Big Boy 4014 UNASSISTED out of Cheyenne 8/28/2024

When you get cool shots, you post them, right? Shout out to my man CABOOSE for being the best chase driver ever...
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[@AllisonChainz3718]

Man Ed is seriously living the dream of running a 1:1 scale model railroad, having the Big Boy pull a cut of modern freight cars. Granted it is probably not a revenue train, but still cool to see.

[@southern207hobbies]

I would love to see 4014 pull a tonnage train without diesels

[@Alcochaser]

All brand new freight cars too.

[@stevew270]

Looks like Austin was living the dream in this vid. 🙂

[@justinnielsen8756]

The reason for the freight cars is to utilize their brakes. No dynamic braking with steam, and much cheaper to wear out pads still in production on the freight cars vs the custom expensive pads on 4014

[@DogRedful]

I’m saying this is a fake AI video…no graffiti on the freight cars and caboose…no way it’s real. 🤣😂😂🤣

[@VixessRin1702]

"C'mon Ed-boy, find the throttle!" cracked me up xD audio shenanigans aside, absolutely stunning footage, your driver kept insane pacing!

[@Hyce777]

Caboose was ridiculous. It was awesome.

[@HighballMachineWorks]

Well he certainly wasn’t at the back of this adventure 😂 (feel free to lime me, but if I didn’t say it, jimmy from the COG would)

[@TheCursedGrandmaster]

0:56 I love how they closed the smoke deflectors

[@jefesman]

I missed that! Thanks for saying something.... that was cool..

[@TransTaey]

that wasn't even something I was aware the Big Boy could even _do,_ so I agree

[@fsj197811]

If you hadn't said something, I'd have completely missed that. Thanks for the comment.

[@bluefish239]

I was wondering what that was, does doing that keep it from blowing smoke up into the bridge?

[@jefesman]

@@bluefish239 The exhaust pressure is so strong out the double flues that there is a high risk of damaging tunnels while on their west coast tour about month or so ago, and they used the deflectors alot. I think they did it here under the bridge as good railroad operating practice & part show as well. It truly is neat to see how the locomotive functions. It is probably a good operational habit to have though......

[@PendragonDaGreat]

3:10 there's just something so perfectly mesmerizing of a steam loco up at speed going down the tracks, valve gear doing it's little dance.

[@CaptainS0305]

You know when someone says, "Oh 300 psi isn't a whole lot." I'd like them to hear just how loud 4014s whistle is and say that again.

[@AlexTrain5249]

That thing nearly knocked me over it was so boomingly loud.

[@Pamudder]

300 pounds of pressure on each and every square inch of that huge barrel, trying to blow it to kingdom come. Unless I am very much mistaken, 300 psi was pretty much the limit for fire-tube boilers.

[@krzysztofwaleska]

I would like to hear it one day personally. On videos its muffled and dull. So sad that I live on the other side of planet Earth ;-)

[@AlTilleyTheBum-pt4mx]

When I toured the UP steam shop last year, the pressure valve for the whistle was only opened halfway, so while it was loud, it wasn’t as loud as when I saw it operating on the mainline. But yes, I agree, when you know how loud it is in person, your heart starts pounding from the anticipation before it actually blows.

[@SheepInACart]

@@Pamudder Its sort of contextual, because 300psi is nowhere near a limit for fire tube boilers in some applications, both extremely small where power to weight was more a concern than lifespan, or huge ship/power plants where full recovery condensers where used (so higher quality de-oxidized distilled water usable), but AFAIK only one fire tube locomotive ever exceeded that value (Baldwin 6000 reaching 350psi), because the constraints on size, shape, loading conditions, water and dynamic forces, and the fairly long payback times/concerns with maintenance expenses mean it generally wasn't economical. But ~250psi was a lot more common than ~300psi in trains, so its certainly a case of big boys being considered high pressure rather than "oh 300psi isn't a whole lot", although quite a lot of the last era of Europe's equipment ran 20bar (~290psi) when new classes, it tended to be reduced over time as even the drop to 18bar (~260psi) impacted repair costs considerably. The main res for air compressor is half that, so its a lot more force/area than air horns found on most diesel units (but not necessarily louder).

[@AndrewFRC135]

"We will run it on the main line in this decade and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard." -Ed probably 😂

[@Pamudder]

After UP’s massive project to install PTC in 4014, it’s marvelous to see it running with no diesel in tow.

