The Big Boy 4014 steam engine blowing its whistle the first time in almost 60 years
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 เม.ย. 2019
- Here are photos and videos showing the Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy steam engine. It is currently getting prepared for its trip to Ogden Utah in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike.
We were fortunate to see the steam crew hook up the whistle and blow it. This is the first time this Big Boy has blown its whistle since 1961. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
That was quite a toe tapping intro tune! I'm still dancing and I'm 98 yo old man. I can't get it out of my head. I remember hearing it way back in the day when I was young and it was so nice to hear it again. Time for me to bust a few more moves to that catchy tune, I just hope my meds hold out!!
Can you give this young man the song title good sir?
What's the songs name?
th-cam.com/video/31R3SqXW0Sw/w-d-xo.html song name
25 and was dancing along with it too hahaha
JOEB JOEB
I hope you get to see him in person sir, unfortunately my Dad passed a week before Big Boy made it to Texas for him to see running in person.
Imagine not knowing Big Boy was returning and you're just sitting in your house or workplace and you hear the distant wails of this behemoth, brought to life by literal fire, slowly waking from a 60-year slumber
Steam Engines are alive man, I’m telling ya. 4014 was clearing its throat the whole time, trying to find its voice... beautiful
Ol 4014 was talking. After 58 of silence, he's telling everyone he's alive and well! And thanking the UP steam shop for helping him out and fixing him up. Never thought I'd see the day when one of these marvels was active again!
Joey TIchy A Big Boy freight consist over soldier summit would be an amazing sight...
@@BNSFGuy4723 and a triple header to boot!!!
Gotta be telling all of those Gevo's to get of his lawn probably
And he's found it 4014 has such a beautiful whistle about 60 years of silence broken by such a magnificent whistle
I was 17 (in summer 2001) when a guy at the Green Bay Railroad Museum told me, you will never see one Big Boy in action. Good that he was wrong. Greetings from Germany
Guten tag von Amerika!
I have known about the big boy since I was a child in Germany from my grandfather who was a big train buff.
Seeing the big boy in California was on my bucket list once I had moved to Canada. Now I'm moving to the USA soon and I will go see it but it will be under steam. Awesome!! I'm sure my opa will be looking down when I do go see it .
I knew Steve Lee and worked with him he even said that there wouldnt ever be a Big Boy running! I'm glad to see it in my lifetime
@@plagued_inferno6059 Hey, coincadince?
@Ste Fan :P Grüße aus Stuttgart :P
That whistle is the sound of a dragon coming out of a 60 year hibernation
Odin029 it might as well be!
Lol
Odin029 that'll make a cool D&D boss: the iron clad dragon!
More like a lion's roar
@@cjstrader8171 ACC01 BiG ZERO
The first few times that the whistle was blown I cried because the big guy was trying so hard to blow his whistle after being on display for 58 years,I have so much love for that locomotive and it's fallen brothers and sisters and the class in general that I can't explain.
Years of restoration and millions of dollars spent on one of the most important pieces of machinery to help win WWII. Keep blowing that whistle, your team deserves it.
Fucking right that whistle is music to my ears .
++Shoot Film Not Digital++ "one of the most important pieces of machinery to help win WWII"? Surely not another gigantic american exaggeration? What ever will you lot of degenerates think up to stake a claim on next?
@@JohnSmith-pd1fz you sound pretty touchy John. Steam engines moved the country in WW2, just like they did in England. Not an exageration.
@@JohnSmith-pd1fz shows how painfully ignorant you are about modern warfare, and a certain animosity towards Americans( show us on the doll were the big bad us hurt you). Half the battle is logistics, and army with no supply's grinds to a halt. the us supplied mind boggling amounts of war material to the war effort. Able to out produce all of the axis powers several times over. Suppling not only its own military on a two front war but also its allies, allowing them to finally go on the offensive. The primary way these essential supplies and raw materials where able to move about the country was via rail. It was the only way to move the vast quantities of things needed, now to say the big boys where uniquely responsible for winning the war would be a overstatement, saying us locomotives overall is not through.
