UP 4-8-8-4 Big Boy - The Largest Steam Engine Back in Action

[@paulm.newitt3246]

The best video style I've ever seen of a historic rail event. The vastness of the land is incredible, too! And how all the people came out to see it. Feels like good, old fashioned America!!

[@2quintly]

Union Pacific Railroad making America great again, . . . .

[@kylesnider1784]

Ill bet the engineer was singing country roads the entire time.

[@grantdanze5215]

Those two whistles at the beginning made me giddy as a school boy! Love that sound!

[@debcarpenter8519]

I had to chuckle when you said the wind was calmest at Medicine Bow! Great footage!

[@Neospersonal]

GODDAMN THAT TRAIN IS MASSIVE,I COULD ONLY IMAGINE HOW JAW DROPPING IT WOULD BE TO SEE IT IN PERSON

[@stevensolway1054]

Hi from Green Bay Wed. 11/18/2020 A.D. We have the BB #4017 at the National Railroad Museum, since July 5, 1961. I'm unhappy it wasn't our engine. But 4017 has been trapped inside the display barn since 2001. But back in 1987 4017 was sandblasted, then primer base painted bright Yellow. So I am selling my prints from a 35mm slide. But they ran out of money for a few months, until they got more and finally painted it black in June 1987. I was the official tour guide paid employee from 1984 to 1989. I got to climb on top of the boiler and took many slides from the cab up to the twin smokestacks. So the yellow primer helped to spread the sunlight into all the little corners.

[@dr2644]

Great video Don, thanks very much.

[@SkipW]

Nice work, it was too windy for me to get UP at Medicine Bow. But happy that you caught it.

[@donfeight2967]

It was 21 mph with gusts which is about as much wind as I care to fly in. Also kept it down around 35 feet where the wind is less. Couldn't see driving all that was and not get a drone up once!

[@diefilmwg4588]

What a great race to Ogden. Love it! I also uploaded new footage of this beauty!

[@gingerbread6614]

Thank you very much.

[@johnathanwoodley5005]

Like brother and like sister those two amazing locomotives know how make a 🙂 entrance by blowing their whistles

[@leelydston1225]

Way Cool Don! Thank You!

[@donfeight2967]

It reminded me of the time the Southern Pacific 4449 Daylight came through the Bay area many years ago.

[@IHVRRNotBad]

Awesome catch thank you 👍 Wilmer-IHVRR

[@MrBugman2525]

I turned my freand from greensburg pa about trains on you tube, he a big ho trains guy he loves your channel

[@rgmrails]

5:49 who else noticed it said Onion Pacific?

[@mgapryt4930]

LMAO ONION PACIFIC saw that one too lol

[@timothyavendt677]

This train weighs almost as much as a Caterpillar 797F and those things are huge!!!

[@internetglitchyguy494]

The up 844 blew the whistle and it’s awake

[@jtbassgambler2594]

Wow holy mackerel beautiful 😁😁😁😁😁

[@1moru-4024speranza]

0:24 littleboy & bigboy

[@SantaFe19484]

Totally awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

[@donfeight2967]

I'm pretty sure that UP's steam engines are for PR only and not going to be used for regular freight service. See their website: www.up.com/heritage/steam/index.htm

[@travr1131]

I'm going out west when this stupid Covid nonsense is over, just to see this beauty!

[@cecilvaughan5628]

Will big boy pull by itself ?

[@donfeight2967]

I think that once they break it in and fine tune everything it will be worked a little harder.

[@andrewdzwonczyk9369]

Respectfully asking sir. Is big boy 4014 gonna be moved freight on the main line of Wyoming sir since big boy has been converted in to a oil burner just respectfully asking sir

[@bigglilwayne7050]

844 would run away from the Big Boy in a race

[@cadespencer6320]

Did people get to ride it?

[@donfeight2967]

I think there were limited tickets.

[@jelly_edits-_-694]

No only workers

[@jelly_edits-_-694]

D Jones no they didn’t only workers rode on it people in green vests on it in the very back cart and same with all the other cats

[@Claudiolisboa914]

4014 e 844

[@truckinphilosopher3775]

I have watched several of these videos now and have noticed something. Only the front cylinders are releasing steam. The back cylinders appear to be nonfunctioning. Or are not being used. Is there a reason for that?

[@donfeight2967]

Don't know. Several times I noticed that very little smoke was coming out of the Big Boy while 844 was billowing smoke. I just think that the Big Boy is new and needs to break in a lot of parts so they were taking it easy on it. Just my guess.

[@loadstar1600]

It is a compound engine. The steam is used twice. It is used in the rear cylinders and then goes on to be used in the front cylinders. That's why you don't see any steam coming from the rear cylinders.

[@truckinphilosopher3775]

@@loadstar1600 I have heard of double and triple expansion engines being used in ships. The USS Texas has a triple expansion steam engine. But I never heard of it being used on locomotives. That does not mean it wasn't. But I never heard of it. One way to tell is the cylinders are of different sizes to accommodate the decrease in steam pressure as it is reused.

[@loadstar1600]

@@truckinphilosopher3775 Thank you for replying, and discussing this. That sounds like what I had learned. I don't have any "working knowledge" or expertise on the subject. I had seen it explained in an old documentary film about the Big Boy. I was throwing it out there as a possible reason we don't see steam coming from the rear drivers. Even in old footage of them when they were in operation.

[@truckinphilosopher3775]

@@loadstar1600 Sounds like we are both in the same boat then. No pun intended. Hopefully someone in the know will see this and drop some knowledge on us. I for one would certainly like know the answers to all this.

[@charleskeefer9030]

Psalm 90

[@TheLargecars]

4884? The number on the locomotive is 4014

[@tonytrotta9322]

That is the wheel designation for a big boy 4-8-8-4. Take care!

[@donfeight2967]

4-8-8-4 is the wheel arrangement!

[@TheLargecars]

Don Feight oooooohhhhhh...lol im a truck driver not a locomotive engineer

[@tonytrotta9322]

@@donfeight2967 Thanks - you are correct.

[@johnathanwoodley5005]

It means that it has 4 wheels on the front of the unit to help it turn on tight curves on the track, 2 sets of 8 driver wheels and 4 wheels on back of the cab

[@diefilmwg4588]

What a great race to Ogden. Love it! I also uploaded new footage of this beauty!