Trains... Choo Choo, not the dirty kind.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I mentioned in the Field of dreams IOtD I knew some guys headed for the Utah Golden Spike anniversary celebration and Big Boy back on the rails.

Union Pacific 4014, is a four-cylinder articulated 4-8-8-4 Big Boy-class steam locomotive Built in 1941 by American Locomotive Company, it’s the only operating Big Boy of the eight that remain in existence.
UP 4014 was retired in 1959 and donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 for display at Fairplex in Pomona, CA. In 2013, UP re-acquired Big Boy and for 6 years spent a shit-ton of money doing what the car guys call a frame off restoration and converting from coal to oil, at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, WY. On May 1, 2019, UP 4014 ran under its own power for the first time in almost 60 years. It’s the biggest operational steam locomotive in the world, and will be used for excursion service.

Union Pacific 844 is a 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in December 1944 for the Union Pacific Railroad. Constructed as a FEF-3 class of 4-8-4's, it was the last steam locomotive delivered to Union Pacific.
Originally built for high-speed passenger work, the FEF-3 class was pressed into dual-service work. Union Pacific ended commercial steam operations in the late 1950s, but No. 844 was retained by the railroad for special activities.



UP 844 and UP 4014 ran together the almost 500 miles from Cheyenne to Ogden, UT, for 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory point.
They mostly ran during the day for safety because about a zillion people lined both side of the track to see Big Boy and at the same time other trains are using the same line.

I knew a couple of the guys were heading out to see Big Boy and the celebration, but I was surprised 28 showed up from the US and Canada. The Chevy dealer let them park in his lot and take a bus out to Promontory point.



The head honcho from Union Pacific, Utah's Governor, and some other politicians gave speeches. A couple descendants of the original participants were acknowledged and it was done for another 50 years.



There's a lot of railroad fans in the country, some being rabid.



The pictures ain't great but I think they convey how the people there saw things. I read an interesting article recently explaining the US has the cheapest and most efficient rail freight system in the world, which surprised me.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Here's another shot of the shindig...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Last of the Baldwin Texas Locomotives...

[Pamela]

I actually saw 4014 and 844 on their way west to Ogden, but too far away to really SEE or get a pic, plus I was going east and only saw them for a moment. Wunnerful to see them chugging along again.

[BigV]

Given the stated water consumption and storage capacity, does that mean the locomotive could only operate for two hours?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Plus with starting with a full boiler, yes. That's why the girls at Petticoat Junction had to watch for every train coming through when the were bathing in the water tower.

[xoxoxoBruce]

New Zealand...



You can see that wood here.

[Diaphone Jim]

In the redwoods, they are called sinkers. Recovery is controversial if remunerative.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I don't see a problem with digging up the logs from the peat, as long as they aren't fucking up the whole neighborhood.

[Diaphone Jim]

In Northern California, the sunken redwoods (usually first growth) are in old creek and river beds that were first fucked over by damning them up for log ponds.
In some of them nature and fish have returned to some extent, only to be disrupted again by digging out the saturated old logs.

[xoxoxoBruce]

OK, I can see how digging up active waterways would be bad. That's different from logs buried in peat bogs.

[Diaphone Jim]

I agree. Cases are only generally similar.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Russian double decker. Hoi polloi up top, and servants or guards below??

[xoxoxoBruce]

Rip 'em up
Tear 'em up
Yaaay, team

[Diaphone Jim]

There is a counterpoint between this and the recovery of gliders elsewhere on the Cellar today.
Hundreds of miles apart, perhaps coeval.