That would seem to make the most sense...the 3751 group did that with the Santa Fe's help. Well October will be a interesting month out there for sure, I hope all goes smoothly for everyone.

AT&SF #3751's "big sister," AT&SF #2926 in Albuquerque, was also moved using panel track from her display site in Coronado Park in June of 2000.

Pictures from the 3 day move are posted here: http://www.nmslrhs.org/Photos/Genesis/TheFirstMove/index.html. The NMSL&RHS website in general has many photographs of the restoration process of the #2926: http://www.nmslrhs.org/Photos/photos.php

I have been following the 2926's restoration for a long time now and I am just beyond impressed. All the work they have done and are doing in the open elements...not to mention the theft of cab brackets and brake rigging. I see they now are hopeful for a 2015 completion...boy I can't wait to see a 2900 class under steam again...there is another one my personal favorites....after the J's of course.

I think a #3751 & #2926 double-header over either Cajon, Raton, or, dare I say it, Tehachapi Passes would be the frosting on the cake. Pick any 1 of the 3 you like, or a combination thereof. I think an inaugural main line run for the #2926 over Raton* and up the Joint Line myself, then venturing west to meet up with the #3751. Maybe convince BNSF to freshen up the paint on a couple (2, 3, or 4) of the C40-8W/C44-9W Warbonnets to really add to the occasion.

*Give everybody a chance to catch the #2926 splitting the classic US&S semaphores before they fall to the new "Darth Vader"-style signals.

But, going back to the #4014 restoration: I wonder if UP will do something similar to the #2926 project and post regular updates of the restoration on their website, if anything just to keep the foam at bay! (Thanks for posting the photo, Jeff!)

I agree, a double header over Cajon or Raton would be an amazing sight.

With regards to the 4014, I also hope they document the restoration. I would love to see a 1 or 2 DVD set of the restoration along with seeing how the conversion to oil is accomplished. I have the video they produced on the 844 and it is excellent. It shows the building of her new firebox, forging of new stay bolts ect....after she suffered the tube failure out in California. It was a very interesting process and great to see just how much work goes in to keeping her operating. And I would think that the 4014 restoration would be a great way to show everyone just how much work goes in to a rebuild, and it would be extremely interesting to watch and see the progress. I have really enjoyed following the 2926 restoration, they have done an excellent job with the posting of photos showing their work/progress.

A DVD set documenting the restoration of 4014 would be a treasure to steam buffs and mechanical engineers who are interested in "old school" technology. Modern digital technology makes it easy to cover the process in great detail, and it would be prudent for UP (or any other restoration group) to do so. It might answer "how the heck did they do that?" questions years down the road. If DVDs do become available, I'd get one for my brother, who's a retired aerospace engineer, but loves old time tools.

Absolutely...answering the questions down the road and years later is the key...I know I would purchase it. Plus how many videos have been made of the actual restoration of a steam locomotive?...I think there was one made when the 261 was restored but I can't recall any others.
I had also read on another site that the UP Steam guys were out there over the weekend pulling the pistons and prepping her for the movement, so they sure are not wasting any time on this at all. Sure looks like they are going to be ready to move her the second the fair ends at the end of September.

Chris--

No surprise that Uncle Pete is wasting no time in preparing for "the Big Move." The company's engineers are probably already hard at work designing the technical end of the panel track assembly. The bigger the locomotive, the heavier the locomotive, the sturdier the temporary track structure needs to be. Should be very interesting to see just how much material gets put into place just to properly support the #4014 during her move out of the fairgrounds.

Scheduling the Big Move:

I admit I'm no expert in such things, but here's my thoughts on how the move might take place in terms of timing:

Display Site to Metrolink:

Depending on the frequency of trains on the Metrolink San Bernardino Line, one has to wonder what time of the day they will be doing most of the moving. I suppose that it will by no means be a one day affair. Simply moving the #4014 across the parking lot using the panel track will be time consuming, so one can guess they will not limit themselves to off-peak hours for that stage of the project.

Metrolink's San Bernardino Line:

However, once the #4014 gets beyond the parking lot (and the fairgrounds in general), it's anyone's guess. If the frequency of Metrolink traffic prevents the non-operating #4014 from entering the active line during peak hours, it is entirely possible that stage of the move will be at off-peak hours. Not necessarily during daylight hours, either.

On to UP Territory towards Cheyenne:

Beyond the current terminus of Metrolink operations on that rail corridor, then it's anyone's ball game. The #4014 could move at any time, depending on how UP wants to dispatch its hotshot freights in and out of the LA Basin around the Big Boy. If the freights maintain a higher priority, this could also mean moving the Big Boy during off-peak hours. However, off-peak hours in terms of dispatching on a Class I freight railroad are completely different schedule wise from the off-peak hours of a regional commuter system. The "Big Move" will indeed be an interesting event, no matter what time of the day or night.

Since this is the "Railfanning" section, I'll indulge in a bit of speculation about how 4014 will be routed once she gets on the Metrolink track. There are two choices: Go west and get on the former SP line to Colton at Bassett, switch to the former LA&SL at Pomona or Montclair and get on the BNSF at Riverside , or go east to San Bernardino on Metrolink and get on the BNSF at that point. The second option is shorter and has fewer curves to go around. Either way, she will be on BNSF from San Bernardino to Daggett, then it's all UP to Cheyenne. And either way, it will be what the late Chick Hearn would call "nervous time" until she's safely ensconced in the UP Steam Shop.

I agree, this entire process is going to be very interesting to say the least, I only wish I could be out there to see it. Now once she is out on the rails I am sure the trip will go smoothly all things considered.....but I am sure they will be sweating it out every mile.

Just for fun, here's some videos to hold us over until the 4014 move:

Original UP documentary, "Last of the Giants": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp6OM_hrTUQ

WB Video Productions' "Union Pacific's Last Steam Giants": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4J_uC38x-4

Pentrex video "Last of the Giants: Volume II": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1txJ6u2b3c

Move of the 4018 the other week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwt28MYKaI8

Union Pacific video regarding the inspections of the 4014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmTr22rvldk

I have the "Last of the Giants" on DVD...nice shots of the 4014 in operation. Excellent choice in movies by the way.

Thank you. If you like historical railroad operations caught on film, look for a copy of Mill Creek Entertainment's "Railroads: Tracks Across America," which consists of 36 documentaries on 2 discs. Produced either by or for a number of the classic railroads. Really good stuff. Purchased my copy at the local Barnes & Noble a couple months back, and I still haven't finished watching (maybe I'll finish during the long, cold winter when there's nothing else to do).

I do enjoy the historical footage as there is only so much that can be seen in a still shot...to me you can really learn and appreciate things more from that type of footage. I also have a bunch of DVDs on the N&W and have found that the film compliments what I have read about and seen in photos...it allows the pieces to fall into place.
I will most definitely look for the DVD you recommended..I hadn't heard of it before. Thank you for the tip, I'm sure I will enjoy it.

I remember seeing Last of the Giants at a gathering in a public library. This was back in the days of 16mm sound movies. There's one scene showing one of the 4-8-8-4s running through open country, and the engineer blows the whistle, which reverberates across the landscape. I sent chills down my spine! A voice from the past! And if UP still has one of those whistles (it may have been a "steamboat chime" whistle, with a deep tone) it will live again.