@@hummerskickass Thank you so much for your most erudite and exhaustive explanation. I am much enlightened.
The king of the rails has awoken...
TrainfanJackson4023 -queen
Stafford Northern Railroad It is a Big "Boy" locomotive so I think it is correct to say king.
Nickel Plate Nerd, that’s good dialogue for me (read my channel name
henlo
its me
Stafford Northern Railroad sorry, but the Queen will always be 611
2:20 That whistle will hunt me in my dreams 😑
10:52 There we go. Much better! THAT'S our boi😏
I'm not tearing up, I'm not tearing up, I'm not tearing up...
Someone is cutting onions
@@gsrailfann5025 ONION PACIFIC WE WILL DERAIL
I believe we all started tearing up when we heard the whistle
@@Etap_ I sure as hell did
I know right
The Big Boy is letting the entirety of Cheyenne know that its is back
It's only back as a PR stunt. after its run it will find it's place back on display until some other special things comes up for PR.. Just be glad UP decided to stop it from being slowly converted into iron oxide..
this comment is too underrated
Big boy is breathing!
@Adriel Elfnet Um, do you not realize that this is one of the most well known locomotives in the world? This engine isn’t gonna go back to display for a very long time.
@@@elfnetdesigns702 ... are you kidding? with all the money they poured into this project, they're going to milk this cow on all four udders.
4014's voice could once be heard throughout the yard.
Willing to bet they probably heard *THAT* halfway across Cheyenne!🤣 When I was a kid, my Grandfather used to take us to the Williams Grove Gas and Steam Engine show every year and they had a trailer mounted steam calliope that some old gal in her 70's (probably stone deaf😂) would play for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time. That thing was so loud you could barely stand 50 feet away from it.😜 The largest whistle probably wasn't half the size of the one on the 4014, plus they were only a single note (chime) whistle. Most of the Big Boys had Hancock long bell 3 chime whistles, usually playing a modified 'A' chord. 🎵🎶
it brings a tear to my eye, it's saying i am back people!!!!!!!!!! well done UP!
shes back from the dead
Same
She will always stay with us
Mine too.
They said it couldn't be done. They said that it wasn't possible to see a 4000 pull a train again. But look what had just been accomplished.
I hear 4014 sing today, a moment that I never thought I would live. My grandfather worked on him during WW2. It was unexpectedly emotional, and I was moved to tears. The howl was long and lonely. Like a primitive beast that has found itself all alone in its prime. More of these great machines need to be found and awakened.
4014 finally cleared its throat and shouted, for all to hear "GUESS WHO'S BACK?!!"
Can't help but grin, this is absolutely awesome
That's the nicest sounding get the hell out of the way I've heard!
Nothing has more of a magical sound as a steam whistle, and Nothing sounds more alive than a steam engine! The "Big Boy" is a living breathing entity once again. Thanks to a dedicated team of men and women from the UP's Steam Shop. I'll be visiting this year to see your great work!
Every steam locomotive is alive when full of steam.
@@cap5856 Well Captain Firepower I will say a few things about your reply just cause you indeed are an idiot! Sorry but facts be told, I am 60 yrs old and have come from a long line of railroaders. My Grandfather was a steam Locomotive Engineer all the way through with New York Central. I just two years old rode his final ride with him on the locomotive it's on 8mm and in poor shape. (otherwise I would post it to you) My father was a brakeman on the NYC and my uncle a fireman prior to WWII witch he served, returning to the railroad rose to Engineer he finally retired from ConRail in 1978. So yes I wrote what I did listening to the stories from these men in my past. I wrote not fiction but from the stories I had gotten from these great men who handled steam. So my friend "wish washy loser" I think not what was the closest your family has been to steam making a cup of tea? I care not for likes I post from my heart!!! Good Day!
