UP Big Boy Locomotive -- Largest Ever Built -- May Again Roam In Colorado

UP 4014 during her operational days
Photo: Union Pacific

It's official. Union Pacific Railroad announced today that it has re-acquired one of their legendary 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives with the full intention of restoring it to active service. After a lengthy stay in the rumor mill, UP reached an agreement with the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Southern California Chapter in Pomona, to transfer ownership of #4014 back to the railroad. Union Pacific plans to relocate No. 4014 to Cheyenne, WY, where their "Heritage Fleet Operations" team will work to restore it to operating condition.

UP donated #4014 to the historical society December 7, 1961, which was the 20th anniversary of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the same year that the first Big Boys began operations. The locomotive arrived January 8, 1962, at its current display location at the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona.

"Our steam locomotive program is a source of great pride to Union Pacific employees past and present," said Ed Dickens, senior manager of Union Pacific Heritage Operations. "We are very excited about the opportunity to bring history to life by restoring No. 4014."

What About Denver's Big Boy?

Big Boy 4005, the Big Boy on permanent display at the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver may have been considered for restoration, but given the long duration #4005 spent out under the open sky in the years before the museum moved, she almost certainly would have cost more to restore although it's unclear Union Pacific ever seriously considered the locomotive, one of several surviving Big Boys around the country.

More

• about Big Boys.
• about #4014 (new UP data)

Opinion 

Union Pacific 4014 in Pomona CA in 2005
Photo: Morven, Wikimedia Commons

It remains to be seen whether Union Pacific has a use for 3 steam engines in a special program. Certainly, the steam program is Union Pacific's prime goodwill ambassador, crushing other companies' PR machines under a million pounds of live steam. On the other hand, could it be setting us up for a retirement of #3985, the Challenger that UP restored back in 1981. Such wouldn't be likely right away, but odds would favor its early retirement if someone finds the costs of running or repairs to be unjustified. Personally, I'm excited at the possibility of finally seeing a Big Boy in motion. I only wonder what the world's largest steam locomotive is truly going to cost.◊

September Issue of Trains Has Rare Narrow Gauge Colorado Tale

Current subscribers to Trains Magazine will be pleased to know that the issue for September 2013 contains a four page article about Martin E. Hansen and his railroading connection to his great-grandfather Walter Joseph Hannan. Hannan was an engineer for the Colorado & Northwestern Railway, who died at the throttle while bucking snow to reach Ward, Colorado in April 1901.

The Colorado & Northwestern Railway was a narrow gauge affair that connected Boulder, Colorado and the aforementioned town of Ward with a spur to Eldora. It is a line seldom talked or read about, essentially a lost road. Begun late (1897) and pulled up in less than 25 years, the C&NW ventured west of Boulder to places like Gold Hill and Glacier Lake with 48.1 miles of 3-foot gauge rails. The railroad changed to the Denver, Boulder & Western in 1909 and was abandoned in 1919. Tivis Wilkins notes,

In July 1920, after most of the line had been dismantled, the Colorado Supreme Court reversed the decision of the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) and ordered operations to be resumed. The order was never carried out.¹

The railway's engine #30, which survived for a while as C&S 74 and RGS 74 before retiring to a Boulder park and then the Colorado Railroad Museum, was the same engine that Hannan rode to his fate as the town of Ward watched in horror.

Suffice to say it's a great story, one worth the price of the magazine. Watch for it at the end of July in your mailbox. Look for it on pages 40 - 43 under the title Landslide of Emotion. Enjoy!◊

Saving Your Life

As someone who lives with his chronic illnesses and the disabilities that come with them, I can safely say that I've had my own experiences with depression. I have at least once in my adult life seriously contemplated taking a shortcut to heaven. Thank God, I never acted on those thoughts, and my children and wife are glad to have a father and husband.

I won't bang anyone over the head with it, but I know it's worth stating that suicide is a spiritual as well as psychological struggle. My own grandfather struggled with his father's suicide, and both he and my father also had their moments. If you're having yours, wait!

I won't blow bubbles and unicorns on your reality, but I can honestly say that if I had acted on my own impulse to die, I would have missed some awesome moments that I could never have anticipated. It's worth sticking around, because it will get better. Things will change and some will change for the better. But don't just take my word for it. There are others who will need you. All it takes is the courage to hold on one more minute, one more hour, one more day. Hang on!

In memory of Alex Frye.◊

UP Crew Readys Venerable 844 Steam Engine For Annual Denver Trip

As seen here, Union Pacific is readying the never-retired 4-8-4 Northern steam engine #844 for it's annual series of trips between Denver and Cheyenne's Frontier Days. I've chased the 844 numerous times, but never to Cheyenne, oddly enough. Nonetheless, I know others like Skip W that have already greased up their tripods and cleaned their lenses. For some, chasing is a hobby, others a diversion, but for folks like Skip, it's a passion.

