Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 Departs Cheyenne, WY August 2021

[@cbufffly]

Kudos to all who worked so hard for so long to bring back a piece of history that made this country so great!

[@garymartin9777]

What an honor to be selected to drive this train. Something to tell the great-grandkids. And with KZbin, you can show them too !

[@timgreen4137]

The engineer, Ed Dickens, also supervised and participated in the restoration of 4014.

[@ronaldadams5385]

Just one time , I’d love to see Steve Lee take him down the high Iron one last time

[@bearfoxtrot_101]

@@troyswanson7762 it's not "union track rights BS" as you it it. Crew members are up there to pilot the engine as they regularly run the routes and are qualified. It's just the same as a ship pilot helping a boat into a port it has never been before. Each stretch of line has its speed areas, processes, and procedures.

[@bearfoxtrot_101]

@@troyswanson7762 I see and hear what you're saying but I can't see how one man can remember every little dip, curve, crossing, bridge, switch, derail, channel, and slow order on thousands of miles that the Big Boy runs. I mean I'm qualified on nearly 600 miles across ND and MN and I have a hard time remembering it all without referring to my books sometimes.

[@rateyesmertz3785]

@@troyswanson7762 Union Pacific was never kind to it's employees, especially train and engine crews.and then you got slimey train conductors that would sell their mothers to sex trafficers for a deadhead or a weekend off. The hours of service is written in stone. That two minutes longer can translate into three hours toe-in pay.If Union Pacific wanted the train to make it, they would have dispatched it better.

[@williamcharles9480]

I'm so pleased to see #4014 back in action. It would be such a shame if this masterpiece of engineering excellence wasn't allowed to "roll its drivers" as often as possible. To let him sit would be to let him die. Thanks Union Pacific and thanks to all who participate in keeping "Big Boy" active and for all to see.

[@PhoenixRising251]

This was excellent from beginning to end! Hearing the decay of Big Boy's whistle echoing in the distance is both mind numbing and spine tingling, not to mention haunting.

[@richardzehrung7088]

I’m an old Naval Steam Engineer. There are very few operating Propulsive Steam left. UP Steam Shop did excellent work. Wish you would come to the Seattle Area.

[@goodkarmechanic]

Love especially the Archer hill segment because you can actually hear the 4014 working with its exhaust sounds. Thank You Very Much for Sharing!

[@jamessotherden5909]

Watching any steam locomotive in action is great, But seeing big boy in action is awesome. Thank you.

[@RickyJr46]

Most excellent.Thanks for being our eyes and ears, Nick!

[@kevinkohler5140]

We'll be driving from NJ to St. Louis to see her in person... CAN'T WAIT!

[@S.P.A.R.K.Y.]

Found the tracker, she's a beauty!

[@cornonthecob1268]

Better off going down to Chester Illinois to see her on Saturday

[@Winter_Sportster]

Great job of covering this National Treasure!!!!

[@dougsundseth6904]

My wife and I were at the Christenson Rd. overpass that morning (in the middle of Archer Hill). Beautiful day and a great location.

[@sgttombailes3380]

Nice patina on those old UP cars~~

[@johndayton3673]

Just love old trains. I use to live near a train station in Potter Place, NH. I would wave to the Engineer and he would blow the horn for me. It was so cool.

[@ed777tx-edward8]

A beautiful piece of machinery. I like the SP cab forwards as well but we don’t see much of it. When Big Boy appears it gets everyones attention. Great video thanks for sharing.

[@RobertBay70]

4015 I am guessing is helping push it out the yard. That 4014 is a beast seems like it's just getting warmed up. Wow! That is awesome!

[@lilfrostygamplays1665]

Thx Nick for the 4014 2021 Tour keep the videos coming

[@Joseph-dr6si]

Nice! That is one beautiful Engine. Thanks for posting Nick. Great footage!