[@peterfalconer-h3k]

It is but one of the main reasons it's run with a diesel is for the diesel's brakes. Apparently replacing the brakes on Big Boy is an expensive and time consuming job so if possible they aren't used any more than absolutely necessary.

[@Merica_official50]

In omaha 4014 had good ol 4015 behind her

[@eva.cassidy]

I notice when it's near Cheyenne they run it without the diesel, adding one as they get further out.

[@UPRailRoad-xg8cb]

@@peterfalconer-h3k I'll be curious to see if they have a solution to this problem too. They could create a car that blends with the rest of the train that 4014 normally hauls too handle all the braking needs. Thus eliminating the need to use a diesel engine to be apart of the train at all.

[@youretheChrist]

​or just find cheaper brake pads.

[@cowcatcherstudios5759]

The smoke jack being used right before they hit that overpass caught me off gaurd. Love it! BTW, take a look at the Great Northern's O-8 class of 2-8-2. It was a chonker madlad of a Mikado, and originally started out design as a Berkshire, and the GN figured out that they could get more weight on the drivers if they gave it a 2-wheel trailing truck, the O-8's had 98 ft grate area, and 77,550 lbs of tractive effort. Kinda neat when you take the training wheels off of your kid's bike.

[@Hyce777]

Goodness... big freaking choochoo.

[@cowcatcherstudios5759]

Just now figured out they were built in Spokane's Hillyard shops, even better since it's where I've lived my whole life, what a trip

[@danmaardeze]

And ofcourse Hyce is the one that has one of the best, if not the best, footage of the Big Boy unassisted. The foamer gods smile upon him. Awesome video!!

[@JamesJames-r8t]

Ive never seen a video of it by itself without 1 assist

[@danmaardeze]

@@JamesJames-r8t I've seen one or two but it is a pretty rare sight for sure

[@williammacdonald3173]

​@JamesJames-r8t there is some footage of it being a glorified shop switcher pulling 5511 around and some cars

[@cerneysmallengines]

I kinda wish BNSF would restore a steam locomotive. I'm partial to the yellowstone locomotives myself, but there are so many great contenders out there for a good show piece

[@Hyce777]

I feel you mate.. I really do.

[@IAmAnonymyz]

They could always come take the CB&Q #5629 back 🤷😁😁😁.

[@IAmAnonymyz]

The thing with BNSF is steam was NEVER part of their "direct heritage" where with UP steam is a HUGE part of its heritage. #844, #3985 Challenger, #4449 and #4014 Big Boy are literally the top #4 most well known steam locomotives and all but the #4449 are owned by UP. Let's also add that UP still owns and maintains an actual steam shop which is something BNSF doesn't have and would have to build from the ground up. As much as I have a strong dislike for UP absorbing all the "Pacific Railroads" and flooding the rails with rolling bananas, they do a wonderful job keeping their steam program relevant and doesn't seem to be afraid to invest money in non-revenue endeavors... Within reason

[@camaroboy1968ss]

the closest you get is when they rent the SP 4449 or if they wanted to do something more PNW centric, there is also the SP&S 700 sitting right next to the 4449 in Downtown Portland.

[@jeremyjohnson457]

BNSF already owns steam engines if you look at Santa fe's history you'll know that each and every Santa Fe steam engine that was preserved is on long-term lease to its respective places

[@rdreher7380]

