Last of the Giants--Union Pacific Railroad

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  • čas přidán 26. 07. 2013
  • A late film about the history of the "Big Boy" one of the if not the largest steam train used in the USA for hauling freight.
  • Komedie

Komentáře • 715

  • @Amigafur
    @Amigafur Před rokem +42

    1959: Big Boy was a King of the Rails.
    2019: *Big Boy is the King of the Rails.*

  • @zacharybecker9635
    @zacharybecker9635 Před 5 lety +688

    Yesterday Big boy 4014 ran under its own power for the first time in decades

    • @makinbacon7070
      @makinbacon7070 Před 5 lety +48

      It really is a spectacle to watch it's almost as if it was a living being

    • @thunderturbine8860
      @thunderturbine8860 Před 3 lety +25

      Any idea as to why they have diesels pushing from behind now? That just spoils the look of the glorious Big Boy locomotive

    • @urmad378
      @urmad378 Před 3 lety +39

      @@thunderturbine8860 doesnt really spoil it, the fact that a 4000 moved under its own power in our lifetime is already a miracle as it is... anyway the diesel is for dynamic braking and switching, and as a backup in case of a problem with the steam loco's, etc. Whole host of reasons, really

    • @thunderturbine8860
      @thunderturbine8860 Před 3 lety +19

      @@urmad378 OK That's a fair point. Dynamic braking wasn't a thing in steam locomotives back then.

    • @844SteamFan
      @844SteamFan Před 3 lety +9

      That was more than a year and a half ago. Wow

  • @michaelramsey82
    @michaelramsey82 Před 2 lety +67

    I must have watched this on VHS hundreds of times as a kid. That last long whistle blast as the train disappears into the sunset still brings a tear to my eye. There will never be anything else quite like a steam locomotive.

    • @phillyfan-182
      @phillyfan-182 Před rokem +2

      So have I!! My grandfather had this vhs back in the day

  • @johnhagan7742
    @johnhagan7742 Před 2 lety +87

    I can never get enough of Big Boy's three chime steam whistle. It makes me feel like I went back in time.

  • @CountvonStaffordofVirginia1607

    Hard to believe the Big Boy is back in service. I never thought I would ever see it happen.

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 Před 5 lety +15

      When I see the clips of 4014 now running, the opening theme music here comes into my head. It's almost like a superhero's theme.

    • @blackbirdgaming8147
      @blackbirdgaming8147 Před 3 lety +2

      None of us did

    • @rjalexander4765
      @rjalexander4765 Před 3 lety +6

      Americans can do anything!

    • @stanfischer6175
      @stanfischer6175 Před 2 lety +11

      @@blackbirdgaming8147 I'm 68 and since I was 15 I would go to this place near down town Houston called Eureka Junction. It was where the MKT and the SP met. Was fortunate to have seen the earlier GP's and even a few Katy "F" units plus their really odd ball Baldwin/EMD road switchers. I came of age during a post steam era, was born too late. I first knew and understood what a "Big Boy" was when I was about 12, when I would wonder off on my bicycle to either the SP or MKT just to watch a train go by. Never in my wildest dream, even then would I have dared dream a mighty 4000 would slowly go thru Eureaka Junction curve but in Nov. 2019 it did!

    • @blackbirdgaming8147
      @blackbirdgaming8147 Před 2 lety +2

      @@stanfischer6175 Very cool! I was born way too late for steam myself, I’m 19 lol. I hope to see 4014 next month in Fort Worth.

  • @andrewdonohue1853
    @andrewdonohue1853 Před rokem +11

    Big boy pushed a stalled diesel consist up a hill, this is how its done

  • @wrongfullyaccused7139
    @wrongfullyaccused7139 Před rokem +15

    No computers, no electronic calculators. Superior people using their skills as designers, machinists to make a magnificent machine.

  • @railfanjackson4531
    @railfanjackson4531 Před 5 lety +193

    1:18 “And the thrill of seeing a mammoth engine at work was to be only a happy memory of childhood.”
    60 years later, that mammoth engine has awoken.

    • @khanlo4f333
      @khanlo4f333 Před 4 lety +15

      And the smoke breathing Dragon rumbles down the tracks oncemore.

