Once again the Union Pacific is running a Big Boy tour.
https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm
They recently did a test run to Denver and back so
everything should be good to go.
I missed that run. There was no posted schedule. I’m
recovering from a medical procedure that has me housebound for a few days. I
seldom miss a chance to see it.
Given the historic hardnosed business attitude of the UP,
I’m surprised they keep the steam program going. I, for one, am grateful they
do. The amount of publicity and goodwill these tours generate must mute the
bean counters.
28 comments:
Just checked the schedule. Let me know when/where and we can tag up again.
drjim
Outbound I'm thinking somewhere around Pine Bluffs.
Looking forward to seeing it in Fort Worth! Thanks for the heads up, and yes, PR doesn't get much better! Much like the CAF, history in motion is worth it!
I'm with NFO. And hey, let's see some steam in N.Cent.Texas. Imagine an engine which would connect all these 20 mile apart country towns together at an affordable price.
Just think, dropping people off in small town centers with shops, restaurants, bars and life. Oh right, we used to have that. Grrrr.
Elliot Sequin, a test pilot with a youTube channel, ends all his videos with the statement "Airplanes are cool", I'm pretty sure that steam engines are too.
OldNFO
You will enjoy it.
LSP
This is the USA. People would rather drive their own automobiles. You are, of course, correct.
R
Despite what claims are made, Big Boys weren't the largest steam engines in the USA. They were specifically designed for the grades from Ogden, UT to Evanston, WY and to a lesser extent, Laramie to Cheyenne. To me, they are ultra cool. Age 5 going on 6, at Pinecliff, CO we would see mile long trains of military equipment with as many as five or six steam engines brought out of retirement/intermittent use due to the Korean Conflict. Indelible memories.
They were the end product of some of the finest engineers of the time.
And we just might wind up back with steam if TPTB have their way....
drjim
Fueled by ?????
Why, politician's hot air and unicorn farts, of course! If everything collapses, we may be able to use any fuel we want.
I enjoyed taking my family on a steam train ride along the Connecticut River earlier thsi year.
Wonderful.
"You say it's your birthday? Well, Happy Birthday To You!"
drjim
About right.
EB
Colorado has many opportunities.
GB
Thank you!
So....up I-25, and then East on I-80, and then I'm sure you know someplace out in the weeds to watch it go by!
Might be nice to see the "Our Lady of Peace" shrine.
drjim
I usually go via Briggsdale but there are several decent places to view and the Shrine is easily accessible.
Cool. Figure out when you want to go, and I'll tag up. We can go in my truck if you'd like.
Sounds good. Nearby is the WY,NE,CO corner should you like to see it.
https://wellseasonedfool.blogspot.com/search?q=nebraska
OK, Thursday 5 AUG is on the calendar!
Were going the Larimer County Fair the next day, 'cuz SLW didn't care for the crowds on Sunday the last time, and we have something on Saturday.
OK, details to be arranged. Do you an interest in seeing the Pawnee Buttes (Rattlesnake Buttes in Mitchner's Colorado)?
Other readers welcome to come along or meet somewhere.
Sure, let's go! I've heard of them, but never expected to see them. I'd still like to go see the Ames "Pyramid".
Tentative plan. Meet in Briggsdale 7am - ample parking and east of you on Hwy 14. North on Hwy 77 through Hereford and then Hwy 214 to I-80. Lots of places from there to Pine Bluffs to see the train which is scheduled to depart Cheyenne at 8 am (definite maybe). Poke around Pine Bluffs then Hwy 164 south into CO. Along the way is the Tri Corners just off Hwy 164.
Panorama point, the highest point in NE is a 15 minute side trip. I've been there and it is just a place, IMO. Not worth the donation to the private property owner and his truly crappy road.
Further south a couple of dog legs to the east and you have a great view of the bluffs. Continue south to Hwy 14, then west to Briggsdale.
Sounds like a plan. That'll be further East on 14 than I've been before. Looks like I should get some breakfast and coffee before I head out there. Not much in Briggsdale!
I'm glad to see it's going to be all the way down here and I'll be braving a trip into Orleans Parish to go see the display with the kiddos and wife. The fly isn't a bad spot as they go in NOLA.
drjim
One gas station (Ag Land) but they make, on site, some awesome breakfast burritos. About 1/2 mile east of the intersection of Hwy77/392. When I was shuttling oil field drivers they always wanted to stop there.
JN
Something the kids will remember. Two of my grandkids still talk about seeing the Cheyenne Frontier Days train, pulled by UP 844, as preschoolers.
I wonder, are they self-insuring? A local group in Indianapolis restored one of the big steam locomotives that had been sitting in a public park for years. Their intent was to use it to carry Indiana University fans from Indy to Bloomington, Indiana for Saturday football games. They made the trip once, and I was trackside to enjoy the passing of the steam-belching monster.
About that same time, a steam locomotive exploded somewhere else in the world and the insurance company covering the Indy group backed out of covering the IU trip.
What a sad loss.
I bet UP is self-insuring this tour. They are to be commended.
God keep them safe.
I have something of a love/hate feeling towards the UP. On the hate side, my father worked for the Denver& Rio Grande and hating the UP was part of their culture. The UP has been, and still is, ruthless in the pursuit of their goals. "Little" people get crushed. On the love side, my mother was able to attend the University of Wyoming on a UP funded scholarship. Then there is the steam shop. Would the UP operate just fine without the publicity and goodwill the program generates? Of course they would. The Cheyenne steam shop is no small investment in resources.
Darn, it is going too far east of me to see. The last(?) tour brought it through Hondo, Texas which is only 30 miles away. Maybe a future tour.
BillB
Worth a trip if you are able.
Post a Comment