Big Boy… engine 4014, last of the 25 Big Boys. It’s currently headed to the Collegiate World Series playoffs in Omaha, Nebraska. To return to Cheyenne befor Independence Day..
4014 was rebuilt in Cheyenne a few years ago and goes out on excursions a few times a year. Big Boy 4004 sits on display in Holliday Park, only a few blocks from the steam emgine depot at Union Pacific’s main shops. Full specs and details below…
View attachment 418167
The
Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple
articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the
American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944 and operated by the
Union Pacific Railroad in revenue service until 1962.
4014 was originally retired and put on display in
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| Specifications | |
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| Configuration: | |
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| • Whyte | 4-8-8-4 |
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| • UIC | (2′D)D2′ h4 |
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| Gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in(1,435 mm) standard gauge |
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| Leading dia. | 36 in (914 mm) |
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| Driver dia. | 68 in (1,727 mm) |
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| Trailing dia. | 42 in (1,067 mm) |
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| Minimum curve | 288 ft (88 m) radius/ 20° |
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| Wheelbase |
- Locomotive: 72 ft 5+1⁄2 in (22.09 m)
- Overall: 117 ft 7 in (35.84 m)
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| Length | Locomotive: 85 ft 3+2⁄5 in (25.99 m)
Overall: 132 ft 9+1⁄4 in (40.47 m) |
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| Width | 11 ft (3.35 m) |
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| Height | 16 ft 2+1⁄2 in (4.94 m) |
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| Axle load | 4884-1: 67,500 lb
4884-2: 68,150 lb |
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| Adhesive weight | 4884-1: 540,000 lb
4884-2: 545,200 lb |
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| Loco weight | 4884-1: 762,000 lb
4884-2: 772,250 lb |
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| Tender weight | 4884-1: 427,500 lb
4884-2: 436,500 lb |
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| Total weight | 4884-1: 1,189,500 lb
4884-2: 1,208,750 lb |
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| Fuel type | Coal (No. 4014converted to No. 5 fuel oil) |
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| Fuel capacity | 28 short tons
(25.4 t; 25.0 long tons) |
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| Water cap. | 4884-1: 24,000 US gal
4884-2: 25,000 US gal |
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| Fuel consumption | Up to 11 short tons of coal / hr
Up to 12,000 US gal of water / hr |
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Firebox:
• Firegrate area | 150 sq ft (14 m2) |
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| Boiler | 107 in (2,718 mm) (OD) |
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| Boiler pressure | 300 lbf/in2 (2.1 MPa) |
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| Feedwater heater | Elesco Type T.P. 502 Exhaust Steam Injector
14,000 US gal/hr capacity |
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| Heating surface | 5,889 sq ft (547 m2) (4884-1)
5,735 sq ft (533 m2) (4884-2) |
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| • Tubes | 967 sq ft (90 m2) (4884-1)
2,734 sq ft (254 m2) (4884-2) |
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| • Flues | 4,218 sq ft (392 m2) (4884-1)
2,301 sq ft (214 m2) (4884-2) |
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| • Tubes and flues | 5,185 sq ft (482 m2) (4884-1)
5,035 sq ft (468 m2) (4884-2) |
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| • Firebox | 704 sq ft (65 m2) (4884-1)
720 sq ft (67 m2) (4884-2) |
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| Superheater: | |
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| • Type | Type E (4884-1)
Type A (4884-2) |
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| • Heating area | 2,466 sq ft (229 m2) (Type E)
2,043 sq ft (190 m2) (Type A) |
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| Cylinders | 4 |
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| Cylinder size | 23.75 in × 32 in
(603 mm × 813 mm) |
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| Valve gear | Walschaerts |
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| Valve type | Piston valves |
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| Valve travel | 7 in (178 mm) |
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| Valve lap | 1+3⁄8 in (35 mm) |
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| Valve lead | 1⁄4 in (6 mm) |
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| Train heating | Steam heat |
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| Loco brake | Pneumatic, Schedule 8-ET |
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| Train brakes | Pneumatic |
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| Safety systems | Cab signals |
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| Performance figures | |
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| Maximum speed | 80 mph (130 km/h) |
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| Power output | 5,500–6,290 hp (4,100–4,690 kW) @ 41 mph (66 km/h) (drawbar) |
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| Tractive effort | 135,375 lbf (602.18 kN) |
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| Factor of adh. | 3.99 (4884-1)
4.02 (4884-2) |
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| Career | |
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| Operators | Union Pacific Railroad |
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| Class | 4884-1, 4884-2 |
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| Numbers | 4000-4019 (4884-1)
4020-4024 (4884-2) |
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| Last run | June 21, 1959 (revenue service) |
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| Retired | 1959–1962 |
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| Preserved | Eight preserved, remainder scrapped |
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| Restored | No. 4014; May 1, 2019 |
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| Disposition | Seven on display and one (No. 4014) operational in excursion service |
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| Cost to build US$ 265,000 in 1941, equivalent to $5,272,421 in 2022 h |
The 25 Big Boy locomotives were built to haul
freight over the
Wasatch Range between
Ogden, Utah, and
Green River, Wyoming. In the late 1940s, they were reassigned to
Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they hauled freight over
Sherman Hill to
Laramie, Wyoming. They were the only locomotives to use a 4-8-8-4
wheel arrangement: four-wheel leading truck for stability entering curves, two sets of eight driving wheels and a four-wheel trailing truck to support the large
firebox.
Today, eight Big Boys survive, with most on static display at museums across the United States.
One of them, No. 4014, was re-acquired by Union Pacific, and between 2014 and 2019 was rebuilt to operating condition for the 150th anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad. It thus regained the title as the largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive in the world.
Much more here…
en.wikipedia.org