    • @T.G.G.123_shorts
      @T.G.G.123_shorts Před 3 lety +7

      Boss music starts

    • @ammo8713
      @ammo8713 Před 2 lety +2

      GREAT MEMORIES GROWING UP WITH THE STEAM ENGINES...
      USED TO PUT PENNIES ON THE TRACK AND PICK EM UP AS FLAT PIECES OF COPPER AFTER THE TRAIN PASSED ! 👍😁

    • @dennisyoung4631
      @dennisyoung4631 Před 2 lety +1

      It says, “Soot…Soot…SOOT!”

    • @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory
      @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory Před 2 lety +2

      Saw it on person. Was absolutely epic.

  • @christopherslane7830
    @christopherslane7830 Před 3 lety +50

    On a trip to see my grandmother in Pittsburgh I was watching a steam engine in the rail yard near her home. My dad came down to sit next to me. He said, “Take a good look, son. We won’t be seeing those much longer”. I can still see, smell, feel and hear those wonderful machines.

    • @patguzman3132
      @patguzman3132 Před 11 měsíci

      I n my perot saw BIG BOY 4014 in action just east of L.A pulling UP passenger cars n before then BB 4014 was rnr we saw it in pamona by race track next to another giant DD A40X 6922 with few other locos

  • @c.northway8061
    @c.northway8061 Před rokem +5

    Good to see footage of 5511 running

    • @phillyfan-182
      @phillyfan-182 Před 7 dny

      Soon enough 5511 will be back up and running again like old times.

  • @hellsbells8489
    @hellsbells8489 Před 5 lety +80

    The return of the KING of the high iron.

  • @bennettleffew
    @bennettleffew Před 8 měsíci +6

    man I remember watching this 10 Years ago when I was 5 and still into thomas. Now I'm taking my first steps into serious model railroading. Finally remembered the title of this amazing documentary.

  • @minh-khanguyen7209
    @minh-khanguyen7209 Před 5 lety +65

    I am absolutely delighted by the fact that, in a month, many of us will finally be able to say that we were one of the lucky boys to see them in action, an opportunity I would have thought disappeared forever.

  • @GevoGenesis92
    @GevoGenesis92 Před 5 lety +352

    "It's was the last of the giants"
    Until today!

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 Před 5 lety +20

      4014 in a way truly is the "Last of the Giants" (unless Steamtown someday brings back 4012). Fun fact, the opening music of this film was in my head for almost all of 4014's first trip. Truly fitting for the king of locomotives!

    • @christophercarey3232
      @christophercarey3232 Před 3 lety +12

      Pentrex said that it wasn't likely for a Big Boy to ever pull a train again. But BOY did UP prove them wrong.

    • @christianjohnson9190
      @christianjohnson9190 Před 3 lety +1

      @@thunderbird1921 ah I see you have good taste

    • @reasonableconservative4497
      @reasonableconservative4497 Před 3 lety +1

      How much did UP spend to get him up and running?

    • @tomcoppess1986
      @tomcoppess1986 Před 2 lety

      @@thunderbird1921 👩‍❤️‍👨i

  • @ableland64
    @ableland64 Před 2 lety +27

    I remember back in the 50's as a young man going to Spencer, North Carolina, and seeing the steam engines at the repair yard. Spencer is now a museum where you can see round table and shop that repaired the trains and at times ride on a steam train.

  • @844Steamtrain
    @844Steamtrain Před 10 lety +168

    This is my favorite classic railroad film of all time, along with Norfolk and Western 611 "Going Home."
    I'm glad UP has chosen to restore 4014, I hope they get many good excursions out of
    it.

    • @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory
      @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory Před 3 lety +13

      fuck excursions
      It needs to pull freight

    • @pointingdog7235
      @pointingdog7235 Před 2 lety +12

      @@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory
      No matter what they use those beautiful beasts for I'm happy to know they are in use.

    • @nathancorcoran5347
      @nathancorcoran5347 Před 2 lety +7

      @@pointingdog7235 let’s please don’t say that. Let’s just say they are Beautiful Giants.

  • @transportationproductions1794

    The Union Pacific Big Boy is a legend!

  • @kazzzyn4932
    @kazzzyn4932 Před 3 lety +18

    im still trying to get my head around the amount of service this engineering masterpiece needed, i mean what do you expect, its just massive

    • @haydendraycott7897
      @haydendraycott7897 Před 3 lety +2

      Indeed, to think that today one single crew engineer can control a whole 2 mile long freight from one cab over whole distances, these needed 5-6 men minimum just to get the train out of the yard; engineer, fireman, conductor and then (usually at least) 2 or 3 brakemen, nowadays even an extra conductor is becoming a thing of the past

    • @wrongfullyaccused7139
      @wrongfullyaccused7139 Před rokem +2

      @@haydendraycott7897 Yet, the Big Boy pulled five miles of cars.

