Well, how about because they want to? Why couldn't UP just hold onto this locomotive?
Think about 4023 which is now on the hill in Omaha, it was sitting in that roundhouse for a few years after going through it's final outshopping (as noted in Ron Ziel's "Twilight" book) before it was moved outside. Imagine what would have happened had 4023 just sat there since the 60s once UP decided to run a Big Boy? UP's steam crew wouldn't have had nearly the issues finding and rebuilding one to run had it just sat there instead.
But yeah, had they done that, the foamers would have cried that they couldn't check off their "I've seen all the 4000s" bingo card that way...
And as for donating that 2-10-2 to a museum, yeah, that's always a good idea, right? No museum ever let something like that turn into a pile of rust, have they?

I’d hardly call it complaints. If it came off that way, I apologize.

I’m not complaining. I’m just stating what the current situation is: which is that the UP has for several years now been keeping some very unique pieces of equipment with seemingly no plans for their future.

They’re not right or wrong for doing that. It’s just the current situation, and that can always change. I’d certainly rather pieces like 5511 be stored in the roundhouse than for them to be treated like any other park engine. It just doesn’t make much sense to me as for what reasons the UP has kept several of these pieces on their property like they have.

My understanding is 5511 has a long rigid frame, limiting her movement around the modern system. She's a curiosity and visitors as well as employees enjoy having her around. The big 2-10-2 is in great condition and they have room under the roof for her. Back in 2010, I was told there were plans to move her to another part of the system and steam her, but I'm thinking it was a nice thought rather than a reality. I was also told the C&NW and Rio Grande F units would be restored to heritage colors and eventually run.
That was eleven years ago. Who can say in 2021? It's not like you'll ever see a Big Boy run again.

My photos came from a tour I was able to take on very short notice. Our bus was delayed crossing the yard to the steam shop after the roundhouse tour and I was allowed to take photos of equipment in the yard. I was astonished by what was still there and delighted as an outsider with the chance to record just a little. There was some hazmat mitigation going on and I was fearful it was a wholesale cleanup and that the photos I was taking might be a last chance (so many of which I have missed). The storm clouds overhead lent a rather somber atmosphere, after all!

Apparently not.

In discussions with various folks during the tour it became apparent that "Union Pacific" instead of being a single entity with common beliefs, goals and intentions was instead more like a large and sometimes dysfunctional family going in many directions at once and having elements of disagreement with varying abilities to stymie action.

The story of the continuing presence of the 5511 for example was attributed to an employee of some rank there who was fond of it and "hid" it from upper level management when it was threatened with scrapping. The CNW 401 was supposedly there because someone at one time had toyed with the idea of rebuilding and using it and so it was retained. The 1472 switcher in the steam shop had been grabbed for the steam crew use because of its number's significance to the steam crew. And so on.

So you can think of the yard and roundhouse as the "attic" of an old Cheyenne family where things go when there is no current use for them but where someone in the family may have an attachment from historical use or is pondering some future use or even where just leaving them there with no need for the space is easier than the effort it would take to really clean up and have to decide what to do with it all.

The fun is that as long as it dwells in the attic younger family members can develop an interest and find ways to pull things out for use again. It is after all a Union Pacific attic. Rather delightful, really. Hopefully things can be saved from long term degradation but at least the existence of the "attic" means that the "family" has not entirely forgotten its history. Long may they have such a "mess"!

Timothy

BigBoy 4023.
An interesting post about making the turbine fuel tenders into water tenders.
Ogden, in May of 1990, had two of them in the yards.
Had mentioned I'd be in the area, to the Royal Hudson shop.
Was asked to take a quick look at them,
for possible use in the BCRail steam program.

Phone calls were made, and a brief, guided tour was arranged.
Photographs were taken, and questions asked.
They seemed in good, usable condition.
So your comments are very valid.

I believe the capacity was 24,000 US gallons, with equates to approximately 20,000 Canadian gallons. The Royal Hudson water capacity is 12,000 Canadian gallons. So nearly double capacity.

They sure were big suckers...Quite a bit of plumbing involved. Modellers may find the upper deck photo's useful.

At the end of the day, other tenders were acquired.

Hello

A proposal for the NYC was considered for a potential remedy for the centipede tender backing issue. Per the book “Know Thy Niagaras”, the author Tom Gerbracht reviewed the New York Central’s consideration for a divided drive locomotive similar to the PRR T1. For it they proposed an upsized PT tender with a blistering 64 ton coal capacity….still had a small water cistern because of track pan use. To keep the axle loading to 30 tons they were specifying a two wheel trailing truck for the centipede running gear. When you already have 14 wheels, what is another 2? :-D

A conceptual rendition of this tender was included in two periodicals, "Steam Locomotives" published in 1953 by Kalmbach. The same rendition showed up again in the June 1974 issue of Trains in an article written by Bill Withuhn. This rendition, drawn by George A. Gloff was of a 4-8-6 Lima proposed. The locomotive included a 4-10-2 wheel arrangement centipede tender. The layout appeared reasonable, if it had the rocker centering system as with most modern trailing trucks, it would have negotiated curves easier while backing.

The regular PT tenders on the Niagara’s had significant rear overhang beyond the last axle….so they could fit the locomotive on a 100ft turntable.

……considered and not built.

Still amazes me the NYC could scoop water at 80 MPH.

Randy

According to this article, they experimented with 80 mph, with not very good results, and ultimately restricted scoopers to 50 mph:

https://nycshs.files.wordpress.com/2015 ... scoops.pdf

Hello,

Thank you for the clarification, I was not aware they dialed it back.

Randy