What ever is there not to like about this? A fabulous all American bit of legendary locomotive being put through her paces by some of the luckiest guys on the planet! Fantastic filming as well.
i guess im asking the wrong place but does someone know a tool to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot my password. I love any help you can offer me
beautiful locomotive, sadly they werent efficient with Coal usage, but they got the Jobs done that needed to be done, im so glad that UP is saving these giants
@@coloradongguy which is what they were converted to run on in the 40’s when they realized coal cost too much for these engines because of how much coal the bigger engines suck up.
When I was a child they still ran this types of trains but you do know what you got til it's gone. We loved looking at them but it was something you thought you would always have. So great to see this video. Thanks.
Just saw this video pop up on the front page of TH-cam. Watched many a train roll thru my former home town. Brought back some good memories. Thank you, Skip.
Good video. Many folks can't imagine how difficult it is to get the "lead position" that this camera had recording the locomotive as it cruises along "flat out" (probably 55 - 60 mph). You've gotta really jockey for it. I've done it before with my friend filming from the passenger seat as we paced this very locomotive westbound in eastern Colorado from Sterling heading toward Denver. Got some great stuff. We were on one of eastern Colorado's very well maintained gravel roads running about 55 mph most of the time right beside the tracks. It's amazing to watch and listen to those huge connecting rods - probably weighing a good bit more than a large V-8 engine slamming up and down as those big drivers roll.
back in 1972 after i got discharged from the usaf i drove x country from cal and stopped in cheyenne, wyo. and there was one of these locomotives on display in a park. i drove my car up next to it and took some pictures to show the size of it. it was huge and i still have the pictures.
i still cant understand how they made these massive parts and fitted them together to make such a heavy machine. its just incredible how far we have come since these times.
best memory I have had with this old girl was in St Louis in 2009 me and my uncle chased the Union Pacific 844 and the Union Pacific 3985 my uncle chased the 844 while I went chasing after the 3985
The bigger locomotives like this have a beautiful and distinct tone of whistle that makes you smile when you hear it. I'd hate to hear a banshee whistle on that thing, it'd be terrifying
That 4-12-4 beauty roared past my house within 100 yards daily on the PHL/BUF RUN and back. I first saw, heard, and felt it in 1946 when the family moved to Middleport, Pa. In a few years it was replaced by diesel. My Mom would hear it coming miles away and rush to get her clothes off the line before they were soiled by the black smoke/soot belching from this behemoth. My father, sometimes, worked in the mail car on this rum and referred to this engine as a 'mountain climber'.
I hate to be that guy, but because there are two sets of driving wheels it's not a 4-12-4, it's a 4-6-6-4. Regardless this is a real neat story and it sounds like you've seen some interesting things!
Magnifique locomotive , je rend un grand hommage à ceux qui ont conçues et ceux qui ont fabriqués ces machines merveilleuses et pleines de vie . J ai moi même connue la pacifique 231 qui m emmenait loin de chez mes parents dans un orphelinat quand j avais environ 2 ans je n oublierais jamais le sifflet du train et de cette monstrueuse machine qui m enmenait alors vers un destin inconnu avec ma mère qui me faisait un au revoir sur le quai .
Great capture, awesome to watch👌 Great whistling, no diesel loco, dual smoke stack! Cool. With some 13 or 14 pairs of engine wheels, I wonder what the 'turning radius' would be.
Challenger UP 3985 is an impressive and handsome example of steam power and I always enjoy seeing footage of UP 3985 in operation during it's excursion service career with Union Pacific. Hopefully the 3985 will make a return to service again after receiving it's required rebuild/ overhaul at the railroad maintenance shops in Silvis, Illinois which will possibly take a timespan of 5-10 years from my personal viewpoint.
Modern trains hardly rate a second glance, but steam still has the magic to pull the crowds. This incredible locomotive has magic to spare. If I may go off-topic, while still remaining sort-of on topic: I went to an airshow last year - the Omaka Classic Fighters - where they featured World War 1 and 2 aircraft. Piston aircraft engines have a magic that jet engines just don't have. In the opinion of some aviation enthusiasts, the Rolls Royce Merlin is the most beautiful sounding engine ever made and they know instantly when one is coming. Jet engines all sound the same. Modern trains all look and sound the same. I'll take the magic every time.