    • @Wilett614
      @Wilett614 Před rokem +1

      Just THINK of the MANUFACTURING Process at ALCO American Locomotive Company !
      NOT one single solitary PART was made OUTSIDE of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA

  • @kanechrist4213
    @kanechrist4213 Před rokem +63

    This film features several survivors:
    1243 (4:56)
    2295 (3:44)
    9000 (8:38)
    3985 (9:35)
    5511(5:18)
    4012 (14:54) Drive Wheel 'L8' only. I'm guessing backmost axle, left wheel?
    and a special appearance by the original Big Boy 4000 at 14:29 and again at 17:30, although it did not survive into preservation. There are many background engines that I could not identify, so some of them COULD be survivors for all I know.

    • @PianoGuy1226
      @PianoGuy1226 Před rokem +2

      I watched this video many times as a kid. I just came back from the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, and Union Pacific #1243 is there on display!

    • @Thatguybob5
      @Thatguybob5 Před rokem +4

      At least we may see 5511 and 3985 run again since they’ve gone to be worked on

    • @lucasquintanilla1673
      @lucasquintanilla1673 Před 11 měsíci

      While it isn’t in this film union pacific 844 would’ve been a contemporary of the scenes of what we see here and it would have either just ended its original era prior to being withheld from retirement around this point, or it would have just embarked upon its long excursion career. I kind of wish we got to see some very early footage of 844 in this because I have found that I pretty much can’t find any footage of 844 prior to 1960 and even then it’s almost impossible to find any footage of it before 1970 as a 1966 era Trip is one of the first things that I know for certain was recorded on film other than the 1960 snow plow experiments it was a part of.

    • @ericurbane99
      @ericurbane99 Před 6 měsíci

      4466 also appeared pushing 4012 to the wash.

    • @T128Productions
      @T128Productions Před 3 měsíci

      @@ericurbane99 The locomotive pushing the 4012 looked awfully big to be 4466, or one of her sister engines.

  • @anthonydavies5248
    @anthonydavies5248 Před 10 lety +48

    They say they do everything bigger in America... That just brought real meaning to that statement...

  • @WasatchWind
    @WasatchWind Před 3 lety +21

    It's amazing seeing these beautiful machines. It astounds me that my great grandpa got to fire the 844.

  • @Zoomer3989
    @Zoomer3989 Před 5 měsíci +1

    I had this as a VHS when I was a kid, and dreamed of the moment in the beginning where a young kid sees one rolling by.
    It's so awesome to watch now, 30 years later, and see they only got the "happy memory" part wrong, with 4014 now operable.

  • @lawrencegodek8583
    @lawrencegodek8583 Před rokem +2

    I recognize some of that country, Cheyenne to Laramie. Drove it a lot during the early 80's.

  • @derekstocker6661
    @derekstocker6661 Před 3 lety +27

    Thanks so very much for this documentary, the Big Boy engine as with all steam locos was a living breathing mass of metal that has a beauty all of its own, fabulous machine and thankfully was saved and restored.
    To work on one of these each day must have been hard work at times but wonderful to look back on.

  • @GeneralJackRipper
    @GeneralJackRipper Před 2 lety +11

    We got tired of double-heading the trains, so we built one engine with double the power.

  • @mikebush6245
    @mikebush6245 Před 4 lety +8

    This was a great documentation on steam history, I would love to see more. I'm 56 years old I never seen steam power in it's day but I seen 844 I think 3 times come thru Kansas, 3985 at least once and I have been fortunate to see 4014 from Grand Island earlier this year going to North Platt, Than now to find out she is going to be in my back yard on Nov.21 for 45 minutes. Thank you Union Pacific for all the great work and recreating this for all of our younger generation people to experience. The first time I saw 844 etched memories in my head that I can't forget and it's part of our history that formed this country, I feel greatly privliged to see all three engines in my lifetime, I know it costs tons of money to restore and operate these old historic engines keep up the great work and God Bless America

    • @JTrailroadinboi12
      @JTrailroadinboi12 Před 2 lety +1

      I was in Salina, KS when Big Boy 4014 came thru, being a young buck, I was in awe when I saw it up close and when it was running