@@cap5856 I accept your apology sir! Sorry i too was a bit on edge and retract my statement . I posted strictly to thank UP's steam shop for bringing back a great piece of our history. I remember my grandfather talking about steam locomotives and saying that diesels will never inspire a boy's thoughts would like steam. Here on the east coast there are a few Steam locomotives that still take excursions out and I go to the tracks and listen. They are indeed alive listen to their heartbeats and breathing they are indeed a real entity. I would like to converse further with you my friend. My email is dan31961@yahoo.com send me a mail as I know you are indeed genuine
@@cap5856 Cool so we are neighbors!
What a beautiful sound!!!
The first time I saw the 4014 was around 1964. I took my son to see it in the early 1990's when he was a boy and he got to crawl inside the firebox. I was there January 2014 when he was pulled out on to national rail lines for the first time in 50 years. To hear that steam whistle blow is pure music to my ears. I can't wait till UP brings him back to Pomona for the centennial of the LA Fair in 2022, I'll be there with my son and grandson to see him.
:)
I wish I was in your familyy
😍
Your boy was in the firebox all that time, good on him, thats dedication!
3985: I'm the strongest steam engine in the world! Nothing can stop me now!
*4014 has joined the chat* (11:08)
Gordon: Can it pull the express better than me? And go up my hill?
Nah I think 3985 inwardly is grinning! "Think I'm something to see? Wait till you see my big brother!"
Even before 3985, Norfolk & Western 1218 was the world’s strongest operational steam locomotive, in terms of tractive effort.
@@b3j8
Or saying: "Finally, a worthy adversary. Let the games begin!!!".
@@scottbc31h22 Let's do it! Lol
This is moment when all those who said this brute wouldn't come back were officially proven wrong
The MAGA of Steam trains.
That's right
Railroad,Preserver,2000 yup, but she had to go through a cold and puberty first
OH HELLO
@@samhouston1673 YES
You will note that 4014's tender is on a different track. 4014 have been converted to fire on oil, but the tender is a coal tender. It will eventually be fitted with an oil tank. Until then 4014 is borrowing 3985's tender. Thanks for the video. Jon
Ah, an ancient dormant beast, letting out its powerful ancient roar to let the world know that it has finally returned after all this time.
I'll be damned- all throughout my childhood of visiting this old girl sitting static, I never thought I'd see her under steam. How utterly BADASS!
I'm in awe. Utterly slackjawed.
I used to see this thing sitting static at Pomona, hearing its weak air powered whistle. Now this video shows the real way a whistle should sound.
"This old girl" This old GIRL. Hey, you - the name is Big BOY. Don't let your feminism cloud your concept of the mean of simple English. Boys have..... you know what and Girls don't and this Engine has the biggest of them all. BOY - Get it????
@@organbuilder272 stfu- it's a locomotive. Back to your foamer cave, lil guy.
I remember it sitting at fairplex in Pomona ca
I’m 64 and can still remember Southern Pacific passing our house at 9:30 every night. The railway crossed our farm and I would sit in my upstairs bedroom window and watch the steam train go by. As a young boy it never got old! Still get goose bumps when I hear one of those whistles.
Which one was it
@@atsffan-lm9ib he said southern pacific, so thomas prob means that it was the whistle of the Daylight (4449)
Nothing like a SP 6-chime whistle.
This is a testament of the wisdom of preserving our history...no matter the cost.
What historic icons have been already lost, will never ever be in our future.
I'm 38 and not even a train fan but hearing it groan back to life brought a tear to my eye. I Love big awesome machinery like this monster!
The King has returned! Long live the King!!
0:54 I swear it looks like 844 has a smile on her smoke-box.