The Big Boys are something else. I have to see 4014 in person some day. I didn't realize just how much I love those engines until I watched this footage. Way back when I was a little kid, begrudgingly playing soccer in Maalwyk park, I'd hear locomotives echoing from across the Mohawk river, coming in and out of Schenectady. I remember my father pointing up at those hills, as we heard the trains blow their horns, and he told me about how some of the largest steam locomotives in the world were run on those tracks. ALCo apparently tested them there, because the lines along the Mohawk were the straightest ones around, so he explained. It was such an amazing thing to think about, our little Schenectady, a rather still and quiet place now, dingy and dangerous in spots, once a center of ingenuity putting absolute marvels into the world. Only years later, as I rediscovering my lost love for trains, did I realize those were the Big Boys he was talking about, among other huge engines ALCo made. Just yesterday I was biking along the old Eire Canal, across from Maalwyk park where I used to play, and I heard again the trains blasting past up the hill, and across the river another storming through my old hometown as if the echo, and I thought again of those Boys Dad told me about. Seeing this video, even if there might be better videos out there in terms of sheer production quality, the way you shot yours I could feel what makes 4014 really magnificent. She is so massive, so powerful, like the modern beasts that ride the rails now, but being a steam engine she is no mere brick sliding past your gaze. No, you can see her power in the way she dances, the pistons, the rods, the wheels. If you could see, could really feel the way the parts of a diesel or modern electric engine spun the forces of the universe into their rocketting motion, they would no doubt amaze me in the same way, but the way they're built those things are obscured, to the point where even the gliding grace of a Shinkansen feels mundane. But when I see 4014 in motion, despite being the outdated tech, she feels like a mighty rocketship that could take me off to the beyond. I'm reminded of the scene in the 1986 Transformers movie (the ONLY Transformers movie) when Unicron transforms from his planet form into his demonic robot shape, the way the chunks of his body begin to shift tectonically, slowly but surely, the blocks of metal coming out and fitting in. Every detail about him feels grounded, feels machine, a mechanical horror, alive. 4014 is no cosmic horror, but I see in her nonetheless that same awesome power, that feeling of the machine, that same Promethean flame that as humans we cannot help but pass through our hands into the beings we birth with them, for better or for worse.

[@Hyce777]

Thank you mate, glad you got the feel you were hoping for.

[@Merica_official50]

​@@Hyce777I'm wondering why is she pulling freight instead of her passenger cars? I saw her in omaha yet she still had the freight cars

[@dispatch444]

I remember growing up always excited to see the trains come through town, and the best part was waving at the conductor riding in the caboose, and just about every one was always happy to smile and wave back . For me a train just isn’t a train without a trusty caboose trailing behind.

[@MK.5198]

Was wondering when some proper railfanning was going to wind up in this channel! And I'm pleased to report: It's pretty good! Obviously the audio isn't great but its not the end of the world, esp since it cleans up. The shot variety is good. Nothing mind blowing, but the highlight for me is the pacing at Egbert. You start ahead and end behind witch gives the scene a nice bit of compositional symmetry. Indeed, caboose is credit to team. Its a nice short n sweet 7 minutes of footage and nothing overstays its welcome or is cut too short. When you get cool shots, you DO post them, and you did! Thank you! Goin in my railfanning playlist.

[@ShadowDragon8685]

That behemoth's whistle has _destroyed_ professional microphones at greater distances, so I'd say Hyce did pretty damn well!

[@CameronMcCreary]

Thanks Hyce for this wonderful presentation of one of the big locomotives of the steam era. They were very big and somewhat scary to be around while in operation.

[@a33goezboom40]

Holy smokes mark, This was out of the blue and I am not complaining. Mark you did amazing with the cinematography, and, photography in this video You knocked out of the ballpark like always. honestly I'd enjoy seeing more videos like these! I hope your having a wonderful night my friend, also missed office hours this month, I'll try to catch the next stream! ❤🤟🏼😎

[@bmwgto]

I got goosebumps watching 4014 round the bend in that beautiful Wyoming setting. I had the unforgettable pleasure of riding the vintage train pulled by 4014 from Denver Union Station to Cheyenne (and back) for Cheyenne Frontier Days some years back. It was an experience I will hold dear forever.

[@JanTonovski]

Great footage Hyce, it allows people from over the world to enjoy this beast! Thanks!

[@FranklinLeib]

What a big, beautiful work of art, and the sound is amazing. They just don't build them like they used to. Thank you Hyce for the wonderful video.

[@A_Calm_K2]

Big boys so powerful that you can hear the whistle, even when your window of ur car is closed

[@SheepInACart]

To be fair, thats true of every car horn, and even the smallest little steam shunts will send you deaf if you run them regularly.

[@madhatter2601]

love watching 4014 run. its a blessing to be able to watch her every time she leaves her home terminal

[@spencercorby4571]

I got to see this in 2019 right after it was restored, soooo worth it. It'll be going through town again so I will definitely be doing this again.

[@jeffreylyons1531]

The lever of sheer badassery is unparalleled, what an absolutely incredible piece of machinery.

[@timhooglandyt]

We're going to see it next weekend in Chicago! I can't wait to see this history legend in person. Even got my 4014 shirt!

