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One of the World’s Largest Steam Locomotives Is About to Make a Triumphant Return

God only knows how much that cost to restore
did I here now going on 25 years, correctly ?
pretty cool
 
They're going to livestream that rascal supposedly in May on the Union Pacific Facebook page.
That ought to be something!
 
My son will be "stoked". He has been a rail fan for years. We have been taking part of a restoration project on a Porter engine at the Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana. This is a lot of work and a labor of love (and lots of donations). Guys you have to give it to the team with what we know is required in a restoration and upgrade process.

To be able to run on current rails, they would have to upgrade the brakes and add controls. (think of resto mod for the amount of time required) Give it to the guys with the love that we understand.
 
I grew up where they rebuild these, and there is another big boy that sat in the park just down the street from the round house. I have seen the challenger locomotive many times, so it will be cool to see this one rollout. I'm only 45 minutes away.
 
Very interesting!!! Thanks for sharing!! We have a museum of transportation about 10 miles from me. They have planes, cars and of course trains. It's fun to take a trip back in time, if only for awhile.
 
I watched a vid a ways back where they put a coal car, I believe, back on the tracks the old fashioned way.
Only the rear was derailed, but iirc it took hours, maybe days, much longer than anticipated.

The coolest part was the original 'tools' to get it back on, that they even still existed too.
 
Seeing a large steam locomotive go by is something most of us will only see once or twice in a lifetime. Very cool
 
I was offered a volunteer position at Steam Town in Scranton Pa. I have experience in re tubing fire tube boilers, that they needed at the time.
I really wish I could have taken the position
 
I have seen this one up close, it was the largest working locomotive, its a 4-6-6-4, called the Challenger. Its a ground pounder when it goes by, pretty cool. They actually do excursions from Denver to Cheyenne Wyoming, I have never ridden on it, but my parents did once!
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This is the Big Boy #4004 that is in the local park down the street from the round house where they are rebuilding 4014. Only picture I have was when it got flooded.
big boy 4004.jpg
 
My dad was an engineer for Union Pacific so I grew up with railroads in my blood.
My wife and I, together with a good friend fellow railroad enthusiast, chased 4014 for two days when it was being transported back to Cheyenne for its rebuild. It was quite a sight to see it moving on rails again after so many years stationary at the Pomona Fairplex.
I just wish I could be at Promontory Point for the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May.
 
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