Why don't Americans restore one of their Big Boys to working order? Is it not a sign of lack of national will

Question

that one of these Locomotives is not restored?

Before you bleat on about cost don't tell me you can't afford it, it's just a matter of will, are you really so careless about your industrial heritage that you can't overcome the obstacles preventing this?

Answer 1

Key words, "one of the Big Boys."  There are more than one.

If I were going to restore a truly 'one of a kind' steam engine, it would be the cab-forward 4294 which now resides at the California State Rail Museum.  As far as 'heritage' locos go, this one won many engineering awards from the engineering society.

Bottom line, however, the public at large is generally disinterested in these types of restoration.  Oh, they'll get out and go see one operating, if close at hand, but when it comes to financing a restoration, raising the dollars to do so is problematic.

As for myself, if I hit a $300,000,000 lottery jackpot, the 4294 would be under steam before the end of the year.

I wonder....... where ever would I find an engineer to run it?

As far as National will, it's there, big time, but so fragmented, that as far as any kind of railroading is concerned, it can be said that we couldn't dispatch two fleas across a dog's butt without puttin' one of 'em in the hole........

Answer 2

I think that U Pac already has a working Big Boy, or it may be a Challenger, but they are very similar locomotives.

Answer 3

And what exactly would be its purpose?

UP has a steam program, and there are Big Boys in museums.

Answer 4

Can a UK rail fan make a comment here? In this country the restoration of steam locos has been carried out entirely by private initiatives. Guys have got together and said 'hey, we want to restore so-an-so' And they have done it. Towards the end of steam in the 1960s over 200 locos were taken to one particular scrap yard - Woodham's at Barry in S. Wales. Virtually ever hulk there was brought one group  or another and most have been restored to running order. Have a look at:-   http://www.btinternet.com/~keith.hoban/b... and at:- http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/barry1.ht...

The locomotives saved and restored ranged from small 0-6-0 tanks to large 2-10-0 freight locos. Of course, this kind of restoration takes times - and in some cases we are talking about decades for the work to be done. And it takes money - but most of these cases this has been raised by private subscription etc.

Further there is a movement in the UK to build from scratch classes of locomotives, originals of which could not be saved. Have a look at:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Pepper... and:- http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/~uhaa0... updated at:- http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebe...

So, nothing is impossible. I do, of course, appreciate that none of these locos are on the scale of a 'Big Boy'  and I take on board what has been said about the effect of the weight of the locos on the existing tracks - but the moral is 'nothing is impossible'

Answer 5

It's not so much a matter of will but cost vs economy.  The Union Pacific already has a well established steam program and if they really wanted to they could easily spend the millions required themselves to restore one of the famous Alcos.  However, with that said, the Big Boy is an extremely expensive locomotive to maintain and operate not to mention the cost of insurance involved to run it.  Also, because the locomotive's weight it is extremely hard on the rails and is so big that even the Union Pacific has few places to turn the locomotive (I believe there is currently only one turntable on the UP system capable of holding the locomotive).  While it would be very neat to see one of these behemoths back in operation I highly doubt it will ever happen (and the Union Pacific, because of the costs involved, would be the only possible organization to fund such a restoration).  Having said that, I am just glad to see the UP's current steam program featuring the 844 (the only steamer in the country to never be retired from a Class I railroad) and Challenger 3985.  If anyone has the chance I highly recommend catching them in action!

Answer 6

Personally I would be more than a little bit pissed off seeing public money spent on a project such as this. Most projects like this are taken on by partnerships of private donors and corporate sponsors. As you say, it could be done but why???

Answer 7

Two fleas.  How true!  The will is there, but the places to operate this are few.  We have enough issues turning a mountain at Santa Fe Jct. here in Kansas City without the KCT saying we are destroying the rail.  The ones that I know exist are in good condition anyway.  I would rather see the cab forward or the ATSF prairie (2-6-2) at Blackwell, Oklahoma restored as my lottery present.

Answer 8

Did you know our country is in over 14 trillion dollars in debt?

Answer 9

There is a restored Big Boy that is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming and it tours the country once in awhile.

Answer 10

Union Pacific has other interests in mind right now. I don't think that restoring a Big Boy is top priority right now. Hopefuly, maybe someday someone will get around to restoring one to operating condition. One big problem is being such a large, heavy locomotive, it would be very hard on the railroad tracks, you got to remember that a Big Boy probably weighs much more than the average mainline diesels of today.

BTW,  UP's Challenger (which is currently the largest operating steam locomotive in the US) & 4-8-4  #844 that were mentioned in a previous answer are stored at UP's roundhouse in Cheyenne, Wy along with their last active EMD DD40AX (a.k.a. Centennial).

Answer 11

We already have articulated locomotives under steam:

UP 844

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/excurs/up844...

and, until recently, N&W 1218

http://www.retroweb.com/1218.html

The Big Boy is just one type, it's not lack of pride that keeps us from having one of every type under steam.