[@tonytbd6232]

A thing of beauty - man you were not wrong with it being loud 😁, I am planning a road trip out west - sure would be super cool to work it out to see the Big Boy or sounds like there are others now - in 'the wild' so to speak. Glad you got to see it in action.

[@QuorkQTar]

I'll be honest, she isn't exactly the prettiest engine to my eyes. But! A magnificent engineering feat, and definitely a sight to behold. Spectacular, and given it's the biggest steam locomotive in the world, it's so amazing and moving to know it's running again after all those years. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@barrettwbenton]

Some gorgeous profile footage, Hyce...very nice off-the-cuff Big Boy coverage!

[@katies6426]

Such a great engine. Great work as always.

[@kermitefrog64]

Actually your audio reflects the power of this incredible machine from the early 1940's. This steam engine is very impressive in the way it handles its work load. The engineering of this steam engine any modern day locomotive in power output.

[@JohnNack]

So awesome! I’d love to see the Big Boy without a diesel helper some day. Just to hear those 3 dynamos going!

[@Hyce777]

you saw it right here... lol!

[@DogRedful]

Free Big Boy…just say no to diesel escorts!

[@Pamudder]

@@DogRedful As Hyce has explained before, the helper engine contributes to safety with dynamic braking, greatly reduces the risk of blocking the main line in case of mechanical mishaps to the 80-year old engine, and-perhaps most important- greatly reduces wear-and-tear on the 4014 and the cost to UP of their steam program. UP DOESN’T HAVE TO HAVE a STEAM PROGRAM. Be grateful and quit whining.

[@rus0004]

@@Pamudder Well said

[@Brickticks]

Oh my g-o-s-h!!! She’s haulin’ Highcubes!!! Highcubes and Covered Hoppers!!!! Alongside a cute little old UP bay window caboose! AWESOME!!!!!

[@WhiteWolf-gx8ll]

Very neat that the front and rear engine sets were synced up in the clip starting at 2:22.

[@RailfanEngineer]

I'm pretty sure you've heard 4014 is headed back down to Texas, and thank god im only like 30 minutes away from where its headed to, so I'll be waiting for that, great catches of it too!

[@neimrxcharix574]

great shot of them deploying the smoke/presure deflectors! I personally havnt seen that in a video, kind of wondered awhile back if those worked or not! I thought it was really cool to see that get used!

[@patrickmcneilly4293]

That's a beautiful shot of keeping pace. I wish there was something similar out here in North Jersey.

[@jmazoso]

Saw her a couple of years ago when she headed west, stopped in Modena, Utah. You think you understand how big she is, she so much bigger. And when they started off, the ground shook. Definitely a bucket list check mark for me.

[@drewbarker8504]

At 0:30 when the smoke appears, the bark from the stacks sounds more like an approaching jet right after takeoff. Acoustics are wild. (That Hancock RIP’d your mic for sure though 😂)

[@h.mandelene3279]

The only train you will ever see with all UP cars and in pristine shape to boot!!!

[@kasbakgaming]

That was some great footage, thanks for sharing. I'll be heading out to see Big Boy when she makes her stop in Rochelle next week, getting hyped for it.

[@deanlamberth0sbcglob]

Most folks don’t notice but there is an eye lid that closes over the smoke stack when they go under a bridge with people on it. Very kool

[@craniel1]

the all UP consist of clean (non-graffiti'd) hoppers and boxes is funny to me. I can't say I've seen many UP cars here in in the old L&N territory

[@AJtheRatty]

I was thinking the same, haha. Toy train vibes, but I understand why they do it.

[@craniel1]

@@AJtheRatty I'm not for sure why they do it, are those cars special?

[@zachman1394]

@@craniel1One big reason they pull extra cars is for braking. steam locomotive brakes are incredibly difficult and time consuming to replace this way they have enough train to let the air brakes for the cars do the work for them. As for them all being pristine (or close enough to it) cars... best guess there is for appearance reasons. Id wager they are revenue loads though

[@williammacdonald3173]

​@@zachman1394new cars from the factory

[@ellisjackson336]

The spot where you shot the diesels looks like the same spot where that steam locomotive was captured pulling an intermodal train by itself back in the 90s

[@danielcresswell7477]

Love the whistle, sounds so badass.

[@n2nitro444]

Ah yes the large lad. Not to be confused with the medium Monty. Or the small Snek.

