Trains – September 2019

With interest in the completion of Big
Boy’s restoration, how does the weight of
the boiler get down to the front drivers? —
Carl Amerlan, Downers Grove, Ill.

AAs an articulated locomotive, the Big

Boy’s boiler is rigid while the front drivers
move relatively freely and are connected to
the remainder of the locomotive by an artic-
ulation joint and the necessary pipes and
tubes. Big Boy researcher and historian John
Bush, of Omaha, Neb., tells Trains that Big
Boys, specifically, have a large flat surface
made of brass under the boiler and above
the frame that the front engine slides under-
neath as the locomotive moves. Even more,
“Spring rigging apportioned weight through
each of the engines, keeping it as constant
across all axles and journals as possible via
the equalization system. On the front engine
it tied the pilot truck and all four driving ax-
les together,” Bush says. “On the rear engine,
it started at the first driving axle and passed
all the way to trailer. This was a carefully
designed system and accepted all vertical
movement; virtually no movement other
than vertically was transmitted to the hinge
pin.” — Trains staff

How were the Big Boys originally
delivered to UP? David Kuntz, Salt Lake City

AThe routings of the Big Boys have been

lost to history, but we have an idea based on

the railroads used to deliver Big Boy 4-8-8-4

No. 4000 in 1941. According to Jim Wrinn’s

article “Birth of a Legend” in the Big Boy

Back In Steam special issue, No. 4000 was

shipped dead-in-tow from the manufactur-

er, Alco, in Schenectady, N.Y., via the Dela-

ware & Hudson, New York Central, and

Chicago & North Western to Council Bluffs,

Iowa. A UP switcher towed the locomotive

across the Missouri River to Omaha, Neb.,

where it entered service. — Trains staff

In the October issue

The East’s railfan road

Follow us along U.S. 220

U.S. HIGHWAY 220 from New York to

North Carolina has long been associated

with legendary railroad locations. We

take you along to point them out.

UNION PACIFIC BIG BOY NO. 4014 will

tour the Midwest in July and August, and

we show you the highlights. A California

photographer pays tribute to the famous

RICHARD STEINHEIMER by visiting his

best-known locations. Robert Scott

shows us a Pacific Northwest short line,

the PUGET SOUND & PACIFIC. All that and

much more in the October issue!

On sale Sept. 10, 2019

☛

The first Big Boy, No. 4000, moved from

builder to recipient via three Class I railroads

from New York to Iowa. E.C. Schmidt

TrainsMag.com 55

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