Steam trains are only popular now cause they are not as common as back in the early 1900s. I still prefer the streamlined look of the EMD E/F-series sets like the Super Chief and City of Los Angeles.
Just another fantastic machine produced by the United States in its heyday of engineering and manufacturing capability. Sadly we will never see anything like it again…
This is Challenger, Bog Boy's little brother. For a engine that was designed to pull a train fiver miles long up and down the mountains unassisted, it's got it easy these days!
I love seeing diesels flying down straight rail at 70 but they don't hold a candle to these babies. I can imagine standing down rail in 1950 and seeing that smoke and steam cloud on the horizon and hearing the faint Woo Woo. And then that gargantuan unstoppable engineering marvel goes blasting by at 80, a tornado of steam, smoke, and moving parts. And a blur of boxcars a mile long. I think any tyke from the 50s that's ever seen it will never forget it.
It's so amazing when you think it's going fast and then you toggle back and forth and see "really fast". If this doesn't make one fall in love with steam, nothing will!
......my friends.....I....like....steam locos......dare I say I LOVE steam locos.................and this.....beautiful behemoth of a engine........makes me shed a tear of joy....
There's something hypnotizing, yet majestic watching these large engines at speed... a completely awe inspiring feat of mechanical engineering Diesel engines just seem... boring next to this
In Victoria, Australia, each year we have this massive Steam train take tourists to the snowfields from Melbourne. "Snow Train" It seems like just about the whole population comes out to line the tracks for this extremely nostalgic event... coming and going. Brings tears to my eyes.
With all that size and power I'd be willing to bet the first time at the throttle would be very intimidating. Even for an experienced engineer. I wonder just how much power that locomotive puts to the tracks.
I wanna give some perspective first, a lightbulb uses about 100 watts ok? Your average car puts out about 100,000 watts, a typical deisel locomotive puts out 2,000,000 watts, this engine was made to do the work of 2 locomotives, so that's roughly 4,000,000 watts. That's a lot of power.
As of 2020, this engine has been permanently retired from active service. Word is that it will, probably, be cosmetically cleaned up and put on static display in some local park in Nebraska. They just ran it too hard for too long, and now it’s so messed up mechanically that it would cost a fortune to get it sorted.
as of writting this comment on 2021, dont make bullshit assumption. 3985 is now donated to RailRoading Heritsge of Midwest America for further restoration at silvis, illinois
@@voidjavelin23 Like anything, If enough money is thrown at it, of course it can be brought back to service. I hope they can do it. The question is whether or not it’s financially viable to do so. It’s a fact that it’s properly clapped out, and it will cost a fortune to bring it back to steam. So, my original comment still stands. Thanks for your reply.
This locomotive is in storage at the moment from what I have read it is just needing some small work done it is also waiting for 4014 to get back to exertion service before it does
I would hope they take him on some shake down runs first. I wonder if they will run 4014 at full boiler pressure (300 PSI). The other steamers are run at around 10-15% under their designed boiler pressure.
0:26 Didn't that just dead end down there? 2:40 What were the hoppers there for? 2:54 the area where that semi is pulling out of is no longer in service at all. It's just a storage track. I don't even think I can call it that. I think it's a completely abandoned spur. FYI I saw one coming out of there its not abandoned just isn't in Survice
I see 30 thumbs Down on this and can't understand that. This guy went to the trouble to make this video, post it on You Tube for everyone to enjoy. Why would anyone give it Thumbs Down?
1:58 that camera almost got trashed by the safety arm counterweight. 4:07 noisy rod bearing for sure, can’t they hear it and stop? I think it’s the second engine. 6:35 Fantastic close up! Thanks.
I love steam locomotives. I don't know any other way to say it besides that. From the design to the piston mechanics, they are such interesting things to look at.
When this video was shot, i had just started my alcohol rehab program at The Salvation Army ARC. I am happy to say that I am still alcohol free. However, I do not forget that I am still only one drink away from losing all that. Also, this train is beautiful.
whats the comparison on wheel diameter? shorter wheel pulls heavier loads at slower speeds, and taller wheels will pull lighter wheels at higher speeds, just like the final drive ratio of an automobile
I rememeber when I was a kid there was still a coal brurning hoist that when a train reck happedned , they would fire it up and we could hear the whistle for about 4 miles or so going to the wreck site. middle around 1955
What ever is there not to like about this?
