Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 - Cheyenne Depot Days 2015

State of the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 as of 5-16-2015

[@SYVRRy]

We on the West Coast appreciate the updates on 4014. It's progressing and is looking good. I hope the 2019 date (or earlier) holds up. Can't wait.

[@cacjy6b]

Hope all of you rail fan's out their enjoy watching the restoration of 4014 as much as us Norfolk Southern fan's enjoyed watching our 611 being restored and run again. Well wishe's to all you rail fan's from all of us in 611 country here in Virginia.

[@SpencerShirey1998]

Im glad there taking the time and effort to restore one of the biggest locos that ran the rails

[@CSXEMDTrainLover]

nice video Nick and great catch of the Union Pacific big boy steam engine in the museum.

[@1940limited]

What a massive undertaking. If anyone can do it, it's Union Pacific. You'll remember one of their past advertising slogans: "Be Specific! Ship Union Pacific!" :)

[@RENunez-sd6ov]

Pomona here, Thanks for posting

[@1989CJL]

Nick white i was there i was from iowa and i had a blast out their the big boy was huge i saw the 844 cab was off i talked to the head steam shop guy when we got off the trolly he said the 844 is going to be done the end of this year or next

[@andrewbethune5]

Amazing to think that it's finally out running again out in the south (as of November 3, 2019)

[@Rebel9668]

It'd be nice if they'd give an update once in a while to tell what progress has been made.

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

Rebel9668 Ya. Ever since they left California, the progress videos have pretty much stopped. I had hoped they would start doing progress videos on 844 as well.

[@KevanScarfboy]

It would be nice if they would install a web can so people could watch live...

[@renegadeoflife87]

A few months ago 844 returned to steam running the best it has in a long while. Hopefully 4014 and 3985 are repaired and back on the mainline within the decade at least. These engines are gigantic, the amount of funding and manpower to restore and operate them is staggering.

[@cartersol38]

The 'tear-down' is not an 'over-nighter'. The Cheyenne UP Crew have their plates filled to overflowing at the moment. We would all like to know how much progress has been made thus far? I am content and comfortable-ecstatic in fact, that there is a Big Boy being restored. I'm sure that Ed Dickens and his very capable crew, will get the job done. There is so much to be 'checked-out'=a gargantuan task! I think Mr Dickens will be giving an update, as soon as he feels it appropriate to do so. Meanwhile, like yourselves, I am patiently sitting back and waiting to hear about the progress as well. The videos that have been posted are a joy to watch. They are my 'fix', after a bad day at the office!

[@HowardKelsey68]

Well said.

[@stephensmith799]

+Sol Carter Yes! This one is the Daddy and the clue is in the name. Like you I'm so pleased that UP is restoring a Big Boy. I never thought I could ever expect to see one turning a wheel in anger. But when it is done, I'll be coming to America to ride behind it. Hats off to UP and its engineers. I have yet to see what the flexible steam connection to the articulating chasis looks like.... (and how they keep it steam-tight). With your experience of SAR articulated steam locos, you'd know. That would be some engineer's seat to sit in with one hand on the regulator! I wish...

[@customhitcher]

If UP could get maintenance issue down near diesels? and the emissions down,that be so cool to see it pulling regular freight service and the steam engine can do what diesels can not,run through 2 to 3 feet of water ( if ever needed )and keep going.

[@BCSchmerker]

I can appreciate the Union Pacific's extreme caution - the Company obviously cannot afford to have any parts stolen from their heavy steam, as American Locomotive (now a General Electric subsidiary) disposed of the manufacturing tooling during the 1960's. Teardown on the Big Boy was expected to take the better part of two years; with #844, a 4-8-4, also under overhaul, UP Steam has its collective hands full at the Cheyenne Shops.

[@HowardKelsey68]

Hear, hear.

[@shay7090]

Wow bustling in there.

[@ArantiusVulpes]

I work for union pacific as a conductor and though i am a fan of the steam program it is a shame that this company says it doesnt have the money to keep me working, but has the money to spend on this stuff.

[@richardmattingly7000]

I trust that the surviving Big Boys like the one in Denver Forney's Museum will be available to swap out parts to 4014 by their curators if needed. Indeed the UP 4006 here in Colorado was once converted to an oil burner and will be a nice bookend if several parts are exchanged to bring the one in Cheyenne back to life.

[@pinchy08]

There still working on big boy 4014 aren't they? Looks like it's going to be a long restoration for the big boy. Neat to see inside the big boys smoke box. It has 2 funnels.

[@somethingsomeonesaid6455]

B.M. 3-4-56 between 6:18 and 6:27. Was march 4th 1956 the last time this thing saw a shop?

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

+Greg Terpatsi I could be wrong and someone else is welcome to chime in if I am, but I think the B.M stands for Boiler Maker, probably was the date of it's last major overhaul before it was retired 5 years later. Probably saw some minor shop time in between though, but these things were pretty much worked to death before U.P retired them.

