Heo: world's biggest steam locomotive after a 5 year 100% resto!

[machoneman]

Hey, with all the posts on miniature locomotives, I thought this would be a great one to copy in miniature. 

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/5/4/1855308/-World-s-largest-steam-locomotive-lives-again-after-six-decades-A-Trump-free-diary?utm_campaign=spotlight

[BattlestarGalactic]

Yup, I've been keeping up with the updates from UP over the years.  Can't believe it's done!  Seems like yesterday they were towing it home.

Would love to ride it someday.  Heck, even walk around it. 

[Heo]

That would be something.....Wounder how much coal it used per hour?
Was it still hand shoveled? I guess that guy didnt go to the gym after work

[CDXXVII]

Burning #5 oil. Hot embers from a coal stack are too risky in the dry plains of the USA.

[WConley]

Burning #5 oil. Hot embers from a coal stack are too risky in the dry plains of the USA.

Interesting that they converted #4014 to oil, since a similar experiment failed in the 50's.  They found that the oil burners didn't work well in the single firebox design.  All of the Big Boys were still burning coil when they retired.  The videos show #4014 running strongly, so I guess oil burner technology has improved in six decades!

[cjshaker]

Like Larry, I've been watching this one also. Those Big Boys are amazing feats of engineering! Mechanical masterpieces! I've ridden about a dozen steam trains over the years, but that one would be the ultimate.

Heo, I remember seeing an older video of a Big Boy running flat out on the plains of the west; there was a conveyor belt that ran the coal into the burn chamber. I was amazed at how fast the belt was running, and remember thinking that their coal supply wouldn't last long at that rate, but I think some of them that ran high speeds like that actually used 2 coal cars.

[Stangman]

I only watched it once but I thought they said that in a 57 mile trip the coal needed to be filled half way through the trip. Or it needed to be filled every 57 miles. Now I have to go watch again. Not that that is a bad thing. I watch a lot of westerns so I see a lot of them watching the shows. This big boy is a monster.

[Heo]

There is one of those old watertowers for the steamengines, left beside the railroad not
far from where i live. Just where the road crosses over the railroad so you See it from the car
They just left it to decay its a real shame. Made out of bricks the style reminds of towers
in medevil castles
Didnt they inject steam in the chimney to put out glowing embers i think? Here in Sweden
they had those trackguards that lived along the track to check up on the track and put out
fires. They rode a trolley down the track after the train had passed

[drdano]

My hometown is on the route the trains are traveling.  This past Saturday we headed north with the family to see them.  When I was around the same age as my 7 year old daughter my father took me to see the old 844 when we lived in Salt Lake City.  Kinda special to have my kiddo see the same train all these years later.

Some photos.  The Laramie weather was surprisingly good.  I was expecting heavy wind and sideways snow, but were blessed with overcast skies.

[CDXXVII]

Interesting that they converted #4014 to oil, since a similar experiment failed in the 50's.  They found that the oil burners didn't work well in the single firebox design.  All of the Big Boys were still burning coil when they retired.  The videos show #4014 running strongly, so I guess oil burner technology has improved in six decades!

Not sure about that. My understanding that coal would have been preferred locomotive fuel during wartime (big boy 4014's initial years) so that precious oil could be used by the fighting forces.

Judging by the video I saw the spectators were dressed as if it were mid summer!

[machoneman]

Yah know, even though I posted it, I had to go back and look at it again.

Good God, that is one massive hunk of smokin' iron!

[FERoadster]

How many FE's would that compare to? Jay B you be the judge.

FERoadster

[RustyCrankshaft]

I believe that most, if not all, of the UP steam locomotives are now burning oil. The Challenger 3985 has been burning oil since the 80's I think? Might not have been until the refit in the early 90's, I'm not sure. Second biggest, looses out only to the Big Boys. 3985 hauls freight every once in a while too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgHrDbN4EU

And it's doing it alone!!! That would have 4 or 5 diesel to do the same weight at that speed probably. Drawback is on the down hill no dynamics with 3985.

I'm amazed at not only how fast they got 4014 rebuilt, but that they cut it so close. They didn't even put a fire in the box until a few days before it was supposed to leave.

You can see in one of the videos of 4014 where the tender has been converted to hold oil, you can see what looks like the fill caps poking through the roof.