The route will follow that of the Denver Pacific, the first railroad to connect Denver with the outside world by rail in 1870, six years before statehood and our nation's centennial. Those were the days of ornamental steam, when antlers and whale-oil lamps sat above link-and-pin couplers and wooden cowcatchers. Like the Cheyenne Frontier Days itself, the 844 is more than just a working anachronism. It's a functioning mode of transportation, and the industrial age technology belies it's youth. While the 844 was built as UP class FEF-3 in 1944, over 74 years after 1870, the engine itself is 68 years old,  and much younger than the 142 year-old route it will be rolling over at a rocket's pace very soon.◊

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West Fork Fire Takes Aim As South Fork Evacuates

West Fork fire Tuesday evening in terrain
and fuel that's a firefighter's nightmare.
Photo: inciweb.org

The town of South Fork, Colorado, is in significant danger of being lost to the West Fork Complex fire. Today at 6:00 AM, all residents of South Fork were ordered by authorities to evacuate.

Inciweb.org reports:

The West Fork Complex consists of two wildfires, West Fork and Windy Pass, that are burning on the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests in southwest Colorado. Both fires are burning in steep, rugged terrain with large amounts of beetle-killed spruce which makes it difficult and unsafe for firefighters to mount a direct attack. 

... 

Eric Norton, Fire Behavior Analyst for the NIMO Team, said “The fire behavior we saw yesterday was so extreme, it was undocumented and unprecedented”. 

.... 

The fire made a 7 mile run to the northeast crossing the Continental Divide and burning on the ridge above Big Meadows Reservoir down to Metroz Lake. ... In some locations the fire is only 1/2 mile from Highway 160. The town of South Fork was evacuated at 0600 this morning. Structure protection is being done in South Fork and all additional resources have been sent there. Total acreage for the West Fork Complex is 29,900 acres.

History and rolling stock mean very little compared to the worth of a human life and the homes already lost this year. Still, it should be noted that standard gauge equipment has historically been stored there at the junction of the San Luis & Rio Grande and the short line San Luis Central, and there is no current means for the average blogger to identify whose rail property is currently at risk. Also worth pointing out, the long-suffering Denver & Rio Grande Railroad is based in South Fork. Once the evacuation order has been lifted, it will depend on what damage exists before they resume operations.

This West Fork Complex fire is one of several active fires now burning in Colorado. The following map, put together by 9News.com, the Denver NBC affiliate, shows all of the identified fire locations.


View Colorado Wildfires June, 2013 in a larger map

God help us. Please.◊

Royal Gorge Fire Claims Narrow Gauge Caboose

Editor's Note: Normally, I would add more details on the previous post in the comments, but this warrants it's own article.

Fox21 image showing space behind
499's tender where caboose 0584 sat

In my smoke-clouded mind, I had forgotten about a detail in the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park until I had hit the publish button. I waited on bringing it up because I hoped the fire had missed it (making it a non-issue). Well, not entirely.

Nathan Holmes of www.DRGW.net reports that the wildfire totally destroyed caboose 0584, part of a display of Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge equipment in the parking lot. Visit the DRGW.net site for the full story (click here to search his site for the story if the other link fails).

In related news, the Royal Gorge Route commented on Colorado Railroads' Facebook page that they've resumed operations, saying "we're back on track!" Great to hear they're back in business in the same week.◊

Royal Gorge Fire Burns Facilities Around Famed Bridge

Both ends of the Royal Gorge Bridge park engulfed in smoke as structures burn.
Image: Canon City Daily Record

The Royal Gorge fire burns near Canon City. Some tourist structures within Royal Gorge Bridge park have burned, but the bridge remains intact as of late Tuesday. The miniature railroad that runs inside the park appears to have suffered some damage. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

There is no word at this time regarding the status or operations of the Royal Gorge Route railroad Tuesday or what is planned for Wednesday. The railroad has operated for nearly 15 years carrying passengers from Canon City to Parkdale, Colorado along the bottom of the Royal Gorge next to the Arkansas River, ever since the Union Pacific shuttered the Tennessee Pass route between Pueblo and Dotsero. The tracks are located on the north side of the canyon, across the river from where the fire started. Given the depth of the gorge and the steepness of the walls, combustible trees and other vegetation are more sparse than above, but could still cause damage to the rails. It's assumed that until the fire is controlled and contained, the railroad will likely not be allowed to run any trains through the gorge.

Another fire burning north of Colorado Springs ignited almost the same time Tuesday afternoon as the Royal Gorge fire. The Black Forest fire has claimed many homes and displaced hundreds of families with mandatory evacuations. The fire is also uncontrolled and 0% contained. Prevailing winds pushing it east in the direction of the former Chicago Rock Island & Pacific town of Peyton.◊

New Reader Poll: How To Improve the Colorado Railroad Museum?

