8mm Forum: Union Pacific 4014 Returns to the Rails!

This is topic Union Pacific 4014 Returns to the Rails! in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 08, 2019, 01:50 PM:

Something I never thought would happen just did. Union Pacific Railroad has returned one of their 4000 series 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives to operation after an absence of almost 60 years.

-what this means is the largest steam locomotive currently operational is also one of the largest steam locomotives ever to operate.

This is the railroad equivalent of the Queen Mary pulling up anchor and steaming out of Long Beach harbor!

It's almost wrong to call this beast a steam locomotive, it's actually TWO locomotives under the same boiler, with a total operating weight over a million pounds! They put a hinge in the middle of the frame just to get it around curves.

There was no fireman heaving coal into the firebox since no human being could ever keep up. He operated a steam powered mechanical stoker.

They built steam locomotives this way to pull long trains with one engine and therefore one crew. With modern electrics and diesels they just couple as many as they need together and control them all from the front cab. This means we will never see machines like this again.

Union Pacific has a small fleet of their classic power for excursion service, and now I have a new item on my bucket list!

UP 4014 Break in Run

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on May 08, 2019, 03:16 PM:

Fantastic. Wow !!
Only 50 miles from me we have the country's longest steam haulage heritage railway. The West Somerset railway is over 22 miles and was once part of the Great Western Railway.
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/the-railway

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 09, 2019, 08:37 AM:

That's nice Maurice,

I've always loved British trains, you can tell that from my film collection.

The magnitude of what Union Pacific has done here is something like this: I belong to two associations that are restoring narrow gauge lines up in Maine: nice, small trains. UP #4014 weighs in more than 20 times what the Maine engines do!

It takes the facilities of a major mainline railroad to pull this off. A bunch of volunteers can't even budge a boiler that itself weighs several hundred tons (Never mind raising several million dollars...)

What's unique is the will to do it at all. Most railroads just want to stick to moving freight as efficiently as possible and things like this are no better than a distraction.

The punch line here is UP has already restored one of the slightly smaller 4-6-6-4 Challenger class engines, and someday these two giants will operate together.

The other steam engine in the video is Union Pacific 844. She's special for being the only steam locomotive in the US to never be officially retired. She was fairly new when UP completed changing to diesel power, but instead of striking her from the roster they just transferred her to excursion service.

[ May 09, 2019, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: Steve Klare ]

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 09, 2019, 08:57 AM:

I heard this also, via the National Association of railroad passengers - Shorty

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on May 10, 2019, 02:48 AM:

Never underestimate volunteers. One group here has raised millions and built a new steam locomotive (an A1 Pacific) and are currently building a second a 4-8-2. and other groups are also new building.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 10, 2019, 05:57 AM:

True: -one group I'm involved in has restored a 2 mile stretch of one of the Maine narrow gauges lines including a pair of hundred+ year old steam locomotives, about ten vintage cars, two stations, a shop complex, turntable and lately a roundhouse. Right now they are also fabricating parts to build a brand new engine, and I think they'll pull it off too.

-but when you are restoring a 500 ton machine capable of pulling a mile long train at 60 MPH, it really helps to start out with a multi acre locomotive shop, full time skilled staff and several thousand miles of class one standard gauge track.

I read recently that there are more vintage steam locomotives standing around even today than there are possibilities of ever getting them restored: it's tough business. There's a group here that is restoring a 1920s 4-6-0 that had to donate 20 years of post-restoration operation to a railroad museum in Pennsylvania. Even if they managed to solve the money and skills problems the bottom line is the Long Island Railroad never budged an inch on allowing a 90 year old locomotive out on their trackage, even one of their own.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on May 10, 2019, 06:35 AM:

The trouble also is that every ten years they need a major overhaul which uses up facilities for getting the others restored. Those with many working examples are often last to be done, unless the type is very useful.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 10, 2019, 08:49 AM:

Yes, the sad fact is that the idea of bringing steam back to the rails is a very romantic idea that has very practical limits.

You still have to comply with modern transportation, environmental and other laws, you need liability and property insurance, security, public relations, marketing and all the other red tape.

-just to start, you dig into an 80 year old boiler you have an immense asbestos abatement ahead of you.

At the end of the day, even the really cool projects need to pay their bills as they show up. I know at least one steam locomotive that was scrapped recently because the owner couldn't pay the rent where it was stored.

This is why smaller engines and narrow gauge lines do well in museums: same problems, but exponentially smaller.

No wonder people like model trains: You turn off the transformer, turn out the lights, close the door and go upstairs to watch the tube.

-no worries!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 11, 2019, 07:45 PM:

I have been watching a few very well made videos on You-tube regarding this subject...very impressive [Cool]

PS One question, what is the purpose of the diesel? I was guessing it might have something to do with the brakes.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 11, 2019, 08:12 PM:

Hi Graham,

My guess is both brakes and a way to limp off the mainline if everything goes wrong.

Diesel locomotives often have dynamic braking: they turn the electric traction motors into generators and have huge resistors and fans up on the roof to radiate the generated power. This takes some of the strain off the wheel brakes, especially in mountainous terrain.

-one thing for sure, diesel or not, they have enough power for that short train!

Posted by Patrick Walsh (Member # 637) on May 11, 2019, 10:40 PM:

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing Steve

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on May 12, 2019, 01:23 AM:

I've just seen that there is talk of Flying Scotsman being banned from the main line due to trespass incidents on the line. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-48229400.

Some people don't seem to care about their safety or the drivers on the line.

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