[@johndavey72]

Thankyou Nick. As usual , your normal high standard ! The long distance shots are evocative and with the close ups you remind us how magnificent a beast she is ! You must travel hundreds , even thousands of miles to entertain us . Thank you so much !

[@redshifttrucking4537]

Thank you for this Nick. Brought back a lot of childhood memories. And thanks to Union Pacific for keeping history alive.

[@PatriciaPerry-g1i]

Nice shot with the sunflowers!

[@NOcollapseIN]

you can definatley tell Ed's making her work for her supper this time!!! they have tweaked the side rod noise out and now she runs smooth as glass!!!!!!! THIS PUPPY IS PULLING!!!!

[@cleoo.D]

Watched it come through Paola Kansas, such an awesome sight.

[@bluekouki86]

4015 diesel unit was a nice touch

[@alexpringle9766]

Very nice footage of No.4014. Hats off. Also I like the fact the helper diesel is No.4015 and plus the caboose and the Missouri Pacific hopper in the consist is a nice touch.🚂😎👍

[@joanndegiorgio647]

That was an awesome video. Tears built up in my eyes. Thanks BigBoy!!

[@paulsmith6616]

Nick, many thanks for this video, I particularly like the atmospheric distant shots showing scenery with the train moving through it. I also see that someone in U.P. has a sense of humour with the inclusion of 4015 in the consist. Top job U.P.!! I notice that most people are attempting social distancing, within reason, however your extreme distance shots in some instances make me worry that there maybe a personal hygiene matter no-one wants to mention.... It's okay, I don't judge, especially if I am up-wind. After so many months of silence, this video is a celebration, for all of us. Again, many thanks for the time and effort.

[@haroldtanner9600]

Thanks for distracting us from the “Preoccupation”! I’ve been DONE with it and the panic for over a year. Video of Big Boy in action is a wonderful way to block out the stupid.

[@ROMAQHICKS]

Absolutely excited to see it pass through my small town later this month!

[@markbergthold6181]

4014 with helper engine 4015, sweet!

[@geoffreystearns1690]

Sure wish she'd come to the Northwest. I'd die a happy man if I could see her steam through Eugene and Springfield on the way to Portland.

[@louettesommers8594]

I wish with all my heart that I could still ride from Los Angeles to Wyoming ♥️

[@noname6568]

I would have loved to have done a retube on the boiler. Plus replaced the stay bolts. I've worked on the oldies that run from Minneapolis to lake Superior. What a pleasure it was.

[@merryhunt9153]

Thanks for sharing. Love the sunflowers at 7:30.

[@christmasduck2]

Nothing like this monster in the UK, enjoyed watching it.

[@richardbyrnes8398]

Like to see it try the West Somerset though.

[@scotmorse8760]

I love seeing Big Boy when it comes thru Kansas City. Always try and catch it on the open road in the country. So awesome

[@ZFRANK59]

Thx for sharing 4014 travels with the world!

[@rongrose3746]

Man, that thing is huge ! Nice !

[@shawnjames6714]

That's what she said.

[@chaplainand1]

I love it. Hardly any smoke once it got going - wonderful. Thanks

[@jerrygose6071]

Hi My Name is Jerry Gose Jr. As I will to Actually Meet this Stream Train. The 4014 ! As when I was 15 years old. I Actually ran trains to and forth to the Best wall. I used to climb the 844.

[@GettingOlderByTheDay71]

She's a beauty. Got a chance to see her up close and personal years ago in Rock Island, IL. They had a Chinese Locomotive hooked up behind the 4014 as part of a tour

[@normandarish2644]

...GOING TO FT.WORTH TO SEE IT!! LIFELONG DREAM FULFILLED!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👍💗

[@daveconnell5434]

Great video Nick. Thanks !!!

[@jilli9723]

Great video, thank you!

[@jugglergirl20km]

I'm going to watch it go through Warrensburg on Tuesday.

[@tattinggirl4341]

Thank you so much !

