They said it couldn’t be done. It was too heavy, too long, it burned too much fuel, and would cost too much to restore. But they were wrong. Union Pacific, Big Boy #4014, now holds the title of the Worlds largest operating steam locomotive. This locomotive underwent a frame up rebuild and is now better than new. This was a big day for the #4014. It was the first time it was taken out of the yard and onto the main line.
A historic day for sure, Ken. Thanks for sharing. It’s on my bucket list to see it in person one day.
Yea Dan, me too.
Lots more on YT now, including a 38 minute pacing movie…dribble…
Those videos have been all over Facebook…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Ken, I try very hard to do as little as possible on Facebook. But thanks anyhow. 
I think its amazing how fast they got it up and running. I am still waiting for the Western Maryland to get the 1309 up and running.
Never in a million years did I think I’d live to see the day that a Big Boy would be back in steam! Somehow I will have to find a way to see it running in person one of these days.
What a magnificent piece of restoration and back engineering! I have always wondered, though, if these railroads maintain their legacy fleet in part as a means to maintain a nascent capability to maintain and operate these dragons from a bygone eara as a hedge against economic and technological developments that might make steam necessary or viable again. If the choice is simply heritage and prestige, well, bully!
Like any large scale venture into yesterday themes, the rebirth of the Big Boy, the never-ending maintenance for 844 and the need to carry out heavy repairs to the challenger are not based on any kind of economical backstop. They are based on the thankfully never-ending lines of people, old like me, and young, who want to plant their butts in a passenger car hauled by a monster from yesterday. Here in UK there are no less than FIFTEEN locomotives in building, and we are not talking just the odd yard switchers here, but mainline passenger express-hauling loco like the majestic LNER P2 and a brand-new, built from scratch ten-wheeler of the LMS Patriot Class express loco - ‘The Unknown Warrior’. Add to that that there seems to be no lack of engineering facilities who have suddenly remembered what they USED to build, all clammering to be part of it all, and you can see that it’s big business all round. Just a gentle reminder, too, that the UK has more restored/rebuilt/recovered/built-from-new locomotives in steam, and running on regular lines, than any other nation on earth, by a factor of three - over 1500 of them at the last count.
Have you actually costed the seat ticket price of a typical excursion rail-tour recently? You will be unpleasantly surprised. Nevertheless, most seats STILL get occupied, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the very first revenue run of #4014 will be packed out from end to end. A local old boy over here will be on it, he told me at our last LS meeting, and his wife has set aside $10K of their housekeeping funds to make it happen.
I’m hoping that they’ll straighten the rails out here with her, I saw the 844 when she came through and was very glad I did!(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Ken Brunt said:
They said it couldn’t be done. It was too heavy, too long, it burned too much fuel, and would cost too much to restore. But …
… it was a grand and glorious dream, so it was done.
I’ve seen a number of the videos that are out. It looks like they are not working the old girl too hard quite yet. 844 was working hard while 4014 almost sounded as if the valves were open. I’m also a little disappointed that they converted her to oil, but oily steam is better than no steam at all.
In the present issue of Classic Trains there is an article regarding a 3rd batch of big boys that had been drawn up, but not built due to the sudden end of the war. They were going to be oil fed to work the LA & SL division. They planned a longer tender with an extra axle on the end that would turn to help backing up.
Soft coal is hard to have on hand every 200 miles, while bunker C isn’t. At least they’re not using vegetable oil(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)!
Here she is, double heading with the #844 a few days ago.
[edit: oops, looks like this is the same trip in Ken’s last video posting]
I watched the live streaming video that Trains Magazine put on this morning from the yard throat at the Ogden yard. 1414 and 844 nose to nose for the ceremony. Big deal dignitaries (Governor of the state of Utah and top brass from Union Pacific. Both engine crews posed on the pilots of their engines. About went “re-enactors” posed in the same positions they would have occupied 150 years ago. Impressive and well done as only U.P. can do it :).
2019 Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 The Great Race to Ogden Fifth Day Compilation
From yesterday:
Thanks Ken. I’d love to be one of those passengers, wow, what a ride!
Anyone know the purpose of the diesel? Maybe it’s there just in case there’s problems?
And how do they MU steam and diesel together, without fighting each other? (Maybe same as steam-to-steam, and I don’t know how that’s done either… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-embarassed.gif))
My understanding is that the diesel’s main purpose is dynamic braking.