  • @garrettsubproductions8705
    @garrettsubproductions8705 Před 11 měsíci +6

    Only footage of UP 5511

    • @TheSudrianTerrier653
      @TheSudrianTerrier653 Před měsícem +1

      Not anymore at least, there’s a video of it and 3985 being towed to the RRHMA, and in the future once it’s restored, it’ll run again for the modern generation to see

    • @Strasburg_Railfaner611
      @Strasburg_Railfaner611 Před 2 dny +1

      It’s pulling freight in this but according to bennyboi there’s a clip in this of it burning tires in its firebox

  • @xzqzq
    @xzqzq Před 3 lety +5

    My maternal grandfather was a UP mechanic from WWI to 1965. @ 1960, when the last steam locomotive was to be retired, UP put together a special train for employees & families...Wonderful experience..

  • @awizardalso
    @awizardalso Před 3 lety +19

    The Union Pacific restored both the Challenger No. 3985 a few years before they restored the Big Boy No, 4014. Many other railroad companies have restored many more steam locomotives and use them for passenger excursions.

  • @paulritchey9721
    @paulritchey9721 Před rokem +2

    I live in Schenectady, NY, the home of the former ALCO plant...birthplace of the Big Boys. Love seeing them run and the sounds.

  • @TheWolfgabe
    @TheWolfgabe Před 10 lety +15

    I have this film and still do. Its part of a box set of videos. This happened to be my favorite

  • @eastcoastrailchasers7777
    @eastcoastrailchasers7777 Před 10 lety +76

    Soon you will be able to see a Big Boy when 4014 is back to service.

  • @thomasavensjr.2790
    @thomasavensjr.2790 Před 2 lety +4

    This is the video that introduced me to my favorite type of articulated steam locomotive, the Union Pacific "Big Boy" & I have been fascinated with this locomotive type ever since I was a young child about 25 years ago.

  • @geomodelrailroader
    @geomodelrailroader Před 9 lety +48

    14:21 Steam Shop back in the day it was a hive of activity when those engines came in. now there are only three #844 #3985 and BIG BOY.

  • @xcrunner5038
    @xcrunner5038 Před 4 lety +6

    This documentary was my favorite thing to watch as a kid, im now 21 and still love watching it every now and then, seeing 4014 live is a definite bucket list must see

  • @avail1.
    @avail1. Před 3 lety +5

    My grandpa and dad both worked for the ICRR Illinois Central. Grandad was a crew chief and dad a laborer. At 25 cents a day dad worked around the coal steam locomotives. It was a good job if you could get it. The RR gave Grandad a IC Railway house right 20 yards off the mainline, big Ol barn. As a kid my dad liked the smoke and cinder flying back by the window where he rode the line. Big trains Big drive wheels, lot of action and fun!!

  • @ramblingsadrift6477
    @ramblingsadrift6477 Před 2 lety +2

    How many watching in 2021 Saw the 4014 Big Boy pass thru mu local today..amazing...!!

    • @raybosailor
      @raybosailor Před 2 lety +1

      She was quite majestic steaming thru Kirkwood!

  • @Johnthecardboardsmileyface

    The scenery in this looks like a painting.

  • @OwlEye2010
    @OwlEye2010 Před 5 lety +19

    1:10 - 1:24 With #4014 up and running, the thrill of seeing a Big Boy in action is no longer just a happy memory of childhood. :)

  • @kcsthebetterway
    @kcsthebetterway Před 3 lety +5

    One of my favorite railroad videos!

  • @deadfreightwest5956
    @deadfreightwest5956 Před 9 lety +41

    That closing shot of the sunset sky is stunning. Hooray for Kodachrome! I have a recording of SP&S 700's whistle in the Rockies that is note perfect for what we hear here. Hear here! :P

    • @Mildcat743
      @Mildcat743 Před 8 lety +1

      +up4014 steam train fan Spokane, Portland, and Seattle if I'm not mistaken

    • @deadfreightwest5956
      @deadfreightwest5956 Před 8 lety +1

      Correct, yet they never really went to Seattle, except as part of the "pool trains" passenger service. UP, NP, GN and SP&S shared passenger train duties between Portland, OR and Seattle.

  • @markrodriguez3688
    @markrodriguez3688 Před 9 lety +26

    A NECESSARY film for ANYONE who is a loyal fan of steam locomotives!