[@ThatBIGTRAINGuy]

I REALLY hope to actually see Big Boy run in person one day, but living in the UK is very tricky. 😭 I did see 4005 in the museum last year at least, and I saw 4004 about 20 years ago too.

[@Sigil_Firebrand]

There's foam everywhere! Also some great video clips, sounds like y'all had a (high) ball of a time!

[@5280bj]

Wow I see Robert waving from the tool car at 1:03. Lucky guy!! 😊

[@Teslaman86]

Beautiful mark. Thanks for the video.

[@catekratville-wrinn1285]

Nice! After chasing 4014 all day i can't get the sound of its whistle out of my head to sleep!!😂

[@temmieAckkerman]

Seeing the old man out there without his walker is so so cool...

[@johnuhelski8613]

GREAT VID !! The Archer , WY. shot was MONEY !!!

[@caydenworley5002]

Ed really should one day have 4014 pull a revenue freight train just because he can

[@lashendawest7509]

Great catches awesome chase and nice video

[@helmutsandner6964]

Excellent video. Very enjoyable to watch

[@Idaho-Cowboy]

Awesome footage! Love the whistle.

[@pranavghantasala6808]

You call it audio issues, I call it historically accurate sound quality All that's left is a grainy filter and hey presto, you're in a railroad documentary!

[@emeraldoqrol1265]

Wish I had known you were in the area, I drove 6 hours to go see 4014 that same day

[@kd1841]

So cool! Can’t wait to see it in Ft.Worth in October ❤ Thanks to the awesome person who gifted me a membership. It all went by so fast that I didn’t realize until today I got one!

[@itsjustaviper]

"LOOK, COMMENT WARRIORS! NO DIESELS HA _HAAAAAA!_ "

[@roadtrain_]

Clearly, the box cars are diesels! We've had diesels disguised as box cars, so the other way around isn't so far fetched /s

[@midgetarmy1912]

​@@roadtrain_ Nah 4014 is a diesel, that steam? That's just exhaust

[@scowell]

Nice to see 4014 without a diesel mover in the consist... just seems more real to me. Nice touch on the real caboose!

[@844SteamFan]

4:41 Nice T4 ACe with 70Ms trailing, that’s a great manifest, so many interesting cars. 6:31 And a meet with a 4460 leader

[@carlenger9707]

Super cool to see Austin running again

[@andywomack3414]

Must be steaming well. Being an oil-burner probably helps keep the exhaust less sooty. I have a book with a photo of a C&S oil-burner steam locomotive turning the sky black as it ran down the street in Fort Collins. My dad has a story about being stalled in a tunnel with a locomotive that was not steaming well. In this case coal-fired in the Mt, Airy tunnel at the summit of the B&O Old Main Line.

[@andyerwin3535]

I missed it leaving Cheyenne, I hope to catch it on its return. When they bring the big boy out to fire it up, you can hear the wise toe all over town, it’s just amaizing

[@ZFRANK59]

Just great! Thx for sharing man!

[@kellys.6047]

This isn’t really about the Big Boy , but I just watched a great video someone put out showing the Western Maryland 734. Lots of beautiful chuffing, whistles, steam, and smoke.🚂🚂🚂❣️❣️

[@trainzguy2472]

0:54 I had no idea the Big Boy has a retractable smoke deflector!

[@SweetSunrising]

Holy smokes I missed that - Challenger’s got one of those too!

[@the_darkgameryt]

i wish they would do a pure revenue freight run at tonnage with this thing, that'd be awesome

[@Axllovestrainz14]

Roll on big boy😊 2:42

[@ShadowDragon8685]

So, what insane conspiracy theory are the theorists pushing now; that one of the wagons is a diesel in disguise? Love it!

[@jellostrains]

She comes up my home line in October. I cant wait.

[@travisworts6249]

The place I work at is right across from the railroad and I got to watch one of the rail grinders come through. I also see so many kcs and cp diesel engines. Most of the freight they haul seems to be hopper cars. Like a lot of hopper cars. One day there was three trains back and forth with 90 percent hoppers in both directions. I guess that's what happens when you live in the Midwest lol. Nothing but grain. You should make more stuff like this for other operating steam trains plus some history of the locomotive would be nice as well.

