Last year I stood next to the Big Boy as it passed at 60 mph. I could have touched it. Two things stood out for me: It seemed almost alive like an animal, maybe a horse galloping by, and it was a lot quieter than the diesel electrics seen and heard on the same tracks 10 minutes earlier.
you can say or think whatever you want,but the steam locomotive is the most interesting and the most impressive piece of transportation equipment that man has ever invented!! be it the past,present or the future!!!!
@@ackmino The Japanese trains might do 300 mph but they couldn't ever pull the loads these steam engines, especially this Challenger and the Big Boy, could pull.
@@burkewhb Plus, they lack the fascination of these beautiful machines. Those large wheels and complex system of levers and linkages, the whistle and chuffing. They definitely beat modern trains for fascination
This was the final years of 3985 operating on coal too. It caused many trackside fires during its excursion service in the 1980s, and was converted to oil during the next overhaul.
Thanks for the video. Some great quad piston sound in the last minute - something rather rare to come by! In many other videos they blow the whistle when they get close, overpowering the engine sound - this is probably the best I've heard!
I will go see the Big Boy 4014 as this years greatest attraction in the world , more than the Great Wall better than the Grand Canyon and more majestic than the Eiffel Tower
Rex Luminus WhoootWhooooot 4004 is my old Play ground set!! WhoootWhooooot and 8444 is my late Beloved Brother in Law s ride!! Gold Spike Museum In Bailey Yard North Platte Nebraska USA 🇺🇸 has some of William “ Bill” Riley Sr UPRR Locomotive 🚂 Engineer Safety Awards ! Millions of Miles on the Railroads 🛤 Steel Road Cheyenne, Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 to North Platte Nebraska USA 🇺🇸 WhoootWhooooot
There are multiple awesome things about this Vintage Film. 1. This was the last year 3985 was a coal burner before being converted. 2. That was the first and last year an ex turbine tender (ex early 800 class) was used behind 3985 before conversion. 3. The engine was fitted with Steve Lee's "brass beauty" Illinois Central 3 chime rather than the traditional Hancook long bell 3 chime. Ah the days when excursions were quite constant and VHS was king.
I wonder if 3985’s whistle will get repaired during its restoration or if it will use the Illinois 3 chime after it’s completed cuz it’s Hancock 3 chime sounded *VERY* worn out in 2010 but it sounded normal in 1992
sargentrowell81 sadly you are going to have to wait for a long time. 3985 needs the same kind of overhaul that 4014 just got. I don’t think they’re going to drop several million dollars on her anytime soon.
I remember when the trains passed to the West of our house on the farm and the smoke came rolling across the yard. My Grandma would get absolutely livid if she had her washing hanging out on the clothes line.
@@travelingtom923 Yep, back in the 1950s and prior. If your laundry got soothe when the train passed you just rewashed. Learn the train schedule. No recourse to protest back then.
@@BodhranBrian Rewash the clothes. My mother-in-law, when she was younger lived about 50 feet from the railroad. Their backyard abutted the RR property. She said it was terrible. All the black on her dresses.
@@travelingtom923 Did steam locomotive engineers suffer the same sort of respiratory problems as steel plant workers and coal miners? Geez, those things must have outpolluted hundreds of cars.
Solid axle engine on a curve. The inner and outer wheels have the same rotational speed as it rounds a corner thus reducing traction on the driving wheels.
The railway wheel is actually conical in cross section. Because different diameters of the wheel contact the rail as it goes around a curve, this gives a differential effect as the solid axle goes around a curve.
Great camera work ! Awesome framing! Oh..I wish this was shot in 720p ! The train is Great...but the camera work was "over the top" great !!!!! Thank you so much for posting this sweet video ! SBF
Great video, Traveling Tom! I'm from Laramie and I saw that big Challenger II number 4014 roll through town a while back. It's in the Cheyenne roundhouse right now.
I think you're right, Jordan. I thought I read that they were Challenger II's, but I can't find any information about that class on the internet. I must have misread... Thanks, Jordan!
Heard that the tracks are oiled up specifically for the camera to get wheel slipping. You would think that with the near million pounds of weight that it would not slip unless forced to do so. I have seen videos of the Big Boy pulling short loads, approximately 5000 tons, and breaking all of the cars loose without any slip.
