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Encyclopedia > Union Pacific Big Boy
Union Pacific Big Boy
Union Pacific Big Boy
Big Boy #4014 on display in Pomona, CA
Power type Steam
Builder American Locomotive Company
Build date 19411944
Configuration 4-8-8-4 (UIC: (2'D)D2' )
Gauge ft 8½ in (1435 mm)
Driver size 68 in (1.7 m) diameter
Length 132 ft 9¼ in (40.47 m)
Weight on drivers 540,000 lb (245 t)
Locomotive and tender combined weight 1,208,750 lb (604.3t)
Tender capacity 28 short ton (25 t) of coal; 25,000 US gallon (90 m³) of water
Boiler pressure 300 lbf/in² (2 MPa)
Cylinders 4
Cylinder size 23¾ in (603 mm) dia × 32 in (813 mm) stroke
Top speed 80 mph (130 km/h)
Tractive effort 135,375 lbf (602.18 kN)
Career Union Pacific
Number in class 25
Last run July 21, 1959

Big Boy was the nickname given to the Union Pacific Railroad's twenty-five 4000 class 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives built between 1941 and 1944 by Alco. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 573 pixelsFull resolution (1589 × 1138 pixel, file size: 505 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy #4014, preserved by the Railway and Locomotive Historical Societys Southern California chapter at Pomona Fairplex, Pomona, California... Alco and ALCO redirect here. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A selection of early 20th century locomotive types according to their Whyte notation and their comparative size The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early 20th century. ... In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck. ... The UIC classification is a comprehensive system for describing the wheel arrangement of locomotives. ... The dominant rail gauge in each country shown Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotives pistons (or turbine, in the case of a steam turbine locomotive). ... The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 907. ... Cylinder with piston in a steam engine A cylinder in the central working part of a reciprocating engine, the space in which a piston travels. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Tractive Effort (abbr. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 4-8-8-4 is a locomotive with a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck. ... Great Western Railway No. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alco and ALCO redirect here. ...

Contents

Background

At the beginning of World War II the Union Pacific Railroad needed a more powerful locomotive. Increasing the size of the firebox and making the boiler longer would increase combustion and heat transfer, but this would make the engines too large for the common 2-8-2 size platform. American Locomotive Company solved the problem by articulating a very long coal burning boiler on two 4-8-2 engine sets. These very large engines were employed hauling long war supply trains over the continental divide of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. PRR 520, on display at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in 1993. ... Alco and ALCO redirect here. ... Union Pacific Railroad class MT-1 4-8-2 #7000. ... A continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ...


History

It is often stated that the Big Boy was the largest steam locomotive ever built, however, this is heavily debated.


For example, weight, length, horsepower, and tractive effort are all categories in which a locomotive can be ranked. In each of the above categories, a locomotive "larger" than a Big Boy can be found.


Without a tender, the Big Boy's locomotive body was the longest engine. However, the boiler of a Big Boy fits inside of an H-8 Alleghenys boiler. The H-8 Allegheny was also heavier than a Big Boy, weighing in at 1,207,040 lb without being fully loaded with water and fuel. A British tender locomotive Fuel tender from one of Union Pacifics turbines. ...


On the other hand, a Big Boy could generate a maximum of 6,200 drawbar horsepower. The Big Boys were the only locomotives to have the 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, combining two sets of eight driving wheels with both a four-wheel leading truck for stability and a four-wheel trailing truck to support a large firebox. Locomotive wheel arrangement is how the wheels of the locomotive are arranged by type, position, and connections. ... A selection of early 20th century locomotive types according to their Whyte notation and their comparative size The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early 20th century. ... Section of typical British boiler and firebox. ...


The Big Boy locomotives were intended to meet the Union Pacific's need to pull a 3,600 short ton (3300 metric ton) freight train over the long 1.14% grade of the Wasatch Mountains in Wyoming. Helpers were needed for this grade at the time. Adding and removing helpers from a train slowed down the movement of trains. For such a locomotive to be worthwhile, it had to be more than just a slow mountain lugger. To avoid locomotive changes, the new class would have to be able to pull that long train at speed — 60 mph (100 km/h) — once past the mountain grades. The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 907. ... A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ... The Wasatch Range (also seen as Wasatch Mountains and Wahsatch Range) is a mountain range that stretches from southern Idaho and Wyoming south through central Utah in the Western United States. ... The lickey banker 58100 Big Bertha assisting an express up the Lickey, July or August 1955. ...


The Big Boys were designed for stability at 80 mph (130 km/h), so they were built with a heavy margin of safety. Few previous articulated locomotives were capable of such speed, as were UP's earlier Challenger 4-6-6-4s. In many respects the Big Boy could be regarded as a longer, heavier and more powerful Challenger. An articulated locomotive is a steam locomotive with one or more engine units which can move relative to the main frame. ... Union Pacific 3985 or UP 3985 is a 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive owned by Union Pacific. ...