This brought a tear to me when you said it
Mee too but knows of something bizarre, the trains are like humans for me, and they have sentimentis, I realized that when the Up 3985 was together with him, he made a happy face, in 2010 when he was gone I realized that his face was sad and serious all the time and when he stopped walking on the rails is why he gave up being alone but when he knew that there would be a partner again he decided to go back but when he came back he did not see the partner so I only saw the sad face on him, then when I saw this video I noticed the same thing he happy
BuckEye49 -queen. Why does EVERYONE say king?!
@@NOVARailandWeatherEnthusiast cuz he's Big Boy
Ricky Desiro that’s only a nickname.
It is incredible that UP is willing to devote resources to locomotive restoration, a task usually undertaken by museums and volunteers. Those locos are treasures and the last examples of American design and building. They are also the "Poster Children" for what this country has lost.
I'm 55 and that brought tears to my eyes...
Meeeee tooooo.
Totally relate to that.
I'm only 50 and I'm in tears hearing that whistle blow. I haven't heard a true steam train whistle since the Chessie Steam Special ran behind my house when I was growing up in Hampstead, MD.
Me too. 55 and teary eyed with goose bumps.
I'm 14 and it brought tears to my eyes too. I may not have seen him when he ran originally, but he's my favorite locomotive.
My Grandfather tuned the whistles on locomotives at the old Gulf Oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas many many years ago. Wish he could see this, it would have put a smile on his face.
What was his name? My grandpa and great grandpa worked there many years ago
Yeah both of my grandpa’s worked for KCS in Port Arthur Texas.
SuperchargedMustang5. Waverd Mc Bride
He’s probably seeing it from heaven
The monster has been revived, that whistle though.... Under its own pressure too.
I never thought I'd see a 4000 class run again.well done to U.P. and the folks at the steam shop.
i'm guessing that every pigeon and rabbit within a 1/2 mile of there is now deaf after listening to that awesome display of sound from the big boy
and coyote, dog, cat hawk crow,wolf too!!!!
@rear speaker I copied and played the sound track to this video and drove our 3 dogs nuts for 20 minutes
😂😂😂
When I was three, I would sit out in the yard playing in the dirt while Mother hung the laundry. The UP hauled freight through Littleton, CO and blow that wailing whistle. Every time, I would sing out, "There's a Big Boy." I cry just to hear it now. I wish my Dad was alive to see this.
"...All his life he's been told
He'll be nothing when he's old
All the kicks and all the blows
He won't ever let it show
'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow..."
_Quote from: The Script - Superheroes_
A powerful quote to match a powerful engine
Triplex5014 -she
@Stafford Northern Railroad yes ik steamers are called shes, but when talking about the big boy id say he cuz big “boy” (yes i know they were originally called the wasatch but still)
@@union_4014 Locomotives can have a male or a female personality, it honestly depends on the locomotive and he's or she's attributes. I'm sorry but this hole "every Locomotive is a she" is stupid and silly. 4014 definitely shows that male attribute very much so. Now 4012 definitely has more of that femmine look due to her colors. But only I find it silly when, people call every Locomotive a she.
@@andrewiantorno6942 yeah I agree
That smile on Austin’s face at the end. That’s what this is all about.
Bringing JOY to people, whether they knew an inanimate object could or not.
You have to respect UP for dong this restoration. I know it is good public relations but they can't possibly make money by doing this. They did it for love.
They did it for love.
They did it for the challenge.
They did it for history.
They did it for the rail fans
And , maybe, just a little bit for a tax write off .
Thank You, UP
It’s really for PR, people hear your name when you have the biggest loco in the world.
Sometimes the return on investment cannot be measured. This might be the case here.
They did eventually end up selling tickets for $3000 - $4000 each.
With only 100 passengers, that'd be a minimum of $300,000. So, they probably haven't made a return yet. Still, it's awesome they restored it.
The sight we were told we would ever see, the sound we were told we would never hear, and the railroad we were told would never do it. Mark 2019 as the year the Big Boy announced he was back and ready for action! Welcome back, Big Boy! We knew deep down that your absence was only temporary. Can't wait to see you come back to SoCal! Great job UP Steam Team. God bless you and your railroad!