Challenger engine 3985 is an impressive locomotive to observe in operation and had a decent excursion service career for the Union Pacific rr lasting from 1981-2010. Hopefully within the next 10 years or so the silvis, Illinois railroad maintenance shops will have the 3985 repaired and restored back to operating condition for excursion train service once again.
Thanks as always for sharing, Tom. It’s sad she will not be restored , especially after during many updates where Ed said he got parts for all three. My guess is it wasn’t his decision or fault, I don’t put much stock into all those “Ed hates her!” comments, but who knows, maybe he does 🤷🏻♂️
I have known Ed a long time. He enjoy's running the Challenger. They already have two totally rebuilt locomotives. Hard to justify the money for a third especially when they only run a few times a year. The #3985 could be donated to another origination where it could be run somewhere else. Anything is possible.
@@travelingtom923 appreciate the response. that’s what I figured. You work for or used to work for UP if I recall correctly from a previous video? People seem to give him a lot of trouble on all these toxic forums, but I recently saw a story about a woman who’s father passed away before big boy’s completion - they rail fan together, and apparently his last wish was “when I die, put my ashes through the challenger or the big boy, that would be the ride of my life!” she chased big boy on a whim, found Ed and he made it happen for her in a big way. Seems like a a good dude, and like the program is in good hands. It was just an odd shift from them repeatedly saying it would be restored, but you make some very valid points - would love to see her just run again! Still in awe of the big boy, though and how good it came out. They did such a fantastic job on it! Have had a cyst in my brain for a while, and I wanted to make it out to see in person last year, but of course now that I am mostly well again, it’s covid hell!
The 4014 has a deeper booming whistle and the 844 has that insistant commanding presence, but the moaning banshee wail of the 3985 is the best of all. Shivers along my spine. Nothing like the chime of the Challenger 3985. Try 10:20.
I would say not really. That was some serious wheel slipping, as if the rails were greased! Not sure if it was for show or it couldn't get up that grade very well. Tractive effort is spec'd at 97k. EDIT: Read the description: the tight curve may have been causing the issue, but isn't that the point of it being articulated? ;-)
Engineers of the day had to have the right touch to overcome wheelslip on those massive locomotives but personally I think they were just showing off the power these monsters had. Just like a burnout at the dragstrip.
yeap,rare because the huge weight of these locomotives,but have an adventage:four pistons two for 6 wheels and the others for the other 6 wheels. Then 6 wheels may slip and the others have traction.
I'm glad the Union Pacific aka UP has plans to restore 3985 after 4014 is done and then the Union Pacific will then have 3 operational locomotives on their home base in Cheyenne Wyoming. I'd be surprise once 3985 returns it does a double header with 4014 and maybe even a triple header with 844. The double header might happen since 4014 will be double heading with 844 next month but I doubt it'll happen but only if the UP thinks it's good and the public and rail fans would like to see too
The UP steam program is only allowed funding for 2 locomotives at a time. When making parts for 4014 they made a spare set with the intention of using it on 3985, but they will be going through 3985 gradually and won't finish it until after 844's flue time is up.
Surely the two chassis do not share the loco weight evenly. Looks to have more mass over rear of loco. Did the driver have any control of trimming the steam distribution between locos. Those US coaches look heavy, what do they weigh anyone please. Great stuff thanks for the post and finger crossed for 4014 this weekend!!!!!
I believe the whistle that 3985 had in this video was Steve Lee's Illinois Central 3-chime. 3985 normally carries a Hancock 3-chime, but the IC whistle sounded pretty nice!
i just realized something along with the 4014 big boy and the 3985 there will be another mallet engine the Chesapeake and ohio 1309 engine! 3 massive engines all running!
If I may correct you, 4014 and 3985 are not mallets as all cylinders are the same size. They are 4 cylinder simples with all cylinders running on high pressure steam. They don’t compound like a mallet.
It is unlikely that 3985 will be overhauled any time soon. (UP is saying never, but they said never about a big boy restoration as well) In any case it will be several million dollars.
I always wondered, is there a 'preferred' driver arrangement, for the purposes of just smooth operation, or were they individually balanced well enough that it didn't matter? I mean that much mass, even if statically balanced, will have some dynamics to it at speed. When I see these things running flat-out with the drivers just a blur, I have to wonder...