[@BNSFTrains10]

Thankfully if you don't know that 4014 has been outfited with PTC "Positive Train Control" as shown with it leading by itself Now UP SD70MAC 4015 would pair with Big Boy throughout the rest of it's Tour as previously, 1983 the Western Pacific HU would pair with it on it's trip through California.

[@3henry214]

I saw 4014 when it was in Roseville, CA... and actually chased it over Donner Pass to Sparks, NV... what a experience of a lifetime. Hearing that whistle echoing in the mountains as it approached was just magical! I did not get a chance to ask at the Q&A they held in Roseville, but can someone explain what the series of numbers under "4014" on the cab means. The 4-8-8-4 at the beginning is obvious, but afterward that, it's cryptic to me.

[@SheepInACart]

As per hyces comment 2 days ago, 1 denotes it was in the first batch, 68 denotes the driver diameter

[@3henry214]

@@SheepInACart Thanks... but what about the numbers following 68? : 24 24 over 32 and 540DB

[@3henry214]

Found my answer: 24 24 = Diameter of the front and rear cylinders. 32 = piston stroke (in inches) of engines 540 = total weight (thousands of pounds) on the drivers - 540,000 DB = Dickens (Yes, Ed) and Barker, who designed the oil conversion. The stoker type is what would normally be indicated here.

[@strasburgrailfan90]

Great video Mark!

[@jondorthebrinkinator]

One question occurs to me, no idea whether or not it's been explored or how one would even go about it, but it would be interesting to see how the performance of a simple articulated or a duplex changes when the engine sets are in sync with each other, vs off beat around 45 degrees or in general just any arbitrary combination of power strokes at various phases offset from each other. There are a lot of potential combinations of twisting forces at play as well as the flow of steam delivery.

[@voidjavelin23]

its the same to be honest

[@SheepInACart]

Its been gone into detail before on one of the bits of live content, but simple answer is there is no meaningful change once the trains moving at normal speeds, at lower cutoffs there are quite a few chuffs worth of accumulation in the intake/output plumbing, at higher cuttoffs there is limited interruptions. Even the firebox air has enough inertia its not meaningfully starting and stopping per exhaust pulse, the sound and vibration we hear (and see in fire box) is shockwaves moving up and down a air-stream, not flow reversals. ~70mph is ~600rpm, which is on pairs of double acting pistons so 2,400 pulses per minute per engine (40 per second), your only really going to see sync advantages at like 4 per second, or

[@maskedlordofficial]

This is awsome footage of the big boy

[@zzyzx0069]

Now I'm not a foamer, or a steam rail preservation enthusiast, BUT!! seeing a Big Boy class Choo-Choo running on rail, and seeing how TEENY TINY the engineers and folks in the cap running it are compared to the actual boiler, steam chest, all the drive gear just puts one in awe. And to think all this is analogue, no computers running it. Just dials, levers, gears and a group of grey haired men taming the power of steam, gaddamn that shits beautiful? I also like the contrast of the EXTREMELY clean and pristine steam train versus the grimy dusty rusty oily dirty diesels sharing the same track. I just have two questions, what is the steam train hauling, are those cars empty or do they have stuff in? And would Union Pacific ever use the big boy for proper paid rail where it moved heavy long loads and we can see it doing heavy lifting, like that train in Germany that was hauling the lumber from 2 or 3 weeks back. I wanna see that big boi chuffing hard, barking loud, bellowing black smoke and maybe get a couple drivers slipping.

[@SheepInACart]

They are brand new empty cars built for the purpose of displaying the steam train. They want enough weight that the train can be stopped on the cars brakes if the locomotive brakes don't brake, and it looks way better this way than a couple of cars of ballast. Working hard like that causes extreme wear on a 80 year old girl, and reduces the number of trips they can make in a year, and so the number of people to see it, as well as how many trains they can keep in their fleet. They DID use 3985 hard like that for one month in 1993 because of flooding damage and limited other locomotives to pick up the work, but it basically broke the poor girl and she only ran once every couple of years after, and normally with diesel helpers. Back in the day there where many trains, with new parts still being made every day and routine maintenance, and they still didn't normally push them that hard, slipping drivers (outside of the "brake test"/wheel cleaning thing they did) was always a bad time, your actually doing less work if your trying to catch slip. Also speed is a big factor here, the sort of sound/look your expecting is extremely low speed work, which is both an issue for the regular trains it shares the mainline with, and not how they where normally run in revenue service anyway. The big boy was big precisely so it could be fairly quick, and at high speeds your just not slipping wheels, the frequency of pulses blend together, and you have enough distance of piston stroke per unit of time to fully expand the complete boiler output of steam (ie fairly low cutoff) so don't get that "bark". Instead most people see steam trains leaving platforms ect at extremely low speeds (and often with cylinder drains open) so imagine a particular audio/visual experience that just isn't how they look on the mainline, same as US trains tended to deliberately form nice big black clouds for old photos, when the firing exhaust (even on coal) was normally much better.

