Everyone,

I have see photos of each of these engines in recent years. The 4012 seemed to have her pistons missing. So did the 4018. Were they removed in order to facilitate their respective relocations or were they torched in the scrap line before they were saved?

If my memory serves, 4023 has her pistons in tact.

Thanks for the answer in advance,

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

And I'd still like an answer regarding track speed when UP 4012 was moved to Scranton.

Wesley

The pistons are still in the 4018.

The piston rods were cut in order to facilitate the move to Dallas. This was less expensive than removing the pistons for the move. It also preserved most of the balance of the reciprocating gear.

Without lubrication, the pistons would have siezed had they still been attached to the reciprocating gear.

Hope that this helps.

PKurilecz

I believe 4012 still has her pistons, as does 4023. As posted above, 4018 had her cut, along with some small pieces of running gear. THis is hardly a fatal issue, as others exist for measurements and copying, assuming 4018 is ever awakened.

Last time I looked, if I recall correctly, the 4 pistons were in the coal pocket of the 4012's tender.

Dave Crosby

I always get baffled whenever I hear or read talk of a Big Boy ever getting back into steam. Few would disagree that today’s tracks are configured for far more flexible loads than a 8-wheeled set of drivers. Yes, I know it’s “articulated” but there are plenty of places a 4-8-4 can’t go these days, even on main lines. The modern UP is far more steam friendly than any other road, and they have the open spaces a 4000 can get moving into, but I don’t think there’s a turntable left on the UP that would take a Big Boy, is there? And what about bridge weight limits? I doubt there are too many places off a main you could run one.

And when you consider the number of operable locomotives that are now cold for various reasons, I really don’t see the sanity in even considering something that large being operated by anyone, except, say, UP’s steam team. And I really doubt Steve Lee and his crew are enthused about another ground-up project, especially one that big. They already have more than enough horsepower for anything they’d ever need.
I’ve read an analysis once for 4012’s restoration potential, and the person who wrote it said that of all the existing 4000s, the 4012 was the best candidate for restoration. But I think the sight of a Big Boy steaming out of Scranton, bound for UP home rails (and leaving the ownership of the NPS) is bloody unlikely.
I’ve seen 3985 under steam and ridden behind 1218 when she was still operating. I know in my heart I have witnessed the only mainline articulated locomotives that will ever operate in the US within my lifetime.

Your sure know how to step on a guy's daydreams.
Me, I see SP4294 rolling down the mainline. . . . .
S'
David D.

Yeah... This fantasy (delusion?) is kind of like one of those those coal mine fires. Just as soon as you think you've got it put out in one location, it flares up somewhere else.

Ordinarily I'd heap scorn and derision upon anyone who thinks that someday a UP 4000 is going to run again...

However... the Seattle Seahawks seem to have demonstrated that the laughably improbable can happen. :-)

Nah ---- The Detroit Lions have to do that before a 4000 can ever HOPE to turn a wheel, and that truly IS impossible.

"The Detroit Lions; A losing tradition since 1957."
TJG

Never is a long time. There is always hope.

Well the Red Sox and White Sox have now both won the series. If the Cubbies won one, would that be enough apocolyptically improbables to bring some fire back to the rails?

Sincerely,
David (who was a Cardinals fan, but could stand to root for the Cubs, if given the right incentive.)

I was part of the team that helped J. David prep the 4012, and I remember several things:

--We filled the tender full of water so the brakes on the tender would be effective.

--We had the front cylinder heads off so we could see the pistons,and put up plywood half heads,

--And I remember monting five gallon buckets with lube lines and spigots that went into the resulting hole and continuously let oil in to keep them lubricated in motion.

With the kind of rods the engine has, it was best to move assembled.

For all the fuss it took to move the Big Boy, several of the other locomotives were much more difficult. I believe the 2424 tried to climb the rail at the Bellows Falls interchange (or maybe it was the 6039, been a while), and the B&M Pacific was hell on wheels with all of its burnt crown brasses.

Steve Zuiderveen
former Foundation employee

Oh, and the FRA waiver for all of the Steamtown to Scranton moves was 15 mph.

Great story! Nice to know that the old locomotives were so well cared for.

Sure, it could be the Cubs winning the World Series, it could be (insert favorite underdog team name here - I'd go with the Vikings myself) winning the Superbowl, but I think for a Big Boy to ever turn a wheel under her own steam again, the game that really matters is the most unlikely of all: A railfan winning the lottery.