  • @summersoldier3311
    @summersoldier3311 Před 2 lety +3

    One of the best steam locomotive videos I've ever seen!

  • @Squarerig
    @Squarerig Před 10 lety +14

    This is a moving tribute to these creations.Really wonderful.

  • @TonVerkleijT3
    @TonVerkleijT3 Před 3 lety +2

    What a lovely film! And that music from the 50's! I love these films.

  • @N4bpp1
    @N4bpp1 Před 3 lety +3

    I grew up from the mid-40’s -1060. In the 50’s I rode steam train almost everywhere. In 1949 me, my brother and mom road a steam train from Denmark,SC to SF, Ca on our way by ship to Guam. I just wish young people could ride steam trains like I had, it was a great time.

    • @fluxthelycanroc9603
      @fluxthelycanroc9603 Před 2 lety

      if you rode from denmark that must mean you must have rode on the southern part of the way. it must have been nice. seeing as i live in columbia and back when i rode my bike around id still see alot of their bridges and such i always wondered what it was like to ride the southern back then. you ride a named train?

  • @gerritk.spieker905
    @gerritk.spieker905 Před 3 lety +9

    Some priceless footage, one of the best BigBoy videos on here

  • @Eli_Santin
    @Eli_Santin Před 11 měsíci +2

    This film deserves an HD restoration.

  • @candacelubin3813
    @candacelubin3813 Před 2 lety +4

    Haven't seen this one before. Magnificent machine and superb production. Thanks to all who contributed to this production. And special thanks to those who made the biggest steam engine ever come back to life.
    Marty Jasper

  • @victorcontreras9138
    @victorcontreras9138 Před 2 lety +6

    Wow! Big Boy was some magnificent masterpiece. Being able to move rolling stock 5 miles long is a real feat of power⚠️ I'm glad there is still one in existence to be able to be viewed.

    • @jasmijnariel
      @jasmijnariel Před rokem +1

      5miles... its insaaaane

    • @JacobGrimaR761
      @JacobGrimaR761 Před 10 měsíci

      more than one preserved but only one that is operational

    • @victorcontreras9138
      @victorcontreras9138 Před 10 měsíci +1

      @@JacobGrimaR761 thanks for information! Good to know that there is more than one around of these great machines 👍

    • @JacobGrimaR761
      @JacobGrimaR761 Před 10 měsíci

      @@victorcontreras9138 Your Welcome, The More the Merrier

  • @antonbruce1241
    @antonbruce1241 Před 3 lety +13

    I notice Big Boy 4013 was a predominant fixture in this video. it's a damned shame that loco was sold for scrap shortly after it retired in July, 1959. Total bummer. But alas...we all have 4014 back on the rails as a object of our awe and wonder!!!

    • @stanfischer6175
      @stanfischer6175 Před 2 lety +1

      Of the 25 Big Boys 8 are still in existence. Across the world their were great steam locomotives classes that where totally eradicated.

    • @venturamichael50
      @venturamichael50 Před 2 lety +1

      The beginning of the film showed 4009 which also got scrapped

    • @Stickycarp28284
      @Stickycarp28284 Před rokem

      there are photos of UP 4013 being scrapped

  • @centralnorthcarolinatrucks7472

    I used to watch this as a kid, thank you for having this up.

  • @leroyjones6958
    @leroyjones6958 Před 3 lety +4

    There is just nothing around nearly as glorious as these Big Boys!

  • @bodarville2510
    @bodarville2510 Před 3 lety +3

    This is a great documentary, Thank You!

  • @muskiebobsr
    @muskiebobsr Před 9 lety +10

    I have a photo of the 4004 I took in Wyoming in about 1976 on a trip to Vegas. Love trains.

    • @UP4014SteamTrainFan
      @UP4014SteamTrainFan Před 8 lety +1

      +Robert Brunner I saw 4004 in in the second week of march for spring break im thinking next year me and my dad should go back to the steam shops and check the progress of 4014 if anyone has question ask im start about trains!!!

    • @hakeemsd70m
      @hakeemsd70m Před 7 lety

      up4014 steam train fan What ever happened to UP 4013? I saw him in this video. Will 4014 really be ready for the sesquicentennial of the golden spike in 2019?

    • @britainluver431
      @britainluver431 Před 5 lety

      @@hakeemsd70m Sadly 4013 was among the scrapped Big Boys.