[@billblackwell9738]

A true peice of history , Wyoming history , can they bring it through Casper ? I know it's owned by Union Pacific and the line through Casper is owned by BNSF but I would love to see it in person

[@johnbean5094]

Wonderful steady video of one very Big loco. Amazing. (Wish there was a fluffy cover over microphone to cut out wind noise).

[@Toaster844]

If only 3985 could run again. Damn a double header with 4014 and 3985, I’d call it, “The March of the Articulateds”

[@oyungerelaisingioro7072]

Sic Semper Tyrannis

[@kenhurley4441]

Gonna get to see this beautiful steam locomotive this week! Yea, took off work to see the BB! I wonder if Hobo Shoestring is riding.

[@Skynd303]

Yay for Shoestring!!! think he went to the Hobo convention!!

[@vettebecker1]

Would love to see her in person sometime! Here on the east coast, Steamtown has a BigBoy on static display but it doesn’t compare to seeing an iron horse under steam.

[@DevonMopiedmont1143]

I think the problem is having CSX or NS agree to her running there and curve radius

[@silentotto5099]

Me too. I've been wondering why they haven't brought it further east. I've speculated that there might be a problem with running such a big locomotive on the existing rail infrastructure. I've looked, but I've not seen anything that either confirms or refutes my speculation. I live in the eastern side Michigan, and it's a bit maddening to see come as close as Chicago, but no closer. That's something like an eleven hour round trip for me and as much as I'd love to see it running, that's not something that's really doable for me just now. Running a locomotive like that must be expensive and I fear that they'll pack it away again before I get the opportunity to see it steaming along.

[@gingerbread6614]

Great video. Thank you

[@chugwaterjack4458]

I don't think I recall ever seeing a bay window caboose on the Wyoming or Nebraska divisions. One of the extended cupola crummies would have been a nice touch.

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

When the X4014 came through Fort Worth they stopped for about a day. Head Engineer took questions about the train. It was really great I took a lot of photographs and watched the train leave the following morning at 8am. I don't know if I will ever get to do this again.

[@stephanietoiletpaperbride4484]

Same here! Next morning we headed south to a park (Echo Lake) just south of Berry Street. That was my fav part, watching it blow by.

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

@@stephanietoiletpaperbride4484 Nice how fast do you think it was going past?

[@stephanietoiletpaperbride4484]

@@BartdeBoisblanc just asked hubby and he said the exact number I was thinking 35mph

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

@@stephanietoiletpaperbride4484 That is a pretty good clip for a train that weighs 1.2 million pounds!

[@davidfasano7210]

Don't make em like this anymore....end of an Era....Great video!👍

[@TrainLover-wt9ix]

*BIG* BOY

[@sargepent9815]

Cool video. She stopped less than 400 yards from my house on her way through Wisconsin in 2019. Truly a beautiful machine. Would love if UP got her AND challanger back on the rails...saddly they RE-retired challanger.....

[@sargepent9815]

Maybe we'll see her AND 844 together?

[@scottmiller6270]

This was a blast to ride on!

[@matchoo4050]

I'll be in ft worth to see the big boy this weekend.....cant wait. Driving from San Diego just to see it.

[@mikemathews9277]

4014 is not breaking a sweat pulling such a Light Load.

[@Grammaadell]

Beautiful

[@Urugami45]

Going to pay a visit today in New Orleans. 😎😎😎😎😎

[@rd3ster]

Big Boy's whistle always sounds to me as if it had a sore throat. That does not look like a coal hopper behind the engine. Has BB be converted to fuel oil? Our Canadian "Royal Hudson" was converted to fuel oil quite some time ago. So odd to see a train composed of passenger coaches and freight cars. Bizarre. Thanks for the clip.

[@Ken_Koonz]

They decided oil would be simpler option than coal when doing the restoration.

[@Maniacguy2777]

it sounds for me as if I'm in dreamland

[@donpowlen]

What a machine!!! A true Iron Horse!!