[@southern207hobbies]

there is alot they need to do incase you didnt hotice the biggest thing was the shop its self needed one major backdate so the boilers ( for all 3 can be lifted ) and major safety upgrades and general shop fixes one of witch is the drop pit to drop the axles on any of the locomotives ended a major overhaul its self as this stuff does last with tlc

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

James Dunlap The guys certainly have a huge undertaking going on with the Steam Shop and the work on 844 and 4014.

[@aaronspringborn34]

Nick White and eventually beyond that is the 3985. How many tracks do they have in the steam shop and in the round house? I heard that the 3985 might get move back into the steam shop once other heritage equipment gets moved. Is that true?

[@Godzilla691138MW3]

Wow what a fascinating looking Steam Locomotive, so its still under restoration as we speak? Or is Big Boy already operational?

[@gzsandiego]

How much is a ticket an an excursion trip expected to cost?

[@PotholesInMyLawn]

Damn there are 6 people out there that should not be allowed on the Internets....

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

+PotholesInMyLawn At least! :)

[@1989CJL]

Yah Nick White they had it closed because of the parts i really wanted to 3985 oh well i got to see the 4014 it was a dream of mine next year we have to meet out their at depo day in cheyenne

[@starguard4122]

When is it scheduled to be finished?

[@bobproxmire3637]

I am hoping they are working with a professional producer to make a video detailing the rebuild. thank you for this video, :D

[@jacksalvin364]

Union Pacific 4014: The Restoration.

[@philmacgregor1374]

CLISHAY

[@SquillyMon]

Anyone know how many individual parts-components it takes to comprise a machine of this magnitude? Nuts, Bolts, Rivets, Pipes, Rods, Pistons, Wheels...and so on n so forth....JEEZOOO the list can go on and on. I bet someone knows.....Who is it? Talk about "Some Assembly Required" People....

[@SquillyMon]

Robert Lud Ho Lee Cow... Thats a few parts right there. Thanks for the info...Amazing and daunting as well. These were serious machines. I just watched a documentary on how much of the Mongolian railway is STILL steam powered...there are a vast number of engines running there that are destined for scrap. I hope others intervene to prevent the wholesale scrapping of those machines. They deserve better than that!!

[@SquillyMon]

Robert Lud No...I think they ARE American engines...made here in America if I am not mistaken?? I believe the documentary stated as such. I will see if I can dig up the documentary....I think I watched here on U tube

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

+Robert Lud I have enjoyed watching the videos of the Chinese steam program

[@canadiantimberwolf1]

Did I hear that guy say this Big Boy could be up and running around 2019.. ?

[@CowSausages]

Yep

[@taffytamuttonfudge5765]

CowSausages that's still about 3-4 years away. Hopefully #3985 can handle the excursion work till then.

[@canadiantimberwolf1]

Let's keep fingers crossed that the economy doesn't take a turn and they will put everything on hold for a bit..

[@Scotsmanful]

When he is ready to run,believe me,he will Run to The SuperBowl like The Challenger.

[@trainzillamodelrailroading9905]

Is the bigboy a mallet or does it use high pressure on all cylinders?

[@MegaGeorge1948]

Dr. Jak G. Cogsworth it uses high pressure on all cylinders.

[@trainzillamodelrailroading9905]

Ok thanks!

[@michaelglass4701]

AWESOME

[@Sys-Edit0r-1995]

I'm guessing the reason for 611 being finished while 4014 3985 an 844 are still under is that the shops a ren't ready for work right? otherwise the may have gottenone done or nearly done by now? (I'm mostly thinking 844 since its the sallst ofthe 3)

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

***** I think that is a big part of it. The shop just isn't equipped at the moment to handle the kind of work needed. I know they want ( and need ) to get an overhead crane back in there, and they are evaluating the existing structure to see if it can handle the weight of a boiler.

[@Sys-Edit0r-1995]

Alright then!

[@Peavine21]

***** 611 has nothing to do the UP!

[@MrRailroadrunner]

It looks like they barely took the dressings off. Looks much similar to when they moved it. What all has been done to 3985 as well?

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

MrRailroadrunner They had the roundhouse closed. Apparently due to the mess of parts from 844 they are storing in there, they didn't want people inside the roundhouse this year.

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

Nick White So what are they hiding?

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

chaosdemonwolf1 I don't know. Anything would be pure speculation. But to give an example of how they work, they would not even admit the 4014 existed prior to their official announcement that they were indeed going to restore a Big Boy and 4014 was the chosen one. They had a code word for the project which I don't remember now what it was, but anyway UP has in the past been a bit secretive in what is going on. I have no doubt that parts from 844 were in the roundhouse. But they have always had equipment in there before, and not much room to walk around which can be seen in my previous years of going through the roundhouse. Since the 3985 is stored in there also.. just makes you wonder if there might be something they didn't want people like me to film and put on KZbin like I have in the past. The feeling I got while there, was things were well guarded. First time I have ever seen people ( including Ed ) walking around with radios on their hips talking back and forth. In the previous 2 years, Ed made it a point to come say hi to me. This year, I said hi to him but he wasn't very talkative to me as before. This year felt quite different than previous years.