Big Boy #4023 on permanent display in Omaha, Nebraska
Big Boy #4023 on permanent display in Omaha, Nebraska

In total, 25 Big Boys were built, in two groups of 20 and 5 locomotives. All were coal burning, with large grates to burn low quality Wyoming coal. One locomotive, #4005, was converted to oil burning, but unlike the smaller Challengers, was not successful. The locomotive soon reverted to coal burning configuration. The cited reason for the unsuccessful test was the use of a single burner which, with the Big Boy's larger firebox, created unsatisfactory and uneven heating. It is unknown why multiple burners were not employed. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 740 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2429 × 1969 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 740 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2429 × 1969 pixel, file size: 1. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ...


The Big Boys did important service in the Second World War, especially since they proved so easy to fire that even a novice could do a fair job. Since many men who were unsuited to combat service were instead drafted into the railroads to replace crewmen who had gone to war, this proved advantageous. During the war, after German agents filed reports that the Americans had giant steam engines that were moving huge trains full of vital war material over steep mountain grades at high speed, their reports were dismissed as "impossible". Their outstanding performance in reliably and effectively moving a huge volume of war material throughout WWII was repeatedly cited and the Big Boys are generally acclaimed as having made a huge contribution in the successful prosecution of the war. [citation needed] Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...


Like all steam locomotives, postwar increases in the price of both coal and labor foretold a limited service life for the Big Boys, but they were among the last steam locomotives taken out of service. The last service train hauled by a Big Boy was in July 1959, the last run ending early in the morning of July 21st. Most were stored operational until 1961, and four remained in operational condition at Green River, Wyoming until 1962. Their duties were gradually taken over by three generations of turbine locomotives. Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Green River is a city in southwestern Wyoming in Sweetwater County. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Union Pacific operated the largest fleet of gas turbine-electric locomotives (GTELs) of any railroad in the world. ...


Preservation

The Big Boy is one of the best represented and preserved model of steam locomotive in the United States, due to its fame and its western area of operation. Towns and museums in western states had the space needed for such massive items. Eight of the 25 still exist:

The backhead (controls) of 4017 at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI
The backhead (controls) of 4017 at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI

All except numbers 4005 and 4017 are currently stored in the open without protection from the elements. The dry air of Southern California has helped #4014 to remain the best preserved of the survivors, assisted by care of the local chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. The Steamtown example is also said to be in good condition. The Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver moved the 4005 to a renovated building in January of 2001. Thanks to considerable fundraising and volunteer efforts, number 4017 now resides with other pieces of railroad equipment in a climate-controlled shed at the museum in Green Bay. Number 4023 is the only known Big Boy to move by highway since preservation, to the Omaha Botanical Gardens. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 333 KB)The backhead (controls) of Union Pacific #4017 at the National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, WI Photo by Sean Lamb (Slambo) April 26, 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 333 KB)The backhead (controls) of Union Pacific #4017 at the National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, WI Photo by Sean Lamb (Slambo) April 26, 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Categories: Rail stubs | Locomotive parts ... Nickname: Location in Wyoming Coordinates: , Country State County Laramie Founded 1867 Government  - Mayor Jack R. Spiker Area  - City  21. ... The Forney Transportation Museum is a museum with a collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: , Country State Founded [1] November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Government  - Type Strong Mayor/Weak Council  - Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area [1]  - City & County  154. ... Template:St. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a heritage railway and museum located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). ... Scranton redirects here. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Nickname: Location in Los Angeles County and the State of California Country State County Los Angeles County, California Government  - Mayor Norma Torres Area  - City 22. ... Chinese-built 2-8-0 on display at the National Railroad Museum on April 26, 2004. ... Green Bay is the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... The Museum of the American Railroad, formally known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum, is located in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. ... Dallas redirects here. ... Omaha Botanical Gardens (100 acres), also known as Lauritzen Gardens, are botanical gardens and an arboretum located at 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, Nebraska. ... “Omaha” redirects here. ... This article is about the region of Southern California. ...


There are currently no serviceable Big Boys and no plans to return any to operation due to their size and operating costs. Owing to old age, some Big Boys have "boiler rot".


In 2006, a Cheyenne radio station played an April Fool's prank on its listeners by claiming that, during the previous night, the Big Boy locomotive on display in Holliday Park had been stolen. Despite the near-impossibility of the theft of such a heavy item that had no tracks connecting it to any nearby railroad, several listeners fell for the joke and went to investigate, jamming the road that overlooks the park.[citation needed] April Fools Day and April Fools Day redirect here. ...


References

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Union Pacific Big Boy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1030 words)
Big Boy was the nickname universally applied to the Union Pacific Railroad's twenty-five 4000 class 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives built between 1941 and 1944 by Alco.
The Big Boys were certainly the only locomotives to have the 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation—in other words, combining two sets of eight driving wheels with both a four-wheel leading truck for stability at speed and a four-wheel trailing truck to support a large firebox.
The Big Boy locomotives were created by the Union Pacific's need for a locomotive that could pull a 3600 short ton (3300 metric ton) freight train over the long 1.14% grade of the Wasatch.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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