Saw 4014 in Barstow when they came back to Southern California years ago.
Just had to clear its throat after a long sleep...
Robert Cone same with n&w 611 when she was restored
wouldnt that be considered hibernation? xd
4014: Is anyone watching?
UP Steam team: actually theres people filming a video
4014: 11:08
This video moved me in a way like nothing else had before on TH-cam. When watching this the first time, I couldn’t stop smiling and truthfully, I began to tear up. I remember all my life, people saying that a Big Boy would never run the rails ever again, as it was far too impractical, expensive, and time-consuming. But here we are, with a living, breathing, survivor of an era long gone.
From a geriatric croak, to the full throated bellow of the biggest steam loco ever. Fabulous. It's been a long time for all steam nerds around the world. I just hope that UP will allow 4014 to do what 844 did back in about 2010? Push a really big freight, because it had stalled through lack of power. I did read somewhere, that UP Heritage Policy was for 844 and 4014 to pull revenue freights when deadheading back to Cheyenne. Anyone verify that? There's no point in lovingly restoring a steam giant, without seeing and hearing it angry!
@Buddy R. That is good to know, sir. Bodes well for 4014.
@@rogerwhittle2078 lets see how many knuckles break because of 4014.
@@rearspeaker6364 We clearly are common nations, separated only by language! For a long moment, I did not understand your post - what have knuckles got to do with it? Then I fell in. Knuckle couplings. Buckeye couplers. They are only rarely used in Britain, usually on passenger trains and multiple unit sets. (Electric or diesel - EMU's and DMU's, usually in four or five car sets.) Freight cars have buffers and use screw link couplings.
Awesomely powerful as # 4014 undoubtedly is - 6500hp they say, - I doubt even he/she could bust knuckles unless he/she was confronted with a massive train - >10,000 tons - solo and a long grade. They were designed for 9000 tons on Sherman Hill, after all. Diesels break couplers, because you just keep adding diesels until the train moves. Do they still spread them throughout a train or just put them all on the front?
Horsepower is rarely quoted in British steam circles, because it is a calculated value according to real time measurement. Our most powerful loco's ever, were estimated at just under 3000 hp and # 71000 Duke of Gloucester was measured at over 2700 hp on Shap Fell, averaging 60 mph not many years ago. I definitely want to see # 4014 working hard.
@@rogerwhittle2078that is the interesting part- leaving a comment on youtube, not realizing that the whole world will read it!
@@rearspeaker6364 Hah hah, took me a few seconds to get what you were talking about. I'll bet that thing could pull a knuckle in half fairly easily if someone got a little too active with the throttle valve(s).😁👍
I’m 13 years old and this still moves me to tears. #Bigboy4014
I’m right there with you bud😭😭😭🟥🟥here’s a hankie or two for ya
Three and half years since the resurrection of 4014 time has flown and this beast is the best of the best. Getting her whistle sound right took a lot of work especially since she has her original whistle again. I don’t remember much of what happened to that whistle where it ended up but it’s good to know The king has it back.
🇭🇲From Australia best wishes, and may all who travel with him have good luck.
"Beauty Maaaate"
On the non-powered trip from California to Cheyenne, they did carry an air compressor strictly for the 4014's whistle. So, In Medicine Bow, we were treated to a whistle, but this is the first powered by its own steam. Monumental milestone.
After 60 years, she found her voice! To say the least, tears were shed. Great job! Your crew definitely deserved to here her voice!
*HE*
@@HomerPenguin5516 machines are, by tradition, referred to as feminine, including those with male names. So, 'she' is indeed correct.
@@mandolinman2006 yup very true
The beast finally lives again! Congratulations!
It sounds so much better on steam than it did when they were moving it from West Colton and using compressed air to blow the whistle.
Agreed! MUCH better! I didn't realize how different it would sound.