A fabulous all American bit of legendary locomotive being put through her paces by some of the luckiest guys on the planet!
Fantastic filming as well.
always something hypnotic about a train's machinery in motion.
@Baked Cheese from the whistle to the driving rods !
Absolutely correct
@@vasunarasimhan5541 qw
i guess im asking the wrong place but does someone know a tool to get back into an Instagram account?
I stupidly forgot my password. I love any help you can offer me
@Ray Jonas instablaster =)
beautiful locomotive, sadly they werent efficient with Coal usage, but they got the Jobs done that needed to be done, im so glad that UP is saving these giants
These days they run em on diesel
@@etalors9830 No they run them on .5 oil.
@@coloradongguy which is what they were converted to run on in the 40’s when they realized coal cost too much for these engines because of how much coal the bigger engines suck up.
@@dannydorito9815 It may have been the coal strikes. They were quite bad at that time.
@@coloradongguy now uses motor oil
When I was a child they still ran this types of trains but you do know what you got til it's gone. We loved looking at them but it was something you thought you would always have. So great to see this video. Thanks.
A living, breathing engineering marvel! Thanks and I'll look forward to seeing 4014 soon!
Truly. A thing of power and beauty. These guys are on cloud 9 running this machine. Timeless
Did you ever see tons of steel waltzing? Wonderful and no other than its own music is needed.
So true. Steam trains have a long history of rythemic influence on country music.
Just saw this video pop up on the front page of TH-cam. Watched many a train roll thru my former home town. Brought back some good memories. Thank you, Skip.
What a great old train. These trains were teh epitome of the USA industrial age!
Amen
My favorite thing about these motors will always be watching the wheels move. Perfect harmony at work.
I miss the sound of these beautiful giants starting up down in the train yards. They used to put me to sleep at night.
I love locomotives so much, I would die of happiness to have to stop at a railroad crossing in a car, and then see a locomotive like this fly past
Cannot beat a steam whistle....so distinctive.....
Yal but when they where all we had NO ONE GAVE THEM A THOUGHT.
SWEET!!!
Great to still see so beautiful locomotives still working hard
Good video. Many folks can't imagine how difficult it is to get the "lead position" that this camera had recording the locomotive as it cruises along "flat out" (probably 55 - 60 mph). You've gotta really jockey for it. I've done it before with my friend filming from the passenger seat as we paced this very locomotive westbound in eastern Colorado from Sterling heading toward Denver. Got some great stuff. We were on one of eastern Colorado's very well maintained gravel roads running about 55 mph most of the time right beside the tracks. It's amazing to watch and listen to those huge connecting rods - probably weighing a good bit more than a large V-8 engine slamming up and down as those big drivers roll.
Thank you for this video. It is by far the best one out there!
back in 1972 after i got discharged from the usaf i drove x country from cal and stopped in cheyenne, wyo. and there was one of these locomotives on display in a park. i drove my car up next to it and took some pictures to show the size of it. it was huge and i still have the pictures.
i still cant understand how they made these massive parts and fitted them together to make such a heavy machine. its just incredible how far we have come since these times.
so freaking unreal !!! what a beautiful Monster machine
nutbagbrew102
It’s real, but it got scrapped.
best memory I have had with this old girl was in St Louis in 2009 me and my uncle chased the Union Pacific 844 and the Union Pacific 3985 my uncle chased the 844 while I went chasing after the 3985
Destinee Meyer you have a really cool uncle
at 2:05, i love that whistle and how when the 3985 rolls past the camera, i espesially love how you can hear the rods clattering more than the chuff
Imagine casually driving on the highway and you see this absolute freak of nature overtake you.
The bigger locomotives like this have a beautiful and distinct tone of whistle that makes you smile when you hear it. I'd hate to hear a banshee whistle on that thing, it'd be terrifying
That 4-12-4 beauty roared past my house within 100 yards daily on the PHL/BUF RUN and back. I first saw, heard, and felt it in 1946 when the family moved to Middleport, Pa. In a few years it was replaced by diesel. My Mom would hear it coming miles away and rush to get her clothes off the line before they were soiled by the black smoke/soot belching from this behemoth. My father, sometimes, worked in the mail car on this rum and referred to this engine as a 'mountain climber'.