Why is the slipping problem exaggerated for the PRR T-1? Many videos of many others slipping: N&W A's and UP Challenger, N&W Y6 and authors zero in on the T's!
I say all locomotives should be steam powered. A good engineer knows when to put steam to the exhaust, no that doesn't mean frikking black smoke. Talk to the fireman, and get him to get a hot fire going. Black smoke is the sign of a lazy fireman.
Note that these big locos had automatic screw feed from the tender, and given the amount of pulverised coal needed to keep them on power, fine adjustments were not easy, I guess.
When new coal is put on the fire you always get black smoke for a while. Nothing to be done about it. Until you have actually fired a locomotive, even if it’s a 0-4-0. You have no idea what you are talking about.
When I was a kid in the 70's there was a Big boy in Dallas at the Age of Steam museum. I climbed all over that sucker end to end and top to bottom. I visited again in the 90's and almost all access to it was restricted. It has since been moved to Frisco, TX and plans are in the works for restoration.(so I hear) In fact, i think all the engines and rolling stock at the Age of Steam were moved to Frisco.
69" Diameter drivers slipping away like that is kind of scary when you think about it. That's a lot of steel. Also found it interesting that ALCO shrunk the Drivers to 68" on the Big Boy. I'm guessing they did that when they based the Big Boy on the Challenger series and added 2 more sets of drivers they needed the extra space that smaller drivers afforded. That's just a guess though.
Honestly, if I was here during 1:39, being at that spot would be kind of creepy because of how big that train is and how it's moving. But it's still cool
Look closely at the hopper, this was one of the final years before oil conversion was done. 3985 caused more than a few trackside fires in excursion service, prompting UP to convert it to oil at the next overhaul.
Looked like Cheyenne that it pulled out of at about 4:40. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Cheyenne to Laramie? Back in the 60's, I used to play on the 4004 at Holiday Park in Cheyenne, before they fenced it in. Great memories.
Can someone who knows please answer this < I presume the front and rear engines are controlled by the one regulator, so if one engine , as happens here slips, it cannot be controlled individually ? or can it ?
Why so much smoke? Can't burn more cleanly? Not possible to force air into the firebox for better combustion and stop back pressure on the cylinder exhaust which producedraft?
This is what they call a photo run by. The people get off the train, the train backs up, then moves forward producing a lot of smoke for the photographers. It is also a coal burner which makes a lot of smoke.
@@travelingtom923 Oh, th.is just before it was converted in 1990 to burning oil. Much prefer the smell of coal smoke. My great uncle was a fireman and later engineer. Saw a photo of him and his 4-8-4 freight locomotive. He burned coal efficiently producing little smoke which also coated the fire tubes with less soot.
Why is there an oil tanker behind her in this video? I thought she wasn't successfully converted to oil burning until 1990? Maybe this was one of the test runs?
This was a excursion train. Sometimes the train stops, lets the people off, then goes by so people can take photos. After that the passengers get back on.
@@nightlightabcd You haven't looked hard enough. There were a couple of times it was pressed into revenue service and was videoed leading freights, including a stack train. Here you go ... th-cam.com/video/XhgHrDbN4EU/w-d-xo.html
I never worked on a steam engine, so please help me out those who have. The black smoke is unburnt coal dust ( carbon ) surely this will lead to the smoke box getting choked up and require cleaning out more frequently. I think there is bound to be some smoke, but cool black smoke like that, something is not right. Perhaps the fireman forgot how to keep an even burn. In defense of the fireman though, not all coal burns the same
Stephen Miller when extra coal is added to the fire there is always a time when the raw coal smokes until it start to burn. The cinders from the burning coal will clean out carbon.
![30 ชั่วโมงคนเดียว บนรถไฟชั้น 3 โซเวียต [Around The World Ep. 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlE9boAVqDA/mqdefault.jpg)
Last year I stood next to the Big Boy as it passed at 60 mph. I could have touched it. Two things stood out for me: It seemed almost alive like an animal, maybe a horse galloping by, and it was a lot quieter than the diesel electrics seen and heard on the same tracks 10 minutes earlier.