If they were using a standard portable compressor to blow it while moving it, those little compressors are only rated for 125-150 psi, which is about half the boiler pressure Big Boy makes under steam.
@@erikj.2066, no, they did hook up the air from the loco that was pulling it, so they could use the whistle.
marhuf they did, they put an airline from the whistle valve to the diesel pushing it
10:19 "talk about a song of the ancients" the lady couldn't be more right. you dont hear anything as magnificent in today's day and age
Yeaey!
Ladies and gentlemen, the Big Boy has returned!
Being from the U.K. and used to our steam locomotives it still shocks me and the sheer size of the UP big boys and challengers. I hope one day to be able to see one up close with my own eyes 😊
Do You remember how You felt on that Christmas morning when You opened that Lionel train set ?? Just my feelings right now !!
Your statement brought a tear to my eyes.
You too, huh? I remember mine!😂
I got hornby and it was early march
I like to imagine that 844 is welcoming Big Boy back to the heritage fleet. Good to see him up and at'em again!
10:55 - the sound of a living legend! I always had been fascinated by steam locomotives (we still have some here in Germany) and seeng the Big Boy back to life is a dream coming true. Thanks to UP and their Steam Shop crew.
Americans wake up!!! these amazing machines are what made your country GREAT ,if all just gave a quarter to this amazing machine the whole world will be able to see and hear her for decades to come
OMG! Thank you... I had tears running down my face by the end of that video. I never thought I'd live to hear that.
You and me both!! Someone pass the tissue box
US trip back in '89, visited 4014.Impressive. Would never have thought.Congratulations to all who have worked so hard.Wonderful achievement.
It sounds like BIG BOY waking up after a very long sleep.
Little bit rusty there at first, but she's sounding great toward the end of the clip..like her old self over 60 years ago. Now it's time to get her on the high iron!..can't wait!
It takes a "bit" to get all the "wet" steam out of the lines from the steam-up, and get that good, Hot dry superheated steam to the whistle.
Duly noted and thank you! I got to thinking after I submitted the post, and I felt conflicted, after all it is among of the greatest steam locomotives of all time, it is one of the original "Big Boys". From here forward, let's all agree to refer to the 4014 or any static display Big Boy as "He"
For the first time in over half a century, the slumbering giant gets to shake off its cobwebs and announce to the world that here I am! Make way! A train is coming! - nay, THE train, is coming!
OUTSTANDING! Thanks for your dedication in waiting on the pedestrian bridge for many hours to capture this historic moment.
Thanks, we almost missed it. We were packing up and getting ready to leave when we saw the guy going on top of it. We said, wonder what he is doing. Someone said, looks like he is around the whistle. OK, we ain't going nowhere! An hour later the whistle was blowing. There were only a couple of people on the bridge at that time. I had multiple cameras going. Glad I didn't run out of battery or memory space!
Wow, just awesome. Can't say I ever expected to hear a UP Big Boy other than on film. Quite something!
So glad to see one of these legendary locomotives being restored and cared for. That whistle is awesome.
This brought the biggest smile to my face, ever since I was a boy, getting my first big boy shirt and seeing it in the museum, I always dreamed that one day I'd see her awake once again, this is the best!
Totally awsome! I've been waiting for that revival for so long. Congrats to Ed Dickens and his team from a French railroad buff . I can't wait to see her on the line again. Great video sound and atmosphere.I'm moved.
You said it form!
UP has raised millions of smiles. Thanks. You know? Just big thanks for the Big Boy... SERIOUSLY BIG...
She sounds a lot like me waking up in the morning, but she clears her throat MUCH faster than I. God Bless you ED and your team of relentless perfectionists. Green grass and high tides forever my Friend!
I like how someone put it. It sounds like Big Boy is quote "clearing its throat after being on display for 58 years".
It sounds to me like the engine was 'waking up'. 'Clearing its throat' and then 'yawning' (long clear whistles) before finally getting up to steam and getting back in the game. Granddad has been resting for 58 years and now it's time for him to come back and show the youngsters how they did it back in his time through EXAMPLE.
