Friday, January 6, 2017

UP 4014

4014 Tour
Yes the wind chill factor in Cheyenne this morning was -40°F. No excuse to miss a rare opportunity to tour the Union Pacific Steam Shop, the only place left in the USA where steam locomotives are rebuilt.

Sponsored by the Wyoming Transportation Museum,


the  tour is about two hour.  Included are a visit to the outstanding museum and the local brewery located in the old railroad depot.
My interest in steam locomotives goes back to my youth when my father was a section foreman on the old Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Watching the Mallet 2-8-8-2s pulling and pushing the heavy freight trains up the grades leading to the Moffat Tunnel was always a thrill. Later I was able to ride in the cab of one and blow the whistle!

Wandering through the museum reminded me of the many times I was able to ride with my father and his crew on one of these.



A few readers of this blog might like to have this in their collection.


The UP 4014 “Big Boy” sat at the Los Angeles Fairgrounds for many years. An anonymous donor put up several million dollars to have the 4014 restored to running condition. In May 2014 the UP  brought her back to Cheyenne. I watched from a place near Tie Siding,  Wyoming. It was snowing. What else would you expect during springtime in Wyoming?

There is no set timeline for the restoration. Estimates are in the two year range. The project was put on hold when the extent of repairs on UP 844 was discovered. UP 844 is now back in good condition. Considering it is 71 years old, the extent of repairs might  be expected. After 4014 is done the shop will turn their attention to their Challenger UP 3985. The repairs aren’t expected to be too extensive.

Took over 60 pictures. Hard to work around the glare from the high clearstory windows. If you want to see them, they are at Dropbox.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/4014Tour/4014Tour

Should you be interested in the Big Boys, Google is your friend. The Union Pacific puts a lot of information on YouTube that some may find interesting.

10 comments:

LL said...

First, -40F is colder than a witch's tit.

The museum looks very polished and well organized - worth a visit when in town. But I may not be visiting until it's a little warmer.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

But I may not be visiting until it's a little warmer.

Good idea. Today had half my radiator blocked off with cardboard to get enough heat from the heater.

drjim said...

Definitely on my list of places to go after we move to Fort Collins!

Bob said...

Want to see a Big Boy without freezing your caboose off? There's one at the Forney Museum in Colorado my wife and visited some years ago. I have a photo of her posing next to one on my RR blog, http://theironhorse.blogspot.com/, gives you an idea just how BIG those locomotives were.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

The steam shop tours are rare. There is a Big Boy in a park in Cheyenne but it is fenced in. The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver has one inside you can get next to. Lots of other neat stuff there.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Have a picture of my youngest son when he was 18 standing next to that Big Boy when it was still along the South Platte River (Confluence Park?).

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Visited you blog. My condolences on losing your wife.

Old NFO said...

Very nice! I need to get up there one of these days (when it's WARMER)...

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Thank you. Warmer? Try August but remember my maternal grandfather's advice. "I don't care if you go naked, bring all the clothing you own".

Old NFO said...

Very nice! I need to get up there one of these days (when it's WARMER)...