Yeah, it’s amazing how quiet they are once they are up to speed
because steam trains dont use explosions to move a the piston nor do they have massive noisy generators and pumps to move it
All it is just one big teapot.
The water in the boiler gets turned to steam, then the extra smoke is released out the chimney.
It's cause your got hurt by the sound of diesel electric loco
Diesel is far superior in every way.
you can say or think whatever you want,but the steam locomotive is the most interesting and the most impressive piece of transportation equipment that man has ever invented!! be it the past,present or the future!!!!
It sure is. A mighty fine thing that involves nothing but the basic elements of the earth. Superb thing. And the smell is glorious!
I think the Steam Engine in all its forms. Ocean liners were just as interesting.
I dont know. The Japanese are building trains that go 300 mph. This wheel slipping hunk of metal was cool for it's time though..
@@ackmino The Japanese trains might do 300 mph but they couldn't ever pull the loads these steam engines, especially this Challenger and the Big Boy, could pull.
@@burkewhb Plus, they lack the fascination of these beautiful machines. Those large wheels and complex system of levers and linkages, the whistle and chuffing. They definitely beat modern trains for fascination
Just wanted to say I absolutely LOVE these videos. The old VHS aesthetic really pulls you back in time!
Can I say I agree
Tq
Nifty bonus to see a nice 1963 Studebaker at the beginning of this video. Great footage! Thanks!
0
This was the final years of 3985 operating on coal too. It caused many trackside fires during its excursion service in the 1980s, and was converted to oil during the next overhaul.
11:55 love those sounds
Thanks for the video. Some great quad piston sound in the last minute - something rather rare to come by! In many other videos they blow the whistle when they get close, overpowering the engine sound - this is probably the best I've heard!
I will go see the Big Boy 4014 as this years greatest attraction in the world , more than the Great Wall better than the Grand Canyon and more majestic than the Eiffel Tower
LOL,@Equestr1an3nTLLC !
Well said and true. Sensational ♨️steam engine.
Rex Luminus WhoootWhooooot 4004 is my old Play ground set!! WhoootWhooooot and 8444 is my late Beloved Brother in Law s ride!! Gold Spike Museum In Bailey Yard North Platte Nebraska USA 🇺🇸 has some of William “ Bill” Riley Sr UPRR Locomotive 🚂 Engineer Safety Awards ! Millions of Miles on the Railroads 🛤 Steel Road Cheyenne, Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 to North Platte Nebraska USA 🇺🇸 WhoootWhooooot
Sweet 69 Dart
What about Trump's Mexican wall?
There are multiple awesome things about this Vintage Film.
1. This was the last year 3985 was a coal burner before being converted.
2. That was the first and last year an ex turbine tender (ex early 800 class) was used behind 3985 before conversion.
3. The engine was fitted with Steve Lee's "brass beauty" Illinois Central 3 chime rather than the traditional Hancook long bell 3 chime.
Ah the days when excursions were quite constant and VHS was king.
I wonder if 3985’s whistle will get repaired during its restoration or if it will use the Illinois 3 chime after it’s completed cuz it’s Hancock 3 chime sounded *VERY* worn out in 2010 but it sounded normal in 1992
I can't wait to see the day where we see a train double headed by the two articulated UP engines.
sargentrowell81 sadly you are going to have to wait for a long time. 3985 needs the same kind of overhaul that 4014 just got. I don’t think they’re going to drop several million dollars on her anytime soon.
pmsteamrailroading never say never
My dad used to say Never say die till that dead horse kicks and unfortunately that’s the bugger who’ll never kick .
By the way my Dad was an engineer on the steam locos on the Indian Railways when steam was king .
this aged poorly
Filmed 4 days before I was born. Thank you for posting this
Happy birthday
hilham 89 What day in June were you born?
@@K-Effect 21st
Kevin Guthrie why not just add 4 days and figure it out for yourself. Lmao
AKA "The Iron Burnout"
Great video!! I caught this engine coming through Momence, IL, on the former C & E I back in the 1990s.
That is one heavy locomotive! The tracks look like their straining!
i am heavier
I remember when the trains passed to the West of our house on the farm and the smoke came rolling across the yard. My Grandma would get absolutely livid if she had her washing hanging out on the clothes line.