Near the top of the other column on www.corailroads.com, there's a new reader poll with a few ideas about the Colorado Railroad Museum and, in terms of mega-projects, I ask you, "What could possibly improve the place?" Some of these ideas are a little "out there" and some are practical. Cast your vote for two or three you like. Keep watching, as the poll will go for more than 6 months. 

Have I left out anything? Comment in with your ideas. If the right eyes are watching, who knows what could happen? Besides, I really want to hear about your ideas on this.

For ideas and thoughts, try looking through this roster-like photo album on rrpicturearchives.net.◊

RTD Public Safety Snafu - F-Bomb Slips Into Children's Safety Video

Denver's RTD, the mass transit for the Colorado capital's 7 counties, recently opened the West Line, a light rail line 12.1 miles long serving the west Denver suburbs as far as the Jefferson County "Taj Mahal" government center in Golden. It resurrected the rapid transit line that ran along 13th Avenue built over a century ago. This is the first line of the long term Fastracks plan to be completed. RTD deserves its fair share of congratulations. Not only did they deliver the first portion on time, but their contractors also contributed to the community through the project. Unfortunately, a public organization like RTD is not immune to mistakes.

As part of the effort to smooth the changes a newly active light rail line will inevitably cause, a safety video was created, with animation and voice-overs aimed specifically at children. The video is titled "Safe Routes To School

A specially designed mascot named Fastracks Freddy tells the kids about light rail. It's a tame, paced affair that leaves the conscious mind with little more than the basic rules of keeping oneself out of harm's way.

Still shot captured from YouTube Monday afternoon;
the offensive text has been intentionally screened

However, at roughly 1:59 into the video, a plainly visible F-bomb is displayed on the backpack of a person walking away from the camera. It's hard to imagine that with such care taken to educate the kids, something that plain could make it past the production team. If they had pixelated the text or removed the shot, no one would have noticed. The video hosted by YouTube had been viewed over 500 times.

Same shot with location highlighted

The 5 1/2 minute safety video was produced by the City of Lakewood and KLTV8 T using funds from the Safe Routes to School program.

Scott Reed, a spokesman for RTD, was not aware of the video Monday afternoon, but later contacted Colorado Railroads, saying, "We contacted KLTV8 television in Lakewood, who produced the video and posted it on YouTube through their website.  They are pulling down the video tonight and will edit it appropriately."◊

GEs Juice Train Sells More Than Tropicana

Here's a nifty little commercial that GE put together. You'd never think that they were selling locomotives. Suddenly, I have a craving for freshly juiced diesels.

Hello, Caterpillar? Nice paint job, but that's not enough. GE's PR puts EMD's image on ice.



Anyone else notice the nod the ad gives to railfans?

If you're a fan of the 80s show Knight Rider, you're in for a big treat as well. The 80's dreamed of a talking car. 30 years later, GE touts a talking train.


Again, EMD, where are you? Where's your ACe in the whole?◊

Blessed Are the Patient

Do my eyes deceive me? Can it be? Is this really happening? Yes! Yes! YES!!!

Denver & Rio Grande Western's famed mikado, Mudhen 463, is under steam and testing! That is not a misprint. According to Nathan Holmes, webmaster at DRGW.net,

...not only does it steam, but it actually runs. They did a shakedown run with her today (4/9) from Antonito out to Lava and back. 

He linked to the Friends of the C&TS discussion board post by Rich Murray with two pictures by Craig McMullen.

Tim Tennant posted details today on the delayed, canceled, on-again, off-again-now-on-again charter that finally seems to be coming true. The release also has a picture of the engineunder steam at Lava.  The engine is sans number, but I can tell it's the real deal with a lot of shiny new parts. Make plans to visit the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad this summer to catch the oldest and smallest of the surviving steam engines of the Rio Grande!

Thanks to valued reader Rich Guggenheim for the tip.◊

New Sign Using LED Tech To Grace Colorado Highways

Photo: CTC, Inc.

Railway Age says that Colorado's Department of Transportation has purchased new LED-lit warning signs to call highway drivers' attention to railroad grade crossings. A CDOT spokesman is quoted in the article:

"Any tool that we can use to save lives is a welcome addition to our transportation tool kit," said CDOT Statewide Utilities Engineer Mat Flores. "The flashing lights disrupt a driver's expectations and should draw his or her attention to the crossing, resulting in a significant safety benefit."

CTC, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas, provides communication and signaling systems, products and services for the highway and rail, specializing in highway-rail grade crossings that are interconnected with traffic signals.

LED-lit signs do make it harder for drivers to ignore them, but I wonder whether this is just another sign (ha!) that our society is suffering from "warning fatigue."◊