Jump to content

UP Big Boy 4014 coming to Texas next month

UTCzech III

By UTCzech III
in Daily Texan

 Share

Recommended Posts

UTCzech III

UTCzech III 2903

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Caveat - these pictures are nowhere near as cool as Swayze's, et al...  But had a great time yesterday.  Headed out early from Taylor and stopped just west of Hearne off of hwy 50, found a little road with about 10 people there.  My crazy wife walked down the track and positioned herself right on the edge of a bridge, literally about 5 feet from the track, either that or all the way down the grade.  With a  bad knee, she stayed put.  I was trying to signal her to move, but she didn't..  She admitted she was pretty damn scared.  I used to hop trains when I was a kid and have been stuck that close to moving trains before, it's not fun..  But she did get some good pics.

643173580_smallup4014011.thumb.jpg.f0e8e849825495ef1342daacbc16515f.jpg

small up 4014 014.jpg

small close up.jpg

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites
UTCzech III

UTCzech III 2903

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

We then headed up to Jewett - wow, I guarantee there were probably about 3 times the population of the town showed up.  It was actually a lot of fun, they were handing out train whistles to all the kids, there was a guy with a guitar who set up a PA and was playing train songs, "Folsom Prison  Blues" etc, it was like a festival.  The first pic kind of sums up Jewett, it was really cool watching Big Boy roll in, I have some video I'll try to upload in the next few days, but it was fun. Was glad to see the George Bush 4141 as well, that was cool. 

 

 

small up 4014 025.jpg

small up 4014 027.jpg

small up 4014 033.jpg

small up 4014 043.jpg

small up 4014 049.jpg

small up 4014 075.jpg

small up 4014 090.jpg

small up 4014 091.jpg

black and white.jpg

black and white 2.jpg

Edited by UTCzech III
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
otisdog

otisdog 365

Posted
Posted

  I went to the LA County fair after the restoration of 4014 was announced but before any activity had commenced on her. 4014 was one of many large engines on display at the Rail Giants museum. There were a few people looking at the engine at the time. Going up the wooden staircase to the cab, I saw and met a gentleman in the engineers seat.

  This was Paul. Paul had taken it upon himself to keep the running gear , including bearings, lubricated over the previous decades. It was his work that made 4014 such a good candidate for restoration. There were other Big  Boys around the country that had boilers in better shape, but the running gear of 4014 was in the best shape of all the remaining locos.

Paul spent about an hour explaining all the gauges, dials, valves and levers to me. Let me stick my head in the massive fire box, which had lights illuminated inside.  When I mentioned how bittersweet the locomotive leaving his care must be, a tear welled up in his eye and he got quite emotional. I tried to cheer him up by pointing out how many people would get to see the huge  locomotive run, and he nodded in acknowledgment, but his lips were tight, not smiling. 

It was an amazing experience for me.

Weird, the room got a bit dusty as I typed this.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Royal We

The Royal We 3066

Posted
Posted

I was driving to the game in Austin last Saturday and happened to be in Hearne when this bad boy was coming through there.  I had seen cars pulled over waiting for it to come through for 30-40 miles before getting to Hearne and we got really lucky on the timing.  It's amazing how much steam and smoke it makes!  My kids were pretty excited to see and hear it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Macanudo

Macanudo 12945

Posted
Posted
59 minutes ago, Anton Chigurh said:

Sorry, couldn’t decide on a crop. This is a little better cropped than the first one.

 

49052847892_7843dde26d_o.jpg

 

I like both of them and might actually like the color one better.  The blue sky and browns/greys of the track and grass really stand out to me.  But either version is great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...
UTCzech III

UTCzech III 2903

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just an FYI, Big Boy 4014 is going back on tour this summer

Full Schedule

Texas dates:

Friday, August 13
McAlester, Okla.
1 E. Krebs Ave. 		Depart 9:00 a.m. CT
Atoka, Okla.
E. Court St. & Main St. 		Arrival
Depart 		10:45 a.m. CT
11:15 a.m. CT
Durant, Okla.
W. Cedar St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		12:30 p.m. CT
12:45 p.m. CT
Pottsboro, Texas
Grayson St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		1:45 p.m. CT
2:15 p.m. CT
Pilot Point, Texas
Liberty St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		3:45 p.m. CT
4:00 p.m. CT
Denton, Texas
E Prairie St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		4:45 p.m. CT
5:15 p.m. CT
Fort Worth, Texas
825 E. 9th St 		Arrival 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, August 14
Fort Worth, Texas
825 E. 9th St 		On Display: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, August 15
Fort Worth, Texas
825 E. 9th St 		Depart 8:00 a.m. CT
Midlothian, Texas
North 9th Street Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		9:15 a.m. CT
9:30 a.m. CT
Waxahachie, Texas
Ferris St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		10:00 a.m. CT
10:15 a.m. CT
Ennis, Texas
Ennis St & Main St. 		Arrival
Depart 		10:45 a.m. CT
11:30 a.m. CT
Corsicana, Texas
S. 12th Street Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		12:15 p.m. CT
12:30 p.m. CT
Mexia, Texas
E. Commerce Street 		Arrival
Depart 		1:30 p.m. CT
2:15 p.m. CT
Hearne, Texas
S San Gabriel St. & Banks St. 		Arrival 4:15 p.m. CT
Monday, August 16
Hearne, Texas
S San Gabriel St. & Banks St. 		Depart 8:00 a.m. CT
Navasota, Texas
Lee Street Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		10:25 a.m. CT
11:10 a.m. CT
Hempstead, Texas
Wilkins St. Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		11:55 a.m. CT
12:40 p.m. CT
Houston, Texas
902 Washington Avenue 		Arrival 3:00 p.m. CT
Tuesday, August 17
Houston, Texas
902 Washington Avenue 		On Display: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CT
Wednesday, August 18
Houston, Texas
902 Washington Avenue 		Depart 8:00 a.m. CT
Huffman, Texas
Spanish Cove Dr. 		Arrival
Depart 		10:25 a.m. CT
10:55 a.m. CT
Hardin, Texas
County Road 2009 Crossing 		Arrival
Depart 		11:45 a.m. CT
12:30 p.m. CT
Beaumont, Texas
I-10 Frontage Road & Hollywood Ave. 		Arrival 2:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, August 19
Beaumont, Texas
I-10 Frontage Road & Hollywood Ave. 		Depart 8:00 a.m. CT
Orange, Texas
Holly Lane Crossing Along South Ave. 		Arrival
Depart 		9:20 a.m. CT
9:35 a.m. CT

Route:

 

 

img_up_steam_2021_tour_map.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 7
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

Posted
Posted
Slightly off topic, but we stopped by the North Platte railyard while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, largest railyard in the world.  Approx 14,000 cars a day come through there, and they sort using a "hump" gravity system, pretty cool.


That’s cool. The Englewood yard in Houston is also a hump yard. Pretty cool to watch them break up one string and make a bunch of new ones.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
UTCzech III

UTCzech III 2903

Posted
  • Author
Posted

FYI, UP has updated the tracking map for the new tour, so you can zoom in to street level and see the exact route Big Boys is going to take, helps if you want to stake out a spot for pictures or video.  Once the tour starts it also lets you follow the train along in real time, very helpful.

Big Boy tracking map

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Macanudo

Macanudo 12945

Posted
Posted
On 7/8/2021 at 12:37 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Thanks for the heads up! I am hoping to get better photos this time, although I did like one and have prints for sale on my site.

What I really want is a a shot of it going over the Pecos, but this time it isn’t coming from that direction.

It'd be very cool to see it on the Cheyenne/Sidney and Denver/Cheyenne sections.   There would be some very cool shots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ROFL BOX

ROFL BOX 6647

Posted
Posted
Very cool to see one in person. Several years ago one was dragged out of Fair Park in Dallas and moved to Frisco. It was not under it's own power but neat to see regardless. Some special track had to be laid in several turns so the engine could negotiate the route without messing up the existing track.
User ID does not check out.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ROFL BOX

ROFL BOX 6647

Posted
Posted



Couldn’t they put the diesel at the end of the train instead of right behind the steam locomotive, if all it is for is juice and a safety?


Depending on how many cars are on the run, that's an awful lot of slack to contend with.

Plus, it is easier to apply brakes without worrying about that inertia* on the other end of the series.

*I am not an engineer of any kind.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ROFL BOX

ROFL BOX 6647

Posted
Posted

A railfan friend of mine from HS works for UP, dispatching (i.e. staring @ computer screens all day) & lives in Haltom City. Was on the rails for probably 22 years is my guess.

I might see if he has any kind of special access.

I'm curious - am I the only one here who has ever actually been INSIDE a firebox or boiler?

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
otisdog

otisdog 365

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:


I'm curious - am I the only one here who has ever actually been INSIDE a firebox or boiler?
 

Nope...but I'll say with confidence that I'm probably the only person on this forum that has been inside UP 4014's firebox...

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31356

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

A railfan friend of mine from HS works for UP, dispatching (i.e. staring @ computer screens all day) & lives in Haltom City. Was on the rails for probably 22 years is my guess.

I might see if he has any kind of special access.

I'm curious - am I the only one here who has ever actually been INSIDE a firebox or boiler?

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 

 

1 hour ago, otisdog said:

Nope...but I'll say with confidence that I'm probably the only person on this forum that has been inside UP 4014's firebox...

Why?  What were you doing in there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...