Yes I think the mothers were very happy to see the steam engines go.
@@travelingtom923 Yep, back in the 1950s and prior.
If your laundry got soothe when the train passed you just rewashed.
Learn the train schedule.
No recourse to protest back then.
@@wms1650 What would you do if they ran an Extra?
@@BodhranBrian Rewash the clothes.
My mother-in-law, when she was younger lived about 50 feet from the railroad. Their backyard abutted the RR property.
She said it was terrible.
All the black on her dresses.
@@travelingtom923 Did steam locomotive engineers suffer the same sort of respiratory problems as steel plant workers and coal miners? Geez, those things must have outpolluted hundreds of cars.
Solid axle engine on a curve. The inner and outer wheels have the same rotational speed as it rounds a corner thus reducing traction on the driving wheels.
Good point.. probably wants to rip the inner rail out of the ground from the stress..
The railway wheel is actually conical in cross section. Because different diameters of the wheel contact the rail as it goes around a curve, this gives a differential effect as the solid axle goes around a curve.
@@bigkiwimike As a side note, the conical section is what keeps the axel on the track, not the flanges, the differential radii automatically center,
inyobill This is true but I’m buggered if I would like to drive or ride on any train that doesn’t have flanges on her wheels.
@@bigkiwimike I believe that it is 'tamperd' not conical.
Boy do I love the Challenger locomotive! The late 1980's, what a wonderful time to see it!
This film marks the final year that UP 3985 burned coal. The following year, it would become a oil burner.
Looks more like it's burning tyres!
@@leehauxwell1149 that's because coal burners only partially cooked the fuel. You see the same on old diesels(train/trucks).
And still had Steve's Illinois Central whistle.
What a beautiful rig. Gorgeous. Excellent footage!
Great camera work ! Awesome framing! Oh..I wish this was shot in 720p ! The train is Great...but the camera work was "over the top" great !!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this sweet video !
SBF
You are welcome. This was probably 320P if that. Took a while to get the quality and colors decent for this video.
@@travelingtom923 No progressive scanning back in those VHS days! That's interlaced video 480i.
This video is just great, thanks. I figured it had been cleared up a lot.
Pixels weren’t even invented yet.
That's pretty awesome. I missed my chance to see 3985 when she was in Sacramento a few years back, supposedly her bogey jumped the rails too
This is particularly neat as it's likely one of the last videos of 3985 before the conversion to oil.
Thank you for posting it. ***
Great video.
Thanks, absolutely the most impressive filming of a type of locomotive I wasn't familiar with.
Great video, Traveling Tom! I'm from Laramie and I saw that big Challenger II number 4014 roll through town a while back. It's in the Cheyenne roundhouse right now.
WyoColo Experience from what I read the challenger is separate from the big boy 4014 there is the challager and there is the big boy
I think you're right, Jordan. I thought I read that they were Challenger II's, but I can't find any information about that class on the internet. I must have misread... Thanks, Jordan!
WyoColo Experience no problem
Super footage ! 👍🏻
Sorry for using Japanese
とても貴重な映像ありがとうございます。
シンプル・アーティキュレーテッドの始動シーンを見た事が無かったので、前部動輪ユニットと後部動輪ユニットが別々に空転する様は驚きました
Man. Nearly 30 years ago.
What a monster! A moving mountain of steel.
With tender, 1.5 million pounds, IIRC
Heard that the tracks are oiled up specifically for the camera to get wheel slipping. You would think that with the near million pounds of weight that it would not slip unless forced to do so. I have seen videos of the Big Boy pulling short loads, approximately 5000 tons, and breaking all of the cars loose without any slip.
Challenger engine 3985 is an impressive locomotive to observe in operation and had a decent excursion service career for the Union Pacific rr lasting from 1981-2010. Hopefully within the next 10 years or so the silvis, Illinois railroad maintenance shops will have the 3985 repaired and restored back to operating condition for excursion train service once again.
Thanks as always for sharing, Tom. It’s sad she will not be restored , especially after during many updates where Ed said he got parts for all three. My guess is it wasn’t his decision or fault, I don’t put much stock into all those “Ed hates her!” comments, but who knows, maybe he does 🤷🏻♂️
I have known Ed a long time. He enjoy's running the Challenger. They already have two totally rebuilt locomotives. Hard to justify the money for a third especially when they only run a few times a year. The #3985 could be donated to another origination where it could be run somewhere else. Anything is possible.
