Yesterday, Union Pacific Railway's "Big Boy, # 4014" paid us a (very) brief visit.
Engine # 4014 was built in 1942 as one of a series of 25 steam locomotives which, with each weighing a smooth 1.2 million pounds, were the largest steam engines ever built. Of the 25, only 8 still exist, 7 are in museums, and only the # 4014 still runs. This is part of a multi-state "Heartland of America Tour" put on by the Union Pacific Railway to promote rail travel in the USA.
Brenda and I positioned ourselves, "up-sun" in an area of track where we thought we could get a good view, on tracks 4-5 miles north of our house. The train wouldn't be stopping of course, so I set Brenda up to take what would be her first video with my phone, and I would try to nab as many still photos as a 40 mile-per-hour train passing about 25 feet from us would allow...
Still about 3 miles away, we can just catch a recognizable glimpse, distorted by the heat waves rising up from the tracks on this beautiful Fall, but still pretty warm, day in Houston.
About 2 miles away, still pretty distorted, but with a characteristic railroad engine "head light" beaming at us.
The announcement said to stay 25 feet from the tracks...but this guy wasn't listening...
...a HUGE machine... A modern diesel-electric railroad engine weighs about 300 tons, but this "mama-san" weighs in at about 600 !!
...and there she goes...
I hadn't expected to see the beautifully spiffed-up rail cars that make up the ceremonial train, the brilliant yellow complimenting the blue of the afternoon sky.
...beautiful...
This special car made up the end of the train. I wondered if President Roosevelt ever made a campaign speech (known as a "whistle-stop speech") from the platform on the very back end of the car. Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran successfully for President in 1936, 1940 and 1944. Train stations tended to be rather near the center of a town, and "whistle stops", where a politician would give a quick speech to a crowd gathered at the rear platform, were "a thing" back then.
Y'all take care,
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