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

I'd like to go out there some day just to check it out

[@4x4me2]

chaosdemonwolf1 an alien autopsy

[@davidyoung5114]

Any idea what the estimated time to complete the renovation is?

[@armagonarmagon3980]

Union Pacific wants to have 4014 in operation by 2019, in time for the sesquicentennial of the Golden Spike.

[@michaelglass4701]

LOVE IT

[@ronedwards1101]

The builder's plates weigh as much as my truck!

[@RKidd-ex3rh]

When is it 4014 is believed to be back on the rails?

[@engineer6325]

R. Kidd Current estimation is 2019, they might swing it earlier if they can accomplish some other projects ahead of schedule.

[@RKidd-ex3rh]

engineer6325 Thankyou for the info. I am glad that it wont be too long to see that titan dominating the mainline once again.

[@pinchy08]

Looks like it takes a lot of work restoring a humongous steam locomotive.

[@veliapustetto5068]

Who will be the engineers?

[@vector6977]

probably the same ones that run #3985 and other steam locomotives around the country.

[@veliapustetto5068]

Fortunate people1 By the way, will it burn coal (so I do hope) or oil? One of the interesting devices was the stocker.

[@hunterjaybird_1191]

8 dislikes, must be Prius owners.

[@customhitcher]

I've forgotten how hugh that engine is.

[@RENunez-sd6ov]

Ren here Big Boy looks great, go to my channel for the moving of the BIG BOY 4014 here in Pomona Ca.

[@brysongrondin9415]

They're not going to like it on oil... UP hasn't learned... they tried a Big Boy on oil when all 25 were still in active service, 4008 it was, I believe. They converted it to oil and gave it the "elephant ears" like 844 has, but they converted it right back to coal. WAY too big of a heating area to be using oil for. Unless they have some sort of plans for a brand spankin' new, state-of-the-art atomizer and some specific low viscosity oil that still burns good, they probably wont like it and it will be a repeat of history. I guess time will tell...

[@engineer6325]

Bryson Grondin The issue is not that oil isn't powerful enough, the issue was the burner they used. The issue with the oil burner Big Boy, (4005), was that they only used a single burner for the massive firebox, (720 sq ft). One burner as it turned out was inadequate for such a massive firebox when the locomotive was working hard. Had they placed in a second one that would kick in when steam demand was high enough, the engine would've steamed a lot better. The oil burning SP&S Challenger engines had a two burner system that worked in tandem whenever steam demand was high, and those engines performed perfectly.

[@BCSchmerker]

engineer6325 In which case, I'd recommend at least three oil burners for #4014, which has two additional drive axles and a thousand additional gallons on #3985. The 4-8+8-4 American Single-Expansion Articulated, Class BB-1, was built to pull the combined capacity of three 4-8-4's, Class FEF-2, over the ten-plus-mile grades of the Wasatch, remember, and I see it fit that the Big Boy be able to pull as much on Bunker 5 as she did on bituminous.

[@engineer6325]

B. C. Schmerker You make a valid point, three burners do sound like that would the trick. I really do wonder what the UP steam crew has in mind to tackle this design detail.

[@theshapeexists]

Bryson Grondin Millions of dollars are being invested into having this be a huge restorative and continually functional priority for UP. They have experts figuring the water chemistry to maximize boiler lifespan, im sure they have the best to find the best modern fuel and power output for a steam loco of this caliber. Science has come along way since the early 60's when 4005 was retired. I live right next to the forney museum where she is, and i have a feeling 4014 will be several times better at doing a job than 4005 ever did on oil. But we also have to remember, there will soon only be one in operation, perhaps for the remainder of our lives. I'm not sure UP wants big boy to be some super maximum high octane speed machine. it will probably be a balance of what's good for the longevity of the machine, the cost for the restoration, and the feasability for future maintenance. She's no longer going to be pulling 3 and a half mile long heavy freight on a slope.

[@Jimboliah3985]

4005 burned oil for a while, and 4019 had smoke deflectors for a while... Also, I think 4014's firebox will be resized slightly...

[@pinchy08]

I bet you can't wait till this gigantic locomotive runs under its own steam power again soon.

[@Romans--bo7br]

+Pinchie08.... 2019 is the "to be completed by" year... in time for the " Triple Header & Grand Entrance" of the 4014 to the 150th (if I have my dates right - ??) Golden Spike ceremonies at Promatory, UT. The "plan" is to Triple Head it there, along with 3985 & the 844..... would be a Sight & Sound to behold for sure. Having said all that.... don't be surprised, if none of that takes place..... just a "hunch".

[@georgesharkey6723]

Nobody explains what is going on , all you hear is some guys little girl, who probably should not be there for safeties sake.