@@travelingtom923 appreciate the response. that’s what I figured. You work for or used to work for UP if I recall correctly from a previous video?
People seem to give him a lot of trouble on all these toxic forums, but I recently saw a story about a woman who’s father passed away before big boy’s completion - they rail fan together, and apparently his last wish was “when I die, put my ashes through the challenger or the big boy, that would be the ride of my life!” she chased big boy on a whim, found Ed and he made it happen for her in a big way. Seems like a a good dude, and like the program is in good hands. It was just an odd shift from them repeatedly saying it would be restored, but you make some very valid points - would love to see her just run again!
Still in awe of the big boy, though and how good it came out. They did such a fantastic job on it! Have had a cyst in my brain for a while, and I wanted to make it out to see in person last year, but of course now that I am mostly well again, it’s covid hell!
3985 sounds so good with that IC 3 chime
I have some footage of 3985 slipping the wheels its on good ol VHS
Wonderful Video ,Thank you for sharing this Tom.
You are welcome.
The 4014 has a deeper booming whistle and the 844 has that insistant commanding presence, but the moaning banshee wail of the 3985 is the best of all. Shivers along my spine. Nothing like the chime of the Challenger 3985. Try 10:20.
It does have a better whistle.
Union Pacific 3985 wheels slipping at least that engine showing that it has real power to pull a good size load.
I would say not really. That was some serious wheel slipping, as if the rails were greased! Not sure if it was for show or it couldn't get up that grade very well. Tractive effort is spec'd at 97k. EDIT: Read the description: the tight curve may have been causing the issue, but isn't that the point of it being articulated? ;-)
I saw that Challenger loco in Claremore, Oklahoma years ago. I wish I still had my photos I took back then
Wow! Amazing footage, loved it.
Engineers of the day had to have the right touch to overcome wheelslip on those massive locomotives but personally I think they were just showing off the power these monsters had. Just like a burnout at the dragstrip.
yeap,rare because the huge weight of these locomotives,but have an adventage:four pistons two for 6 wheels and the others for the other 6 wheels. Then 6 wheels may slip and the others have traction.
I'm glad the Union Pacific aka UP has plans to restore 3985 after 4014 is done and then the Union Pacific will then have 3 operational locomotives on their home base in Cheyenne Wyoming. I'd be surprise once 3985 returns it does a double header with 4014 and maybe even a triple header with 844. The double header might happen since 4014 will be double heading with 844 next month but I doubt it'll happen but only if the UP thinks it's good and the public and rail fans would like to see too
Welp 4014 double headed with the 844 with its diesel helper
Flora Lacusong it is restored it’s just the 15 year checkover needed on modern day steam locomotives
It’s sadly not being restored. Change of plans were made during the beginning this month to retire the 3985 instead of restore it.
The UP steam program is only allowed funding for 2 locomotives at a time. When making parts for 4014 they made a spare set with the intention of using it on 3985, but they will be going through 3985 gradually and won't finish it until after 844's flue time is up.
OdinYggd not true. Sorry.
Surely the two chassis do not share the loco weight evenly. Looks to have more mass over rear of loco. Did the driver have any control of trimming the steam distribution between locos. Those US coaches look heavy, what do they weigh anyone please. Great stuff thanks for the post and finger crossed for 4014 this weekend!!!!!
I believe the whistle that 3985 had in this video was Steve Lee's Illinois Central 3-chime. 3985 normally carries a Hancock 3-chime, but the IC whistle sounded pretty nice!
No its not! They put c&o 1309's future whistle on th 3985.
i just realized something along with the 4014 big boy and the 3985 there will be another mallet engine the Chesapeake and ohio 1309 engine! 3 massive engines all running!
There will also be a mallet running on the Black hills central this year.
If I may correct you, 4014 and 3985 are not mallets as all cylinders are the same size. They are 4 cylinder simples with all cylinders running on high pressure steam. They don’t compound like a mallet.
@@bigkiwimike they're called simple articulates
Union Pacific 3985 Thanks.
