UP Official Confirms 4014 Restoration

W

wilh

Off the Deep End
*Sorry, title should say officially not official. (wasn't paying to much attention there...)

Well, it's official, UP has acquired Big Boy 4014. Below the official statement...

Union Pacific Acquires Big Boy Locomotive No. 4014

July 23, 2013
Union Pacific today announced it reached an agreement with the Southern California Chapter - Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in Pomona, Calif., to transfer ownership of one of the world's largest steam locomotives, Big Boy No. 4014, back to UP.
Union Pacific plans to relocate No. 4014 to Cheyenne, Wyo., where Union Pacific's Heritage Fleet Operations team will work to restore it to operating condition. Details regarding those efforts will be made public at a later date.
Union Pacific donated No. 4014 to the historical society December 7, 1961. The locomotive arrived January 8, 1962, at its current display location at the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona.
No other railroad has retained its historical equipment or honored its American roots like Union Pacific.
"Our steam locomotive program is a source of great pride to Union Pacific employees past and present," said Ed Dickens, senior manager-Heritage Operations. "We are very excited about the opportunity to bring history to life by restoring No. 4014."
 
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First thing I think of is "does it have a riveted boiler?" because if it does, it will have to be replaced with a welded one, as I understand it, that's the law. O_O
 
I would say almost certainly it will need a new boiler regardless. It last ran sometime in the late fifties early sixties. Even if it sat inside that is along time between steams. Add that with the new rules and regs and will almost guarantee a new boiler.
That is take on it.
Kenny
P.s. glad to someone step up to the plate to get one back running.
 
Maybe the rule is that you can't MAKE a riveted boiler to replace one. I know that I read about a restoration where they said they made a welded boiler because riveted ones weren't allowed any more, but maybe I misunderstood and intact riveted boilers can remain in use until they fail; if they are replaced it must be with a welded one.

:shrug:
 
I wonder who's going to be funding this massive project? Although it would be nice to see a Big Boy 4-8-8-4 considering I've never seen a real running steam locomotive in my life despite being alive for 19 years and spending a lot of time in the bay area, particularly Oakland.
 
Kris94 said:
I wonder who's going to be funding this massive project? Although it would be nice to see a Big Boy 4-8-8-4 considering I've never seen a real running steam locomotive in my life despite being alive for 19 years and spending a lot of time in the bay area, particularly Oakland.
Click to expand...

Union Pacific will be paying for it all, they do this all to celebrate their history.

- Joshua
 
frogpipe said:
Maybe the rule is that you can't MAKE a riveted boiler to replace one. I know that I read about a restoration where they said they made a welded boiler because riveted ones weren't allowed any more, but maybe I misunderstood and intact riveted boilers can remain in use until they fail; if they are replaced it must be with a welded one.

:shrug:
Click to expand...

No problem, I'm just very familiar with the CFRs where the FRA is concerned but in a lot of cases these regulations come down to the railroad testing things out
and certifying them for operation. There's other aspects where the FRA says do this, do that. I'll look at my CFR code book but AFAIK I don't think there's a rule
about historical equipment having a riveted boiler but I would really want a 2" thick stainless steel jacket welded to Aircraft standards and X-Rayed if I were going to
replace the tank on any Big Boy. Even with Pressure Relief valves, sometimes one would fail and old Steam Locomotives letting go would level entire areas and kill or maim lots of people. Think boiled lobster..
 
it should be interesting to see what it looks like after restoration, almost like a brand new locomotive but a oil burner, the first time the UP tried burning oil on another engine #4005,it was unsuccessful, reverted back to coal due to uneven heating and a single burner in the firebox.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Big_Boy
On July 23, 2013 Union Pacific announced it had acquired 4014 from The Southern California Chapter of The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in Pomona, with the goal of restoring it to service.

When it is restored the engine will join UP's never retired 4-8-4 844, as well as 4-6-6-4 Challenger 3985 in excursion service and will officially reclaim its title as "the world's largest operational steam locomotive." Union Pacific hopes to return the Big Boy 4014 to active excursion service by 2019. The restoration includes a plan to convert the locomotive to oil-fired
Click to expand...
.

I wonder when it's done how many people who know how to operate that beast will still be around...
 
UP5521 said:
it should be interesting to see what it looks like after restoration, almost like a brand new locomotive but a oil burner, the first time the UP tried burning oil on another engine #4005,it was unsuccessful, reverted back to coal due to uneven heating and a single burner in the firebox.
Click to expand...

Well, 3985 was converted to use #5 Fuel oil, it works well enough for an excursion train but it's not that efficient. The Big Boys used to use about 40 tons of coal just going from Ogden up to Coalville in Utah, about 40 miles so 1 ton/mile of coal even in the 40s, that was a lot of fuel. If you look at the old UPRR films the train crew buildings had "Save Fuel" plastered all over them.
 
wkwood said:
Well, 3985 was converted to use #5 Fuel oil, it works well enough for an excursion train but it's not that efficient. The Big Boys used to use about 40 tons of coal just going from Ogden up to Coalville in Utah, about 40 miles so 1 ton/mile of coal even in the 40s, that was a lot of fuel. If you look at the old UPRR films the train crew buildings had "Save Fuel" plastered all over them.
Click to expand...

I saw a video of that on you tube, and yes it was a lot of coal, but at the same time, I was expressing my concern over if they tried the oil conversion again the burner might become a problem.
 
As someone else mentioned, when they converted 4005 to oil, they used a single burner off a FEF. This time, they will probably use dual burners similar to the late Challengers.
 
4014

i apoligize for the fact this doesn't relate to trainz but, im sure most of us have heard the news about up acquiring bigboy 4014 for restoration? i myself cant believe its going to happen
 
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