[@davidforsyth446]

Diesel helper looks good with silver trucks, speaking of snazzy check out those cylinder covers.

[@Tsamokie]

A right handsome machine.

[@teebamos7350]

Thanks for sharing.

[@edwardlobb931]

The Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948 and 49 had "Big Boy" all cleaned up and on display. I don't see it listed on Wikipedia but he was there.

[@ferdinandjarquio751]

Big Boy is now at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri

[@peterlutz7191]

Bring back steam locos!

[@randylee2413]

Is it coming through Nevada , AZ. or CA. ?

[@Kdog307]

nice footage

[@susank6122]

A thing of beauty

[@timstime1970]

I'm guessing the diesel unit is there in case of a break down??

[@taraross7739]

Probably that and positive train control is my bet.

[@FFred-us9tw]

That, plus PTC and Dynamic Braking .

[@t.d.bowman9585]

Glad to see this thing brought back to life. Whistle sounds like it barely works but that could be the audio quality I suppose. Also what's with the modern loco? Kinda ruins the train.

[@t.d.bowman9585]

@@djavidianmx1832 ah oh yeah duh 😂 logic go figure thanks for smacking me upside the head hehe we all need that once in a while

[@railyardfilms6491]

It's still fun running

[@ppger44]

Since coal fired locomotives put out CO2 which helps vegetation growth, why don't we plant more orchards near power plants and railways?

[@pamelaturpin15]

Cool to bad I didn't know when it left when will it be back

[@ruralhappy2835]

This is probably the kind of engine that carried Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family to meet pa where he would take them to their new home on the prairie of South Dakota.

[@taraross7739]

The Big Boy was actually World War 2 era. Used to haul big loads over the Rocky Mountains.

[@ruralhappy2835]

@@taraross7739 Thx Tara

[@RobertBay70]

Great video! I am assuming they converted it to burn oil. Not sure why they are hauling all those rusty hoppers.

[@ktanner11]

Used for Breaks, or shuttling cars.

[@richardlinn5512]

Glad to see another functional, one decent size CME / EMP Will wipe out the Diesel Electrics !

[@jimesser477]

What do you have for a tripod? Whatever it is, its as smooth as butter. Excellent work!

[@MicahtheDrumCorpsPseudoboomer]

In your Union Pacific Break-In Run Part 2 video, I noticed that the diesel locomotive had gray-painted trucks unlike the rest of the consist whose trucks wear aluminum paint. Here, however, the same diesel locomotive now has aluminum-painted trucks. Which do you think looks better?

[@socalrail4729]

Great video

[@fermincuervo8613]

GREAT.

[@kermitefrog64]

Steam locomotives have the same power as the diesel electric. Why the train companies went to diesel electric was the man hours that were involved with the maintenance of the steam powered locomotives.

[@kermitefrog64]

I just looked that up. The steam has more power but the diesel has the advantage of 45% energy conversion and the steam train has 10% energy conversion.

[@ricknoah9184]

Not to mention that steamers are extremely heavy engines.

[@anthony851]

I love the art deco themed bridge @ 10:30 Hi from NZ, Anthony.

[@brettisaacs3639]

Nick - do you have contact info? i have a question for you about your Kimball/Dix location with the Big Boy.

[@jimdarner6649]

Why the 7 covered hopper cars on the end of the train....whats in them.....what are the operational benefits? Have seen 5 such cars in previous videos of the train.

[@ojsefg]

That’s how they generate revenue to help this beast pay for its fuel and upkeep. This loco is still employed hauling limited freight.

[@bearfoxtrot_101]

They may be loaded but I'd guess they aren't. Those cars are there for braking power. It's much harder to stop an engine, especially one of this size, on independent brakes alone.

[@jimdarner6649]

@@bearfoxtrot_101 Yes...I think braking is one of the reasons the deisel engine is used ....assume it has dynamic brakes.

