Off Topic...Ain't That America......

[.45colt]

The Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 rolled thru My area Monday on it's trip from California to Philadelphia for the 250th. 1.2 million lbs,7000 horsepower ,the only one still running .It shook the Ground .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96kkoISA-s

[piller]

That is cool.

[Walt]

I remember as a kid in West Virginia in the late 1950s seeing both coal/steam and diesel/steam locomotives come roaring by. They were not regulars but they did make an occasional appearance. Awesome machines indeed!

[geobru]

What a beast!!

It reminds me of the way machines used to be made out of cast iron. They were heavy and were made to last forever, unlike so much that is currently produced with planned obsolescence. When my dad or uncles assessed a new build, their comment was usually, "That is hell for stout!" They weren't engineers and probably over built everything, but they knew what was needed to keep them from having to fix it all the time.

[AJMD429]

.
I had the choice of seeing that or going to my son’s wedding in Montana….

A very difficult choice…!

[.45colt]

It was built in 1941 and by the time it was retired in 1961 had logged over 1 million miles. 25 were built in the 40's only 8 remain, the 4014 is the only one restored and running . It's coming back across the country in July and I hope to see it again. The drive wheels are 68" tall. Every town ,every road crossing is packed with People. Totally unforgettable.

[Drawdown]

There was a coal fired steam engine used here, used mainly as a passenger train from the early days of the establishment of Harlan Co KY Coal Camps, which from the real beginning boom, aprox 1915 thru the 1970's. It was not of the size of the one this thread is about, but plenty capable as a passenger train. Back then, by the 1930's, there was one Coal Co owned community, basically every mile or two at the most, and up the three forks of the head of the Cumberland River, which made up the entire County!
That train made its last trip, I forget exactly, but I think 1959 or 60. I was born in 1959, and its last trip was from Cumberland KY to the county seat, Harlan KY. My mom rode it with me, just a baby, or maybe 1 year old+ at the most, and my dad followed by car, to pick us up to return home near Cumberland. By then most families anyways, had a car, or used the well established County bus service. Everyone lived within walking distance then, of their work, and every community had company stores, Dr's & Hospitals or Clinic, Pistol Office, Barber Shops, every business needed! By the 1930's-40's, Harlan Co had the highest population of any county in the state, 2nd only to the county that Louisville KY was in, and Harlan Co is not a big county!
Where they took that Steam Engine I forget, but it was restored & maintained! Ib the late 80’s? They brought it back, and toured for people to see, as it traveled up all three forks of the entire county. I watched from my front porch as it went right by my house that day, along with mom & dad.
All my life, especially growing up, there was within aound and usually sight, the diesel locomotives pulling 60-90 car trains of coal, around the clock every day! It was like this especially thru the early 2000's! It was nothing to travel from one community to another, say only 5-10 miles away, and be stopped in traffic 2-5 times by the same train, the tracks most always traveled the creeks and rivers, just as did the roads, R-R Crossings often 1/4 to 3/4 miles apart! Growing up it was a sleep aid to hear the roar of a train going by, often so close the house vibrated! If you lived near a community Coal prep plant, it took anywhere from 2-4 hours to load a 90 Car Unit Train, the constant roar if 3-5 Locos! It's so sad here now, to seldom even see & hear the roar of the Loco's!

[samsi]

4014 came through here on the last UP Steam Tour before the Corona Virus. Awesome is an overused word these days, but it truly is. I recommend the experience if it's anywhere near you.

[Paladin]

I remember as a kid in West Virginia in the late 1950s seeing both coal/steam and diesel/steam locomotives come roaring by. They were not regulars but they did make an occasional appearance. Awesome machines indeed!

I was lucky enough to do the same in WV.

[marlinman93]

A true thing of beauty! I love old trains and always have. My dad spent most of his adult life as chief electrician for the SP&S Railroad in the Pacific NW and we traveled by train often since it was free to employees. I have fond memories of those trips as a kid.