for the steam locomotive fans

[Centex]

... just FYI if interests and travel opportunities coincide, Union Pacific's Big Boy 4014 will be on the rails again in August 2021:

"Big Boy No. 4014 will depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, Thursday, Aug. 5, traveling through Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. We’re still working out the details of overnight and whistle stops along the way, but we can tell you the Big Boy will be on display at the following locations:"

Info, Schedule and Route Map here

A few pics during a November 2019 maintenance stop in Jewett, TX:






Jewett is an agriculture town with a population of under 2,000. 4014's stop was a major event on Saturday morning …. live music, a tent to shade dignitaries and elders, and folks from all around the area and beyond in attendance. Good fun in rural Texas for sure

[cpaharley2008]

I love trains............

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I love trains............

My wife would have rolled her eyes and said "It's a man thing".

[CADreamin]

Not necessarily just a guy thing -- I love trains as well. We were in Kingman, AZ, recently and I could have just pulled up a chair and watched those trains roll by all day.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I love trains............

Originally Posted by CADreamin

Not necessarily just a guy thing -- I love trains as well. We were in Kingman, AZ, recently and I could have just pulled up a chair and watched those trains roll by all day.

Jan's not unique in this respect .... I've been following trains, especially steam, for years and have never noticed a shortage of ladies of all ages enjoying the experience, too.

Love of trains may not be for everyone, but it crosses all boundaries for sure. Taking an opportunity to see Big Boy 4014 on the move may not be life-altering, but I can almost assure it'll be memorable for 'kids of all ages'

[gbaglo]

As a kid, i went to a boarding school outside of Nairobi. We took a train to school. Each kid had his own compartment for the overnight trip. We had no supervisor, but somehow arrived at the destination despite getting off in the middle of nowhere to pick up railway spikes. We would sit on the steps and drop spikes on the ties while underway. Sometimes we rode a flatcar and once I grabbed the handle above the window in my compartment and let centrifugal force pull the rest of my body outside the train as we rounded a corner.

If only our parents knew.


A train of the era:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz7FNe_C4qk

[MyronL]

Now that's a great story.

Oh, yeah.

[Iowa Dave]

I saw 4014 when it passed within four miles of our home on the UP mainline that used to be Chicago and Northwestern trackage. I signed up for the UP steam Club and get their email submissions regularly. I’m kind of waiting for the overnight stop itinerary to be fleshed out for this 4014 run. I’m thinking I might go down to Jefferson City MO to see her around the first of September. I have great admiration for restorations and the machinery that represented America in the past. Where form met function and craftsmanship meant dependability, performance and beauty. I have one grandson who shows potential as a train guy, I’ll do my best.
Iowa Dave

Photos taken Memorial Day weekend in Belle Plaine Iowa. William 3 ( train guy) Jasper (outdoorsman with killer instinct) 4
PopPop (Old geezer just trying to get by.) 73

[CADreamin]

To echo Myron -- that is a really great story!! And the video was fascinating.

My grandson will be attending trade school to further his dream of becoming a heavy equipment diesel mechanic and I'm trying to convince him to apprentice at the railroad museum that will be nearby ;-)

[Croney]

Came through Omaha. That steam powered whistle is amazing.

[thunderworks]

The train museum in Duluth, MN., is a fabulous place for train enthusiasts. Lots of great places to camp in the area too!

[cpaharley2008]

I do not remember where it was, but we stayed one night along a stream and across the road was a mainline where all day and night, trains were chugging up the hill. It was a little bit of heaven for me......

[oldwave]

In the 1980’s they used to run a sightseeing train in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. My longtime musical partner (going on 45 years playing together), would be hired to go car to car playing old time train songs and fiddle tunes. They still run excursion trains but no longer steam, diesel instead. The other steam powered story I have is I was the director of a large folk festival in the same valley for 11 years and the historical village in the valley had a steam calliope which we would stoke up for the festival. What a sound reverberating through the valley. Riding the keyboards took some nerve as you sat right a top the boiler !
Fun

[Bea]

We love trains, too! And I will echo Myron & Jan. Glenn, your train stories are amazing!!! Iowa Dave, precious pics and grandkids - they both look like train guys to me! Good job!! And thank you Alan, for the info on Big Boy 4014!

If interested, here are a few train places to visit in the NorCal area that we like, where you can ride on these magnificent beauties:

https://www.ncry.org/ride/schedule/

https://www.roaringcamp.com

https://www.winetrain.com

https://www.skunktrain.com

https://vtrailway.com/train-rides/ca...virginia-city/

https://rrpark.com (This place has many beautiful old train cars that have been transformed into cool motel rooms so instead of riding the train, you can stay overnight in one. A great memory for our boys when they were young...and for us 'kids-at-heart'!)

And while I'm at it, I have to mention the Sacramento Railroad Museum: https://www.californiarailroad.museum A must-see for train enthusiasts. -Bea