[@peterszar]

That whole train was looking good except for those grungy hopper or grain cars. You'd think they find some nicer looking cars to pull. Cool video though. That engineer looked pretty young. I wonder what you'd have to do to qualify running that baby, or any steam locomotive for that matter.

[@ojsefg]

That’s how they generate revenue to help this beast pay for its fuel and upkeep. This loco is still employed hauling limited freight.

[@dennis-ul5ht]

Interesting to go back to a 1993 VHS Pentrex video on the 4000's (crews NEVER referred to them as "Big Boys ") and hear former UP steam boss Steve Lee insist that the 4014 and/or other 4-8-8-4's would never turn another wheel...

[@chugwaterjack4458]

My grandfather was a fireman and engineer from 1942 to 1970 on the Cheyenne-Sidney subdivision, and ALWAYS talked about 4000's, 3900's, 800's, etc. The only time I rmember him mentioning a diesel was complaining about the Alco PA's as being gassers.

[@IcelanderUSer]

That’s interesting because the name came from a rail yard employee who had written “big boy” on the front boiler.

[@dennis-ul5ht]

@@IcelanderUSer The Big Boy appellation was actually scrawled on the fire box at the ALCO plant where #4000 was constructed...

[@MarvUSA]

What's with the Diesel engine, extra power or something. Are they afraid of working the Big Boy too hard. ?

[@jeremyroberts6690]

Its used for dynamic braking i believe.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

I thought signaling issues as well as HEP but you certainly don’t always see diesel locomotives with a steam fired consist

[@trisb0999]

BB does the pulling, diesel does the braking. BB's brake shoes cost 10k per

[@themoo908]

Is there anyway you’d be willing to somehow share that thumbnail with me? I absolutely love it, I want that to be my background on my phone. I also miss that area… it’s great to see it. Lol

[@trainnut2012]

When they are "shooting" the rods during service stops is the grease gun operated off the engines air compressors or does it use a separate source of air?

[@jamesburnside3023]

Awesome

[@kevinj2412]

Good to see it back on the rails, and at least the diesel helper is not a POS GE

[@matt82654]

Fantastic video! How much actual pulling did the Big Boy do on this run? I noticed the diesel sandwiched in between. Is the diesel just for a back up?

[@TheOdst219]

Power maybe.

[@jaredcrue7099]

Brakes, power, and liability.

[@viper2165]

wish they could come through great falls montana

[@MrKenlong]

What in the 7 cars? Very nice video.

[@anitaquinn9565]

Is there a schedule of towns this beauty will run through?

[@Ken_Koonz]

www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm

[@mrstupiduniverse731c]

you would've gotten a great shot if you were able to film over I-80 when it was departing Cheyenne

[@sargentrowell81]

They need to get 3985 back in steam too! We need a double header with those 2 giants! 844 has been active for so long that no one will be very disappointed with 2 monster sized articulated steamers running together instead! I also know that this comment will draw in those annoying people who will say that this won't happen for one reason or another, but that doesn't mean I can't ask for UP to do it!

[@ojsefg]

Never happen. 3985 was deemed not cost effective to maintain and return to service so it was permanently retired.

[@sargentrowell81]

@@ojsefg Like I said, someone was going to do it! lol

[@gabrielarambula4465]

I’d love to see #3985 return to service as much as the next guy, but it’s likely that she may never turn a wheel again after years of excessive wear-and-tear (and because she was never given a proper restoration when she was brought back in 1981). But the optimist in me thinks UP could still find a way to bring 3985 (or maybe even 3977, since apparently it’s in better mechanical shape than 3985) back to steam to complete the UP Trifecta, as I can it. I guess time will tell

[@sargentrowell81]

@@gabrielarambula4465 In all honesty, I don't care which one it is, it just seems like a missed opportunity to not find a way to get the 2 giants of the Union Pacific on a double header. I'm sure they could get 3985 running again in time, but if it really does make sense to restore a different one altogether than they really should make it happen! Hell, they can even put 3985 on display where 3977 is.