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Author Topic: A Visit ToThe Union Pacific Steam Shops Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-14-2006 12:51 PM                     Recently while doing service work in Cheyenne, Wyoming I had the good fortune to be able to visit and tour both the UP Steam Shops, Roundhouse, and yards. This is the home base where the famous 3985 Challenger and 844 steam locomotives are kept and maintained. The 3985 Challenger is the largest operating Steam locomotive in the world. There is alot to see in this place and its better than any train museum I've ever been to! Also on loaction are a set of E-9 diesels from 1955 that look as though they just left the factory yesterday. In the roundhouse are kept 2 extra large UP steam locomotives that are used for parts as well as a huge railway snow blower and Centennial Diesel locomotive 6936 which is also in like new consdition and the last operating example of this largest Diesel locomotive ever built. What a cool place . Locomotive 844 under steam just outside the UP Steam Shop. It was being readied for an excursion run later this month. It weighs in at a mere 980,000 lbs fueled. 3985 Challenger Locomotive. This was the second largest locomotive in the UP fleet and the largest steamer still in operation in the world. Weighs in at a mere 1,280,000 lbs fully fueled, 5,000 to 6,000 equivelent horsepower, it still takes at least two modern diesels to equal its pull and 100,000 lbs tractuive force. This single engine can pull a modern day very long freight train all by itself! Its out of action for at least two more years for main driver, linkage, and bearing repairs. One of the Electro-Motive E-9 units that is in better than new condition. These famous diesels powered all UP Streamliners starting in 1955. Mark  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 04-14-2006 01:43 PM                     Now I am jealous. Let me know if you ever make it in to he Bunker at Omaha. The Bunker is UP's main dispatching center. They dispatch just abou everyting run on the UP from there except parts of the Old Missouri Pacific and Southern Pacific lines in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Those were moved back o he old MP Spring Dispacthers desk about 6 years ago.  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-14-2006 03:36 PM                     Hi Mark That is just great being able to tour those shops! 3895 is still used for freight service. I have a Mark I video circa 1990 of 3985 on special excursion. One leg of the excursion had 3985 running lite (no cars), so instead of a "wasted run" UP put her into freight service for that leg of the excursion. I was very fortunate in my youth to ride SP 4449 as part of the 1984 Louisiana Worlds Fair from Tucson to Phoenix. For model railroaders, PFM/Tenshodo imported a very limited and highly detailed run of Challengers around 1999. If memory serves me right there was only either 25 or 50 of the units in the run, and each model was individual. The models were around $3K each and Tenshodo had stated that that would be the last time they would ever produce a brass Challenger. A few years ago a few of them had popped up on E-bay. Cheers Kutler  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-14-2006 04:58 PM                     I've ridden the 8444 as an excursion train from Denver to Larime and back in the late 1970s. I've seen the Challenger all fired up down at Union Station in Denver. So the Challenger fully fuled weighs the same as the Airbus A-380 at maximum take-off weight. Think about that!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-14-2006 05:23 PM                        Great pics, Mark. There's nothing like the sound of a big steamer starting up.  |  IP: Logged Floyd Justin Newton Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 559 From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 04-14-2006 08:18 PM                     soooo.....let's just put wings on the Challenger!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-14-2006 08:23 PM                     quote: So the Challenger fully fuled weighs the same as the Airbus A-380 at maximum take-off weight. Think about that! Now go back and figure that weight on the Challenger per square foot of space taken up on the ground and the A380 will look like a wuss comparatively speaking. I have to admit that there isn't much out around Cheyenne but there is alot in Cheyenne. 14 Norelco DP-70's, The Steam Shops, lots of decent antique stores, and a Sanfords Grub and Pub. What a great place to have fun working! Mark  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-14-2006 10:49 PM                        Plus, you're fairly close to the world's largest model train store, Caboose Hobbies in Denver. My credit card starts sweating when I get within 100 miles of that place!  