a skill not a lot of guys had) are nearly if not all gone now. They will for sure have to relearn a lot of stuff over by trial and error.....

[2FORCEFULL]

Im off this weekend and can't go to the river. Errrr. I havent been to havasu since DS. Squeezed in a couple of parker trips and the damn run though. This season has sucked for me with everything I got goin on. :thumbsdown

if you can make the sat eve. we have the boat and place to stay,,, come on out for a drink or two,,, boating a little sun, and back home,...

[McRib]

if you can make the sat eve. we have the boat and place to stay,,, come on out for a drink or two,,, boating a little sun, and back home,...

I appreciate that. Lemme see how the day goes.

[Tishimself]

Sunny side up.......sitting on snap track out in the sun.....aint she something? This side of her has not been seen like this for years, as she was stored up against a hill and this side of her was under trees and foliage.....amazing to see her again......


25365

[WMC]

Big guy



sent from WMC's phone

[McRib]

4014 left the fairplex early this morning. It's now sitting in the colton classification yard off of slover west of Riverside Ave south of the 10. It is not accessible but will be next weekend and the following weekend. 19100 slover is the address where it's at. Right now u can get about 300 yards from it. It's on its own siding on the south side of the yard. I want to find out its route to cheyanne and time table. Brett what u got on that? Is it supposed to be pulled up the Cajon pass??

[McRib]

31689

sent from the poor house

[Tishimself]

4014 left the fairplex early this morning. It's now sitting in the colton classification yard off of slover west of Riverside Ave south of the 10. It is not accessible but will be next weekend and the following weekend. 19100 slover is the address where it's at. Right now u can get about 300 yards from it. It's on its own siding on the south side of the yard. I want to find out its route to cheyanne and time table. Brett what u got on that? Is it supposed to be pulled up the Cajon pass??

Hard to say if it will go up to Cajon. It got here that way, should go back that way. Cajon pass has sharp curves, not really conducive to big engines like this. They may have to walk it out of town but get it out they will. Once it get over Cajon, it goes out to Daggett, about 12 miles east of Barstow, and takes a sharp left turn there out through Yermo and out to Vegas. Out of Vegas it's up to SLC and points east from there. Big Boys never were assigned to the run from SLC to LA, they were kept out on the Wasatch line between Cheyenne and Green River. I have heard there was one time one made it out to LA, but never was positive about it. When they brought it down Cajon in the 60's for preservation, she had to be brought down at walking speed due to the curvature of the track. As an engineer who ran Cajon for 15 years, that ain't easy to do.

Update: According to a UP buddy, it is Cajon bound. Hope this helps!! Go chase her, have fun!!:D:D:D:D

[GRADS]

bump..

[Tishimself]

She's back. She is the stuff of legends, she is the largest, heaviest, most powerful land based machine man has ever built. The men who ran them were giants, amazing, fascinating men. I had the priveledge to meet a couple at a UP convention once upon a time in a different life. It has been a dream of mine to see one run before I die. Now I hope to get that chance. The man who taught the man who taught me to run trains ran these, it's heritage, it's pride, it's a hundred years of traditions passed down from teacher to student. These are my colors, and yes, they run deep.

With the greatest pride and humble respect, welcome back UP 4014, safe travels till we see you again in 2018.....

Brett A. Blanchard
Locomotive Engineer
UPRR 1990-2006
Amtrak 2006-Present

31743

[GotHalos]

Should make for some epic photo ops though the Cajon?

[Tishimself]

And as a little bit of nostalgia...the Big Boy got it's name by an unknown shop worker at the Alco Locomotive works when he took a piece of chalk and wrote out the words "Big Boy" on the front door of the smoke box. In a nod to him, someone has again written "Big Boy" exactly as he did so long ago. If you look closely, you can see the nod to a little history on the front of the engine. :D:D:D