    • @hakeemsd70m
      @hakeemsd70m Před 5 lety

      @@britainluver431 I figured. Too bad they couldn't preserve a Big Boy for The Ohio Railway Museum.

  • @pilotmanpaul
    @pilotmanpaul Před rokem +9

    Just today, 4014 once again did what it was meant to do and pushed a stalled Manifest up a hill.

  • @davewhalen6284
    @davewhalen6284 Před 10 lety +3

    Poetry in motion.
    Great video of these marvels!

  • @ethancederberg718
    @ethancederberg718 Před 3 lety +9

    God that whistle... I think that 3 chime whistle is my favorite whistle to ever get put on a locomotive. It is both haunting and powerful.
    (Fixed whistle-type error)

    • @AirchimeLTDproductions174
      @AirchimeLTDproductions174 Před 2 lety

      The 4000s actually wore 3 chimes not 6 chimes

    • @ethancederberg718
      @ethancederberg718 Před 2 lety

      @@AirchimeLTDproductions174 wow, you're right. I don't know how I made that mistake, thanks for pointing that out.

    • @AirchimeLTDproductions174
      @AirchimeLTDproductions174 Před 2 lety

      @@ethancederberg718 Np yeah the 4000s wore Hancock Longbell 3-chimes. But each had a different tone character as 4014 still wears it's original Hancock 3 to this day.

  • @papabrtrk
    @papabrtrk Před 2 lety +2

    Amazing technology and creative engineering. Never ceases to amaze me how something so heavy is able to move. Mind boggling!

  • @jamesm6638
    @jamesm6638 Před 5 lety +9

    he's back

  • @308RoadReady
    @308RoadReady Před 5 lety +21

    Guess whoooooos baaaack!! 4014 is out of the shop and has a fire in its belly. Its ALIVE!

  • @Gdayhomie
    @Gdayhomie Před 5 lety +14

    I saw 4014 on the 190th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad in Ogden, Utah. I love her whistle but it's so loud

  • @thomasschwartz555
    @thomasschwartz555 Před 2 lety

    Bravo film!! More electrifying than many fight scenes in today's movies ...at least I think so. I lost my sleepiness and sat up to watch this! Some of those rail cars, box cars, gondola's ...study in railroad history ...for my Model railroad. Loved this.

  • @MITSI1991
    @MITSI1991 Před 3 lety +2

    Got to see the bigboy 4014 the other day. Stopped right near my home on a frontage road. Got to take plenty of videos and photos of it! Truly amazing to see!

  • @TrainsAreReallyCool
    @TrainsAreReallyCool Před rokem +1

    1:16 "For by 1960 the age of steam had virtually ended, and the thrill of seeing a mammoth engine at work was to be only a happy memory of childhood."
    *Not anymore.*

    • @T128Productions
      @T128Productions Před 3 měsíci

      Too bad the people that worked on this video never got to see the 4014 return to operation, since they died long before Ed Dickens was even in charge of the steam operations.

  • @shimshonbendan8730
    @shimshonbendan8730 Před 3 lety +1

    You gotta love the serendipitous music with the cartoon. Brings back so many memories.

  • @smakfu1375
    @smakfu1375 Před 2 lety +2

    It's great that 4014 rolls again, representing a living tribute to the pinnacle of steam.

  • @surimenon9260
    @surimenon9260 Před 2 lety

    Brilliant Postings.. 🙏 Thank you for your time.. ❤️

  • @packingten
    @packingten Před 3 lety +2

    We lived within 2 blocks of a Railroad "Roundhouse". I actually saw steam locomotives when I was small. I could hear those lonesome whistles all thru the night.

  • @dinshawmuncherjee5123
    @dinshawmuncherjee5123 Před 3 lety +1

    what a majestic and awe-inspiring creation was 'Big Boy:' a work of art that thrilled one with its bully and bluster; man Oh man!! Memories are made of this

  • @klausvonzeit8686
    @klausvonzeit8686 Před 11 měsíci +1

    If #5511 at 5:18 looks like its smoke isn't being lifted very high, that's because it's not actually steaming. That locomotive was out of service by the time the movie was made, but to make it appear operational, the railroad set some tires on fire in its smokebox and pushed its train from behind with a diesel locomotive. The visibly weak puffs come from the valve gear being moved by the rotating driving wheels. You'll also note the lack of steam coming out of other places on the locomotive--compare it to the film segments just before.