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-14-2006 11:20 PM                     My interest in railroads is strictly limited to the movie Silver Streak. Hiliarious! Pryor and Wilder at their best.  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-15-2006 10:44 AM                     Hi Floyd Actually the Challengers and Big Boys had "wings" or "elephant ears"...aka smoke deflectors. They were options that were added and removed depending on U.P. operating experiments. Marks pic of the 844 shows the "wings" the sheetmetal pannel that runs the length of the smokebox and front portion of the boiler. The 3985 is missing hers. Purpose of these pannels was to deflect smoke away from the locomotive and to help improve the engineers line of vision. They really did not work so well at slower speeds. The 4-8-4 wheel arrangement was generically referred to as the "Northern" type locomotive. But there were several different types used by several different roads...The U.P. 844, the S.P. G.S. series (Daylights like 4449) and the N & W Class J (Bullet Nosed) were all "Northerns" As for the Challengers, there were two different series designed by U.P. and ALCO and built by ALCO for the U.P. The early series was known as the "Fetters" named after Arthur Fetters. The second type, which includes 3985, is the "Jableman" series named after Otto Jableman. The "must have book" re: Challengers and Big Boys are by William Kratville. Those might still be available and I have the Challenger book. The other two "must haves" are very rare and fetch $500.00 -$1k as rare books. Those are both by Dr. Robert Church regarding the S.P. Cab Forwards and the S.P. G.S. Golden State or General Service depending on who is asked type "Northerns". Yes, Caboose Hobbies is a must see meca, but you can also visit their store website @ www.caboosehobbies.com I am always browsing their brass section looking for stuff that I cannot afford San Franscisco and Northern California has soooo many quality model rr and general hobby stores that one could become lost for decades! Cheers K  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-15-2006 10:56 AM                     Will, You're right.... thats a bad place to be a looking.... found this 4-8-8-4 for a mere 10 grand. I think I'll get a half dozen of them! According to the video I have the "smoke wings" were only added once in the 90's for an excursion with the 3985 and then removed. Freight service used to have to wait for passenger service to pass by them but today its the other way round and part of what makes Scamtrack late all the time. The UP passenger service 4-8-4's always had them because they were always running fast and needed to keep the smoke out of the passenger cars. Mark  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-15-2006 01:32 PM                     Hi Mark Here is another web-site for you http://www.livesteamlocomotives.com/id10.html Cheers: K  |  IP: Logged Thomas Jonsson Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Bromolla, Sweden Registered: Sep 2003 posted 09-14-2006 02:17 PM                       This post awakened my old interest in steam locomotives, and I have looked around a lot on the internet to find some nice models. There are lots and lots in the N and H0 scales, but I´m also looking for something really big. I found the web site for "USA trains", and they have models in the 1:29 scale of Big Boy and the New York Central J1e Hudson. They look really fine on the pictures, but has anyone here on the Forums seen any of them "live". Are they as good as they look? Or can you give me some advice where to look for large scale steam locomotives (at a reasonable price). Thanks! Thomas  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-14-2006 06:25 PM                        Thomas - I have seen some of the 1:29 models at the (above-mentioned) Caboose Hobbies in Denver. They are really great because they're so big, the details are excellent. I saw a Hudson in the store once that had a price tag of $5,000.00! (Not sure of the manufacturer.) But lots of good looking models can be had for much less.  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 09-16-2006 12:50 AM                        My friend has a Lionel (brand) HO scale Challenger, and it is beautiful. It has lights and sound with chuff, dynamo, breaks, coupling, startup, shutdown, venting, etc. It also has a DCC controller in it, meaning it can be computer controlled. The DCC module is programmable, allowing for you to configure the lights, so they flash, strobe, or have some other effect, even emulate a mars light. It also allows for simulated momentum. Really nice engine, he got it off ebay, but I don't remember how much. I don't think Lionel is making HO engines anymore, so what is out, is it.  |  IP: Logged

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