It is unlikely that 3985 will be overhauled any time soon. (UP is saying never, but they said never about a big boy restoration as well) In any case it will be several million dollars.
They let some of the people get on it! How awesome is that?!!!
The black smoke coming out of the train means fuel is being wasted, so it is being operated outside of standard range
I always wondered, is there a 'preferred' driver arrangement, for the purposes of just smooth operation, or were they individually balanced well enough that it didn't matter? I mean that much mass, even if statically balanced, will have some dynamics to it at speed. When I see these things running flat-out with the drivers just a blur, I have to wonder...
Your content never fails to impress
Still a lot more to come.
Why is the slipping problem exaggerated for the PRR T-1? Many videos of many others slipping: N&W A's and UP Challenger, N&W Y6 and authors zero in on the T's!
I say all locomotives should be steam powered. A good engineer knows when to put steam to the exhaust, no that doesn't mean frikking black smoke. Talk to the fireman, and get him to get a hot fire going. Black smoke is the sign of a lazy fireman.
Note that these big locos had automatic screw feed from the tender, and given the amount of pulverised coal needed to keep them on power, fine adjustments were not easy, I guess.
When new coal is put on the fire you always get black smoke for a while. Nothing to be done about it.
Until you have actually fired a locomotive, even if it’s a 0-4-0. You have no idea what you are talking about.
@@pmsteamrailroading I know that, I have shoveled coal into a steamer, great times.
When I was a kid in the 70's there was a Big boy in Dallas at the Age of Steam museum. I climbed all over that sucker end to end and top to bottom. I visited again in the 90's and almost all access to it was restricted. It has since been moved to Frisco, TX and plans are in the works for restoration.(so I hear) In fact, i think all the engines and rolling stock at the Age of Steam were moved to Frisco.
Yes I visited that locomotive when they moved it. See video here th-cam.com/video/3POvYFFYy8I/w-d-xo.html
I can't wait until I retire and I can go on one of those it's going to be so much fun
Come back soon, Challenger!
The sweet smell of fuel oil from old passenger cars is something I'll never forget as a child...
69" Diameter drivers slipping away like that is kind of scary when you think about it. That's a lot of steel. Also found it interesting that ALCO shrunk the Drivers to 68" on the Big Boy. I'm guessing they did that when they based the Big Boy on the Challenger series and added 2 more sets of drivers they needed the extra space that smaller drivers afforded. That's just a guess though.
I'm a car enthusiast, but that is one sexy train
K just saw the date it was film 1989 thanks.👍🏻
TrainCrazeDaze!! WhoootWhooooot! 4014 “ Hello 👋 on Wheels” Big Boy Lives !!! WhoootWhooooot
Never thought i would see a big boy slip
Bruh moment, this is a challenger...
Tracks were oiled for the camera
can you let me have my moments :(
So the tracks curve was meant for only diesel locomotives in mind?
30 years later 3985's cousin would come through
There cusions are the challenger 3800 class
@Micheal no we are
Ashame #3985 had to miss the 150th golden spike ceremony. It would have been glorious to see it with #4014 and #844.
Honestly, if I was here during 1:39, being at that spot would be kind of creepy because of how big that train is and how it's moving. But it's still cool
By the way he was an engineer on the steam locos on the Indian Railways when steam was king .
Crazy how a well oil machine will give you more than you demand.
This was probably headline news in Laramie in the 80s
Love the cars too, how long did you made this video. Love the steam locomotive.👍🏻
i was just 7 days old when this took place.
Wow. Rare stuff. Was it running on coal as well? I can only guess because I've never seen it before. I've only seen the oil conversions..
Oil conversion also.
Look closely at the hopper, this was one of the final years before oil conversion was done. 3985 caused more than a few trackside fires in excursion service, prompting UP to convert it to oil at the next overhaul.
Looked like Cheyenne that it pulled out of at about 4:40. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Cheyenne to Laramie? Back in the 60's, I used to play on the 4004 at Holiday Park in Cheyenne, before they fenced it in. Great memories.
This was all filmed in Laramie. the scene in 4:40 was filmed from the downtown pedestrian bridge. The steam engine did start in Cheyenne.
Can someone who knows please answer this < I presume the front and rear engines are controlled by the one regulator, so if one engine , as happens here slips, it cannot be controlled individually ? or can it ?