  • @smeagolplaysgames4517
    @smeagolplaysgames4517 Před 5 lety +13

    I can't believe I just got to actually see one of these operate again 😍

  • @davidmcaninch4714
    @davidmcaninch4714 Před rokem

    What an awesome documentary!! I watched on a DVD I just bought at the train store and we were just amazed!!!!

  • @mikebruzzone9570
    @mikebruzzone9570 Před 2 lety +1

    Finally a Big Boy documentary showing what these engines were built for (around 19 minutes in) , hauling (racing) armaments like tanks, and munitions to the coasts. mb

  • @jamesbelcher8509
    @jamesbelcher8509 Před rokem +2

    4:56 Union Pacific 1243
    [Narrator] With this museum piece with its six churning driving wheels was new in 1890. It was considered a Samson of the rails.
    5:04 [train whistle]

  • @pnwRC.
    @pnwRC. Před 3 lety +1

    I LOVE this engine! One day I hope to be able to book a ride aboard one of it's excursion trips!

  • @hoganrichard9627
    @hoganrichard9627 Před 3 lety +1

    What a great film! So reminiscent of the ones I enjoyed in grade school in the 50's. Nothing says WWII America like the "Big Boy".

  • @nickbuckley4371
    @nickbuckley4371 Před rokem +1

    I saw 4012 in steamtown it was so awesome to witness a behemoth like it

  • @lucashagg9761
    @lucashagg9761 Před 9 lety +39

    Incredible seeing 3985 in revenue service.

    • @WDI2008
      @WDI2008 Před 5 lety

      Every now and then the Union Pacific Steam Locomotives will haul Mainline Freight Trains in addition to Excursion Service.

    • @davidng2336
      @davidng2336 Před 5 lety

      Just have to be patient for 3985 to come back, if they choose to bring it back that is.

    • @Gdayhomie
      @Gdayhomie Před 4 lety +2

      In January they announced 3985 will be officially retired due to 4014 being in the fleet but most importantly it's boiler is in bad condition

    • @johnmichaels2495
      @johnmichaels2495 Před 3 lety +1

      ​@@davidng2336 My guess, and this is only a guess, is that the reason the 4014 was restored is because getting the 3985 back into operating condition will be so cost prohibitive that it isn't worth it. If the 3985 has major structural issues with its boiler (which is what I have heard), then it may be a case where restoration cost would come close to the cost of building a new locomotive.

    • @adamwall1966
      @adamwall1966 Před 3 lety

      I hope to see 844 3985 4014 pulling loads hope they restore 3985 at some point
      I know 3985 is in bad shape
      Maybe for125 anversy

  • @joemc111
    @joemc111 Před 3 lety +1

    Great show.

  • @lgkopp
    @lgkopp Před 2 lety

    Super Film. Thank you.

  • @TheOriginalJphyper
    @TheOriginalJphyper Před 3 lety +7

    Wow, this documentary screams the time period in which it was made. You don't hear such flowery language in today's documentaries.

  • @topgun51
    @topgun51 Před 10 lety +1

    Great video, thanks..

  • @steamtrainfan9542
    @steamtrainfan9542 Před 4 lety +20

    22:11
    Narrator: "The rumble and roar of Big Boy will seem still to echo from the high country of Southern Wyoming."
    Union Pacific 4014: *I'm about to ruin this man's whole career.*

    • @cbolanz1
      @cbolanz1 Před 3 lety

      You just won the videos best comment award

  • @NorthWestern1919
    @NorthWestern1919 Před 3 lety +6

    At 9:35 is 3985. They had no idea how significant she would become. It's a shame she can't join 4014.

  • @brisancomstock9366
    @brisancomstock9366 Před 2 lety

    Its been 8 years since the last time i saw this show. Im so glad i found it again

  • @cavemanballistics6338
    @cavemanballistics6338 Před 2 lety +2

    A beautiful sympathy of power and grace.

  • @euclideszoto997
    @euclideszoto997 Před 4 lety +6

    This should be the intro for the DVD set for the big boy 4014 when it comes out.

  • @jwrailve3615
    @jwrailve3615 Před 2 lety +1

    I’ll be seeing big boy here in Texas not even a week from now!