I hate to be that guy, but because there are two sets of driving wheels it's not a 4-12-4, it's a 4-6-6-4. Regardless this is a real neat story and it sounds like you've seen some interesting things!
@@professormetal4411 I stand corrected, thanks.
These old steam engines are beautiful and have such a rich history glad to see some running again absolutely beautiful
I got to see her when she came to Kansas City...she is awe inspiring up close
Truly a machine of poetic motion and brutal strength.
Magnifique locomotive , je rend un grand hommage à ceux qui ont conçues et ceux qui ont fabriqués ces machines merveilleuses et pleines de vie . J ai moi même connue la pacifique 231 qui m emmenait loin de chez mes parents dans un orphelinat quand j avais environ 2 ans je n oublierais jamais le sifflet du train et de cette monstrueuse machine qui m enmenait alors vers un destin inconnu avec ma mère qui me faisait un au revoir sur le quai .
where's the love button? like button doesn't cut it
Agreed!!
You're RIGHT!
Where is the love youtube?
😁
The whistle is a Fouled Nathan Hancock 3 chime whistle.
The fouling makes it sound even better than it originally did.
Fascinating to watch the lead engine unit over the points!
Great capture, awesome to watch👌
Great whistling, no diesel loco, dual smoke stack! Cool.
With some 13 or 14 pairs of engine wheels, I wonder what the 'turning radius' would be.
They could turn very well!
ก็ขอพูดตามที่เห็น ความรู้สึก ที่จินตนาการขึ้นมา โดยตัวเองนะครับ เป็นม้าเหล็ก เปิดตัว ออกตัว ที่น่าติดตามครับ ดูแล้วตื่นตาตื่นใจ การถ่ายทำ ดูแล้ว ให้สมจริง ให้เกิดจินตนาการขึ้นในใจได้เลย ชอบครับ นึกถึงตอนเด็กๆเลย
A beautiful , living , breathing piece of machinery to serve man , that is why I love old steam engines .
i love how loud these things are, fascinatingly scary to see one head-on your car
+Yup, Loud when moving, virtually silent when still.
I'll be in my bunk.
Can't get enough of those big steam engines.
Challenger UP 3985 is an impressive and handsome example of steam power and I always enjoy seeing footage of UP 3985 in operation during it's excursion service career with Union Pacific. Hopefully the 3985 will make a return to service again after receiving it's required rebuild/ overhaul at the railroad maintenance shops in Silvis, Illinois which will possibly take a timespan of 5-10 years from my personal viewpoint.
I especially like those old crossings that use REAL bells instead of the electronic ones, they stopped favoring them in the late 2000s
At the moment I can't think of anything modern that I would say has a soul....this locomotive and others like it has a soul
Modern trains hardly rate a second glance, but steam still has the magic to pull the crowds. This incredible locomotive has magic to spare.
If I may go off-topic, while still remaining sort-of on topic: I went to an airshow last year - the Omaka Classic Fighters - where they featured World War 1 and 2 aircraft. Piston aircraft engines have a magic that jet engines just don't have. In the opinion of some aviation enthusiasts, the Rolls Royce Merlin is the most beautiful sounding engine ever made and they know instantly when one is coming.
Jet engines all sound the same. Modern trains all look and sound the same.
I'll take the magic every time.
Making Miniatures With Max ug
Steam trains are only popular now cause they are not as common as back in the early 1900s. I still prefer the streamlined look of the EMD E/F-series sets like the Super Chief and City of Los Angeles.
Monday Morning
I
I made a powerful character out of this train!
Just another fantastic machine produced by the United States in its heyday of engineering and manufacturing capability. Sadly we will never see anything like it again…
This brings the 6 year old out of me..so happy see big boy
Fabulous footage of the Challenger running on open tracks. Thx!
This is Challenger, Bog Boy's little brother. For a engine that was designed to pull a train fiver miles long up and down the mountains unassisted, it's got it easy these days!
I love seeing diesels flying down straight rail at 70 but they don't hold a candle to these babies. I can imagine standing down rail in 1950 and seeing that smoke and steam cloud on the horizon and hearing the faint Woo Woo. And then that gargantuan unstoppable engineering marvel goes blasting by at 80, a tornado of steam, smoke, and moving parts. And a blur of boxcars a mile long. I think any tyke from the 50s that's ever seen it will never forget it.