[@fsj197811]

Cool deal, thanks for sharing.

[@TheTonystearns]

That’s awesome @hyce❤ you got to work on one of our old big boys now you get to see 4014 in operation. Heya quick question . When you were still in interbay balmer shop . Did you have an old head machinist there by norm Pearson ?

[@Hyce777]

Not while I worked there, no.

[@TheTonystearns]

@@Hyce777 right on bud thanks for the reply . He was like an uncle to me when I was growing up he may have retired out before your time . . Anyways happy and safe railroading .

[@LeDibeau]

An impressive piece of machinery is steaming down the tracks and a few man are fulfilling their childhood dreams :-) Oh how I envy them. Thanks go to those who made it possible to accomplish the almost improbable: to bring this "device" back to life.

[@travisgoff99]

My first steam engine was the 844 in Rawlins, Wyoming

[@arlosepictrainchannel8593]

Great video holy smokes! I’m your new sub😅 I caught it north bend Nebraska sept 2

[@SJVRF711]

I saw big boy in Roseville on Union Pacific employee day and I got my walthers mainline UP GP9 signed

[@danielmckinney5527]

No big deal on the audio, guess on a high note that just shows how much raw power Big Boy has in the capability of pulling a contemporary freight train.

[@jamesgroccia644]

Gotta love that 24-wheel monster’s roar

[@bshoke]

4014 is going to be in Texas my birthday week and I am so hoping to get to see it

[@mason-wr1we]

Wow what a great video of 4014

[@DUBMANS]

Ah archer hill. Where 3985 pulled a double stack 143 loaded unassisted after being fired up.

[@scale_model_apprentice]

This is why #3985 is my favorite. Sorry, Big Boy

[@Valtrex666]

Great video! Question, I've noticed around 3:03 under 4014 below engineers window there is wheel arrangement listed as 4-8-8-4-1-68, while 4-8-8-4 makes sense, what last 1-68 stands for? And maybe rest of numbers in that line ?

[@Hyce777]

1 denotes it was in the first batch, 68 denotes the driver diameter.

[@Valtrex666]

@@Hyce777 Thank you!

[@Mooxystrains]

Anyone else catch that smoke deflector!!

[@osageorangegaming5128]

For the Egbert section starting 2:20 it looks like Ed has the Johnson bar most of the way forward but seems to ease it up as they proceed on, judging on how the radius bar heads back toward 'neutral'. Was the grade in the area slighter steeper at the start to fairly level in the end? Its what it looked like in the footage. Also a shoutout to @jerseycentral833

[@Hyce777]

Good question

[@applejackcarsparks8482]

It's going to be down near me in Fort Worth Texas on October 10th and 11th and I really want to go see it in person

[@TheEpicDragonCat]

Amazing footage!

[@RustGear5.56]

That's a cool fact that they're still really using the smoke hood

[@paulw.woodring7304]

Might be louder than 4014, or just as loud, but check out Reading T-1 Northern 2102.

[@robertmcdonnold3038]

11 empty freight cars, very disappointing. It's known for pulling mile long freight. Watching 4014 push the stalled freight in Nebraska was worth it all.

[@desmondk-o7148]

if august was "decapod month" on the Hyce channel its becoming clear that september is gonna be "big boy month"; next up, big boy mod for railroader, or does the rearranged S282 mod in DV have a big boy option?

[@madmoe4]

I saw a static big boy once at the museum of transportation outside St Louis

[@1chuck96]

At 0:57 in, the "smoke deterrent device" over the twin stacks appears to be engaged...My question is, is this an original ALCO feature on that and other tunnel bearing locomotives, or is this a modern one-off?

[@voidjavelin23]

originally from ALCo

[@johnmichael3808]

peak footage