    • @jwrailve3615
      @jwrailve3615 Před 2 lety

      Saw it in 2019 in college station and cried

  • @davidmcaninch4714
    @davidmcaninch4714 Před rokem

    I got an N-scale Big Boy for my birthday, and fast forward a few days later, I bought some freight cars for him. I’m really excited once we build our full railroad layout to see him pulling some cars!!! I can’t wait!!!

  • @SupernalOne
    @SupernalOne Před 9 lety +8

    Wow, the announcer speaks so eloquently of the romance of the iron horse - and all I see is that huge sooty exhaust cloud spewing up into the pristine Western air - still, a cool machine

  • @raygraham9888
    @raygraham9888 Před 2 lety

    An enjoyable and informative film.

  • @routeman680
    @routeman680 Před 3 lety

    Marvellous film with intelligent commentary.

  • @mikelofgren2827
    @mikelofgren2827 Před 3 lety +2

    "Every inch of Big Boy radiated majesty."
    Ain't gonna get scriptwriting like that now.
    Did anyone notice that some of the background music was employed in the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the same era?
    And the resonant confidence-inspiring voice of the narrator, typical of the early post-WW II era.
    Note that the film regretted that the age of the Big Boys had passed, but that there was a better future coming.
    Alas, it didn't happen.

  • @swegwardsjdkhaled6870
    @swegwardsjdkhaled6870 Před 3 lety

    I have this film on dvd, used to watch it all the time as a kid

  • @TobyPasman
    @TobyPasman Před 7 lety +24

    I've gotten to see two of the 8 surviving Big Boys. Those being the 4017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the 4012 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

    • @britainluver431
      @britainluver431 Před 5 lety +1

      Me too. I saw 4004, and 4014.

    • @andrewlakatos1301
      @andrewlakatos1301 Před 5 lety +1

      I never got to see any big boys

    • @railfanjackson4531
      @railfanjackson4531 Před 5 lety

      I’ve seen 4006 at the Museum of Transportation in Saint Louis and am planning on hitching a ride on 4014 within the next year or so.

    • @jwrailve3615
      @jwrailve3615 Před 3 lety

      4005 in Denver 4014 when it went through Texas, in the spring I’ll see the one in Dallas

    • @nicoletorcolini5316
      @nicoletorcolini5316 Před 3 lety

      4012 at Steam Town in 2008 then rode the train in California pulled by 4014 in October 2019.

  • @09JDCTrainMan
    @09JDCTrainMan Před 2 lety +3

    While designed for smooth operation up to 80 mph to avoid beating itself up hauling freight at track speed, no Big Boy has ever hit 80 and revenue speeds hardly exceeded 50 mph, mainly because their mainstay was the steeper grades. The fastest reported speed on a Big Boy was 72 mph on a test run. Still impressive if you ask me, and still faster than the Challenger's official top speed of 70 mph (I still love the Challengers though). Though neither the largest nor most powerful steam locomotive ever built, it still ranks among them and it goes without saying that they are legends. Definitely more than worthy of preservation. So glad 8 survive. The Big Boy was probably the first locomotive I got to know about and study, having first heard of it as a child and they still fascinate me to this day and is my favorite steam locomotive (tied with the Norfolk & Western J 4-8-4).

  • @RockyRailroadProductions_B0SS

    21:19
    Okay, guys, so the Union Pacific's steam fleet wasn't made out of atoms.

    • @ThePainTrain765
      @ThePainTrain765 Před 8 lety +6

      +RockyRailroad Productions Because 50's LOL!

    • @Istoleyourtoast743
      @Istoleyourtoast743 Před 8 lety +1

      +ThePainTrain765 well hello I'm one of your subscribers

    • @theodor12
      @theodor12 Před 5 lety +3

      everything is made of atoms mate

    • @Gdayhomie
      @Gdayhomie Před 4 lety +1

      @@theodor12 living things are made of cells

    • @theq4602
      @theq4602 Před 4 lety +4

      It was assumed that atomic trains planes and automobiles would be on the way. Ford had the concept nucleon, the air force extensively researched atomic planes and the navy has nuclear subs. Atomic trains never really got anywhere.

  • @larrywilcox4625
    @larrywilcox4625 Před 4 lety +4

    These union pacific big boy steam trains are massive

  • @MidwesternRailfan
    @MidwesternRailfan Před 4 lety +7

    22:21 such a sad ending of a magnificent locomotive. (Yes I know 4014 has returned but when this was made this was the end and some people who watched this back in the day had probably never heard a big boy in person.)