Absolutely legendary.....nothing beats this chug chug
My heart will always have a special place belonging to these big UPs.
pure power right there.
Amazing chasing shots, Nice work of getting a large portion of 3985 in the shot! That must be very hard to do since she is so long. :]
It's so amazing when you think it's going fast and then you toggle back and forth and see "really fast". If this doesn't make one fall in love with steam, nothing will!
I love seeing this iron horses , in their natural environment Running free , without a diesel nursing it along.
When will 3985 get rebuilded
3985 is currently being rebuilt right now.
@@zacharycalgher3978will it be the same treatment that 4014 received?
@@isaac4273 Yes
3985’s 2nd restoration will be like 4014’s 1st restoration, and not like 3985’s 1st restoration.
3985🎉❤
Great video Skip. Would like to see this in person.
......my friends.....I....like....steam locos......dare I say I LOVE steam locos.................and this.....beautiful behemoth of a engine........makes me shed a tear of joy....
Enhorabuena si aun se conservan estas maravillas de la ingenieria y que funcinen como se ve en el video, desde Extremadura España un Abrazo
There's something hypnotizing, yet majestic watching these large engines at speed... a completely awe inspiring feat of mechanical engineering
Diesel engines just seem... boring next to this
They are very boring and the guy in a Canada train film said they look like a sardine can... spot on.
I swear it’s the god damn wheels that are so hypnotizing to me, it’s just so satisfying
Wait Till You See The Big Boy
@@sitarnut modern trains are more boring tho,meanwhile we have the Big Boy making people happy
Absolutely a beautiful sight
GREAT Shots of the Driving Rods in Action - as you Parallel side by side over on the road ! 👍👏
In Victoria, Australia, each year we have this massive Steam train take tourists to the snowfields from Melbourne. "Snow Train" It seems like just about the whole population comes out to line the tracks for this extremely nostalgic event... coming and going. Brings tears to my eyes.
Incredible footage of this immense locomotive, thanks...5* Bob
With all that size and power I'd be willing to bet the first time at the throttle would be very intimidating. Even for an experienced engineer. I wonder just how much power that locomotive puts to the tracks.
I wanna give some perspective first, a lightbulb uses about 100 watts ok? Your average car puts out about 100,000 watts, a typical deisel locomotive puts out 2,000,000 watts, this engine was made to do the work of 2 locomotives, so that's roughly 4,000,000 watts. That's a lot of power.
@@dumdum7786 You're actually not far off at all, the Challenger 3985 puts out around 5,000 horsepower. Which converts to 3.7 kW, or 3.7 million watts.
@@professormetal4411 -- that would be 3700 kW = 3.7 MW
I know that the Big Boy 4014 has Horsepower : 6920, Torque : Yes
@@RichyN25 heh, 69, nice.
What a beautiful mochine, good job UP...
As of 2020, this engine has been permanently retired from active service. Word is that it will, probably, be cosmetically cleaned up and put on static display in some local park in Nebraska. They just ran it too hard for too long, and now it’s so messed up mechanically that it would cost a fortune to get it sorted.
That's a damn shame. She's a good ole engine.
as of writting this comment on 2021, dont make bullshit assumption. 3985 is now donated to RailRoading Heritsge of Midwest America for further restoration at silvis, illinois
@@voidjavelin23 Like anything, If enough money is thrown at it, of course it can be brought back to service. I hope they can do it. The question is whether or not it’s financially viable to do so. It’s a fact that it’s properly clapped out, and it will cost a fortune to bring it back to steam. So, my original comment still stands. Thanks for your reply.
Truly, this is HEAVY METAL on the move !
You know if you removed the video from it and then turn it into a MP.3 then it would be heavy metal music.
This locomotive is in storage at the moment from what I have read it is just needing some small work done it is also waiting for 4014 to get back to exertion service before it does
I would hope they take him on some shake down runs first. I wonder if they will run 4014 at full boiler pressure (300 PSI). The other steamers are run at around 10-15% under their designed boiler pressure.
Its beautiful , thanks.