Ride on Big Boy, ride on!
It has been said before, they awoken a sleeping giant and how beautiful she sounds. Thank you UP.
How lucky can we get to see these machines run in our lifetime? I have chased 3985, 844, and now 4014. Can't help tearing up when I hear that lonely whistle! I hope future generation get to see and hear all three in their lifetimes as well. It needs to be on everyone's bucket list!
This was the best 13 minuites, 51 seconds this year... She has awaken from her 60 year sleep!
The look on his face was priceless! His childhood dreams just came true and many thousands watched in envy!
his little brother challenger 3985 will be happy to see his brother big boy 4014 like the good old days
"Atomic boiler is a go!"
"Big one! Ahead full!"
That is THE most awesome train whistle. I get goosebumps every time I hear it.
"Hear that lonesome whistle blow". Excellent. One thing though, here in the UK all locos are female. Even those with male names are "she". Thanks for these uploads, very much appreciated.
When I first did the video I used terms like, her, she, old gal, but then realized it is called the Big BOY so I changed it :-).
I live about 250 yards from a Union Pacific Railroad line. Seeing 4014 roll through my "back yard" was one of the more impressive things I have seen from a mechanical engineering standpoint. I got chills all over when I heard the whistle blow at a crossing about 1 mile from me. Just awesome.
Many wonderful thanks to Union Pacific for bring this massive steamer back to life for us to enjoy once again. Ed Dickens and his steam team are a true national treasure for this beautiful restoration.
Awesome I can see the 844 in the shed watching it's Big cousin getting he's tune ups ready in his whistle. Beautiful Locomotives man. Fabulous work Gentlemen and Women. I hope they can GET the Challenger a fixed up too.
Hope they can GET the Challenger a fixed up too.
3985 is next
3985 will get her day once the hype is down a bit from 4014. Then they can switch their focus. They will all live and breathe again as they did as co workers so long ago. Resting there at home in Cheyenne
Unfortunately, 3985 will need a rebuild like 4014 got and Ed said they decided to retire it because the boiler was warped and it was in bad mechanical condition
Ik these comments are 4 yrs old but y’all will be happy to know that 3985 and 5511 are both getting restored by the railroad heritage organization of Midwest America in Silvis, Illinois
I've been fascinated with steam trains since I was 3. I would read about this engine and it's legacy in articles and news clippings but to finally hear him roar it's mighty fine whistle is truly an honor to hear.
ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has awoken from her slumber and breathes again....
She sound like she's mooing at first and taking time to find her voice, perhaps waking up from a long slumber. She really does sound alive in this video.
SHE!!! - Have you forgotten the name of this proud machine. Have you forgotten this history of BIG BOY? She - you should be ashamed of yourself.
@@organbuilder272 but it's true all locomotives with male names are called shes
I tell ya, this is t h e Voice. Thanks to bring up this theme. Greatings from West Germany
After hibernating for 6 whole decades. The best finally awakes and lets out a powerful mighty roar to let the whole town know. That he has returned.
"There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?!"
They will cry, because they loses
I can imagine how the people that restored her must have felt when this loco came to life again.
The whole process of the restoration may have took forever...
But it's definitely worth it. Beautiful.
Well, you got to add in the conversion to oil burning, so that took time to do that!
That is the most beautiful sound any train fan will ever hear. Welcome back Old Friend, we have missed you terribly ❤
The sound of joy. After decades of silence she finally speak again
she was releasing everything she had to release
I live a quarter mile from the original UP line here in Nebraska. I can't wait to hear that whistle howl in person.
It's moments like this that make me proud to be a Professional Railroader, being a Railroader is a life style that not everyone can handle, butin the end the rewards are worth it as not everyone can handle a 12,000 ton freight train, but to professional Railroaders it is just another daily drive. The work you have done to bring the greatest locomotive ever built back to life is absolutely astonishing and brings a tears to my eyes to see it alive and steaming and warms my heart. You all deserve a Big Boy Thanks. Meanwhile the rr I work for can not even get us a locomotive to service our customers nor does it care about the history of the railroads that made it up.