Correct, they are controlled by one throttle, so no each driver set can't be controlled individually.
Why so much smoke? Can't burn more cleanly?
Not possible to force air into the firebox for better combustion and stop back pressure on the cylinder exhaust which producedraft?
This is what they call a photo run by. The people get off the train, the train backs up, then moves forward producing a lot of smoke for the photographers. It is also a coal burner which makes a lot of smoke.
@@travelingtom923 Oh, th.is just before it was converted in 1990 to burning oil. Much prefer the smell of coal smoke. My great uncle was a fireman and later engineer. Saw a photo of him and his 4-8-4 freight locomotive. He burned coal efficiently producing little smoke which also coated the fire tubes with less soot.
Did he drop any sand at all? It’s as if the driving wheels are sliding on grease
Yes they always use sand when accelerating.
Why is there an oil tanker behind her in this video? I thought she wasn't successfully converted to oil burning until 1990? Maybe this was one of the test runs?
It's used to store water, not oil.
Great footage!!!...
Los ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico tenian estas imponentes Locomotoras con calderas accionadas con combustoleo.
I bet not many people can say they've done a burnout in a giant steam locomotive
That is one way to look at it!
Why are they letting people on board towards the end of the clip?
This was a excursion train. Sometimes the train stops, lets the people off, then goes by so people can take photos. After that the passengers get back on.
@@travelingtom923thank you, I was wondering about this because by some odds I took a video of 4014 double heading 844 in the exact same location
Traveling Tom, how many freight cars does the Union Pacific Challenger #3985 haul?
Apparently ten! I don't think I have ever seen a video where it was pulling more then ten!
@@nightlightabcd You haven't looked hard enough. There were a couple of times it was pressed into revenue service and was videoed leading freights, including a stack train.
Here you go ... th-cam.com/video/XhgHrDbN4EU/w-d-xo.html
Probably about 5 if you don't want wheel slip..
the reason for wheel slip was no one put oil on the track so the trail could move easy and they need more steam
😂
Wait. Is it actually burning coal in this video? Instead of fuel oil?
Yes coal burner and not too fun to ride behind when you are going 70 and getting cinders in your eyes.
These old engines are great relics of our past. But, that massive cloud of smoke would just not go over in today's world.
2:03 whistle sounds like Up 844's 3 chime
@ 12:39 Was that whistle sound dubbed in after? I didn't see any steam from the whistle.
You won't see steam from the whistles of UP engines unless it's super cold. They use superheated steam in the whistles
Why is smoke black?
2:10
Challenger still had it's ash pan, and burning coal then.
Awesome
She was super dirty before her oil conversion!
I thought there was only one big boy? Or is this a smaller one? And where was it slipping?
This is a Challenger locomotive. Very similar to the Big Boy. It was slipping because of the tight curve on the wye.
The Challenger it's big but we need to build a bigger one
They already built a bigger one. See video here th-cam.com/video/RR7Q27cIEvo/w-d-xo.html
5:30 All that smoke.. 200+ years of heating the planet.
Oh here we go,another save the environment lecture
The last days of a 3985 Bruning Coal
Yes it was.
The good ole dayssss
love the slips
From 4:17-4:20, what kind of horn was that, or what diesel locomotive did it belong to?
Yes, it was a diesels.
Not sure. This is a pretty busy UP main line so trains are constantly moving through there. There is also a large rail yard and tie plant.
Ok, I was just wanting to know if it was a Nathan K, or something like that.
I know it’s been 4 years since you asked, but I can almost for certain say it’s those red FP7As that appear 30 seconds later
I never worked on a steam engine, so please help me out those who have. The black smoke is unburnt coal dust ( carbon ) surely this will lead to the smoke box getting choked up and require cleaning out more frequently. I think there is bound to be some smoke, but cool black smoke like that, something is not right. Perhaps the fireman forgot how to keep an even burn. In defense of the fireman though, not all coal burns the same
Stephen Miller when extra coal is added to the fire there is always a time when the raw coal smokes until it start to burn. The cinders from the burning coal will clean out carbon.
看那些轎車造型，這影片應該攝製幾十年了！
That's easy for you to say...
😄
I wouldn't mind going back to 89.
I will second that one.