Aww ! So nostalgic to see the 2004's cameras resolution!....😊
Amazingly shot. Nice work 😘
3985 is real piece of art work
NOW! THAT'S A MONSTER ENGINE!!!!!!
+robert cummings This is a big boy, I understand that it was too expensive to put them under pressure, I see that you have found the money.
+sfenodonte it's a challenger
+sfenodonte bigboy is 4014, and is still under restoration
+Commissar0617 there was 25 "Big boys"
Thomas Horner Yes a 4-6-6-4 CHALLENGER SERIES LOCOMOTIVE. BIG BOYS were even bigger 4-8-8-4 and were numbered 4000 to 4024.
Wow Skip Weythman I thank you sincerely.
0:26 Didn't that just dead end down there?
2:40 What were the hoppers there for?
2:54 the area where that semi is pulling out of is no longer in service at all. It's just a storage track. I don't even think I can call it that. I think it's a completely abandoned spur.
FYI I saw one coming out of there its not abandoned just isn't in Survice
about the same time that 4014 is going to be finished with her rebuild. Would be a sweet date to see both return on the same day!
Wow, Up 3985, really fantastic train !
It's not a train, it's a, single locomotive. A train is a full set of cars and a locomotive
Perfectly, of course !
I see you raided 3 of my other comments, how cute!
nope, a train can be one car or one engine or many of either or both.
I see 30 thumbs Down on this and can't understand that. This guy went to the trouble to make this video, post it on You Tube for everyone to enjoy. Why would anyone give it Thumbs Down?
What?
g bridgman Just 66 (at the this time) assholes
Alfonso Llana Yes, I guess you're right. Anyway, I enjoyed it and have watched it several times. I appreciate the effort.
they are tree huggers and are offended by the fact that it makes a little smoke
@@bensmith4563 black smoke matters
Damn that running beauty and the beast
1:58 that camera almost got trashed by the safety arm counterweight.
4:07 noisy rod bearing for sure, can’t they hear it and stop? I think it’s the second engine.
6:35 Fantastic close up! Thanks.
I love steam locomotives.
I don't know any other way to say it besides that.
From the design to the piston mechanics, they are such interesting things to look at.
I could gaze at those huge eccentrics doing their thing all morning long. Awesome. Thanks!
Another great video! Thanks skip!!
Esse vídeo merece um Óscar é tão bom reemostrar a história
Beautiful absolutely beautiful !
At 5:00 minutes in...she’s hitting about 65 to 70 mph boys.
That same Challenger I saw a few days later on Claremore, Oklahoma.
Absolutely awsome. That is a brilliant vid of a superb machine.
I was still 3 months old back then
When this video was shot, i had just started my alcohol rehab program at The Salvation Army ARC. I am happy to say that I am still alcohol free. However, I do not forget that I am still only one drink away from losing all that. Also, this train is beautiful.
I remember standing next to the old cotton belt Depot in 2004 watching the 3985 roll on its way down to the superbowl
4:30 Whoooowhoo! Whoooowhoo! Nobody can do it like a steam train! 🎶
MEN I love that steam rhythm!
was thinking the same thing
Top 2nd most powerful locomotive on Earth....
Casey Jones said before i die there's only 5 things i wanna ride Tricycle-Bicycle- Automobile- Bowed Legged Woman and a Ferris wheel
Nice video ! Greetings from France !
No joke, I rode from Ogden to Evanston in the cab of this beauty!
Anyone know when the big boy is restored and ready to go?
I think May of 2019.
4014 2017
There's a hard rock feel to these things!
whats the comparison on wheel diameter? shorter wheel pulls heavier loads at slower speeds, and taller wheels will pull lighter wheels at higher speeds, just like the final drive ratio of an automobile
I rememeber when I was a kid there was still a coal brurning hoist that when a train reck happedned , they would fire it up and we could hear the whistle for about 4 miles or so going to the wreck site. middle around 1955
Beautiful video, my friend. Congratulations!
An amazing locomotive. How on earth did they fire a boiler of that length?
Does anyone find the sound of the steel rods that make up the valve gear of a steam locomotive one of the best sounds a steam locomotive can make?
So, Any body know what the 2 "Tender" looking Yellow cars are that are right behind the tender? Extra Water? coal? Fuel oil?
the 2 yellow ones haul the water