Listen up Nintendo Generation and Millennials, NO computers were involved in the design and manufacture of this incredible machine. Just beautiful...'nuff said.
Just grease, oil, & sweat. Hats off to Union Pacific for restoring a piece of history
Mark Nolan
...and slide rules and drafting pens and engineering tables and rules, rules rules of thumb...
Hats off to you. These magnificent machines were built and operated with absolutely no computer technology at all. There’s just something about steam locomotives that sets them apart from diesels and electrics.
This old girl was built with a pencil and slide rule on paper.
Ok boomer
Thank You Union Pacific for restoring Big Boy 4014.
have been looking forward to this restoration for years. a truly beautiful engine. We have the Garrret reticulated engine in Australia which was also restored a few years back. just beautiful to watch, well done to all the people involved
Takes 300 psi of steam to make it work
She sounded like me in the mornings. Takes a bit of bellering before I finally get my clear voice for the day.
For me he is a he
@@Absolut531kmh ditto
UP#4014: I'm male not female >:(
@@Absolut531kmh well you're wrong tho big boy is a she
@@kadenrobinson7067 💀🔫
I love steam locomotives. They’re the closest humanity has come to creating life. They move in a synchronized poetry, their wheels and rods like a running animal. They don’t blow horns or whistles, they speak. They’re man’s connection to creation, and how well we treat these magnificent creations speaks to our own character.
Am GREATFUL for the person or persons that came with the idea to rebuild Big Boy 4014, what a great gitf to the American people and AMERICA, thank you.
I can't say I've ever heard an engine's whistle being brought up to steam like that. The comparison to a "waking beast" many of the other comments here have made definitely holds true. I'm glad to see so much joy and excitement over 4014's return - even if it's a little bittersweet for me. Losing Challenger 3985 (one of the last 2 Challengers left in this world,) to poor running condition and UP's overall decision to no longer include it in their active Heritage fleet (favoring the Big Boy above instead,) was rather heartbreaking to me. I grew up in awe of 3985, and had hoped to see it running in person some day. It's a foolish gripe, I know, and purely bias due to exposure - but there aren't many locomotives that have captured my attention like the Challenger did. Still, it's hard to feel sorrow when so many other railfans are this excited and happy about their own favorites.
Fun story: I nearly got to see the Big Boy in-person by pure chance several years ago. Missed it by less than an hour (and a few miles,) while moving across the country with my wife and kids. It was the first day of our trip, and had we started just a little later, we would have seen 4014 pass us - going the opposite direction. Didn't find out until almost a year later when catching myself up on the locomotive's return to service. Bit of a bummer, but on the plus side - later that same day we did actually get to catch a glimpse of another (albeit dormant,) steam titan: Challenger 3977! We didn't have time to stop, and it was only for a brief moment, but all things considered it was definitely a day of incredible odds. Not sure how many people can say they almost saw a Big Boy, THEN saw a Challenger all in the same day!
Anyway, sorry to go off on my own train of thought there, but then again... I think being able to share our stories and experiences - both on and off track - is what makes the railway community one of the best there is. So, thanks guys. Here's to a new year, and hopefully more beloved, famous steam engines finally returning to the rails (I'm looking at you, Cotton Belt 819.)
The 3985 will be back in the not to distant future. The folks at Silvis IL are working hard to return her to steam. And I suspect they will get 4014's original tender redone and swap with UP to get 3985's tender back when the time is right.
Thank you Union Pacific for restoring this awesome piece of machinery!!!!
I sat here for 12 minutes listening to an old steam engine test its whistle.....and it was good.
4014 is back. And he is blowing his whistle for first time since 1961. We need to bring steam engines back, I am telling you.