Back in the early 90's I found this on VHS for $80 in a model train store. I was so infatuated with the 4000 series that I gladly handed my money over. Looking back now, I find it hard to believe.

@alexandergordh2700

5 ай бұрын

80$ in 90s money? damn that was steep

@ole9421

5 ай бұрын

@@alexandergordh2700 Sure was. Just a fool and his money...

@fullthrottlejeffry

2 ай бұрын

​@@ole9421First run movies on VHS were about a hundred bucks, back in the mid Eighties...

These were truly the days the long, loud distant whistle and the vibrating ground as the iron horse thundered over vast lands to distant far away places, hauling and serving the country for years on end. Today, these sights and sounds are only a distant memory yet can never be forgotten by those who used to see them in action.

The old steam locomotives had personality or some would say soul. They seemed alive and magical not just hum drum mechanical. I appreciate the modern units but love the old steam powered magic carpets.

21:47: _"The rumble and roar of Big Boy, will seem still to echo, from the high country of southern Wyoming."_ (And it will again!) Well, yesterday for the first time, 4014 finally speaks at last! His whistle finally roared under steam for all Big Boys after 59 years, 9 months and 6 days!! (4/27/19)

@jimbob9714

5 жыл бұрын

And as I sit here in 2019, it isn't an echo in Southern Wyoming. TODAY It is REAL! UP knew their heritage circa 1960 when this was made this film, and today they put their money into that heritage to make it LIVE!

@chrise3801

5 жыл бұрын

Almost a lifetime

@jimbob9714

5 жыл бұрын

@@chrise3801 Just a little longer than mine.

@thejackbox

Жыл бұрын

Brings a tear to my eyes.

I wonder what the narrator of this film would think of 4014?

@robertmoir5695

Жыл бұрын

I think that s a good question g bridgman I know they thought a big boy could never be restored and run again Well they were wrong

@sarahmartiniom

Жыл бұрын

Yeah

@ghostface1832

Жыл бұрын

Good question ❤️🚂🏳️‍🌈

@lucasquintanilla1673

Жыл бұрын

He would be proud that’s what

I was lucky enough to see #4014 when she stopped in Limon, Colorado, on her way back to Wyoming. A truly magnificent beast, the pinnacle of American engineering. I had seen #4005 at her home in the Forney Museum, but to see one of them alive and running again was an unforgettable experience. The power and majesty of these iron giants can never really be matched by the electric/combustion muscle of today's world. I'm glad to have found this film and I'm glad #4014 is out there keeping the memory alive.

@somerandomchanel9097

Жыл бұрын

I can agree it’s great to see trains like this still alive I saw 4014 in New Orleans and rn they are rebuilding 3985 to go back into service

How can anyone fail to be impressed by the sheer size and power of these fire breathing giants!

@medalless

7 жыл бұрын

Im crying tears of joy

@robertmoir5695

Жыл бұрын

I'm certainly not unimpressed Martin Lintzgy I think it s amazing

@robertmoir5695

Жыл бұрын

@@medalless Well that s okay too

@Grizzly1506

Жыл бұрын

GWR is impressed. big boy still holds the record for the worlds largest locomotive, and pretty sure most powerful. as it was running 7,500 horses one time pulling 8.8 million pounds up what i think was a .8% grade edit: nevermind russia holds the record for most powerful (allegedly, i did about 3 minutes of research) with a diesel that pushes 17,000 horsepower.

@lifeindetale

Жыл бұрын

. Big Boi has records to show!

This was when we could still be proud of America and its leaders.

I love these old commentators! So much better than todays!

@Michael-eg3rs

7 жыл бұрын

your right actully theres just somthing about them that i like compared to new ones

@whoisthisdude5437

7 жыл бұрын

so true

@martinheather9475

7 жыл бұрын

Mark Basaj q. C

@jimmywalker1568

7 жыл бұрын

Big Boy more like Slow Moo

@parks1968

3 жыл бұрын

You said it.👍

Thank you for this! For me, this is what KZread is really for.

It was a tough life for the men who ran & maintained these beasts.

The turntable pull back shot is beautiful cinematography.

I Remember Grand Trunk Western, The Pennsylvania, and Chesapeake and Ohio Steam Locomotives, I'm 65 now. Steam was damn near gone when I was a Kid. By 1960 Steam in Michigan was Gone. Semper Fidelis, The Gunny

@janaakerman4484

3 жыл бұрын

OK Great

1:00 where men cried

in the year 2019 we can thankfully say big boy is not something to only been seen in old footage, static displays, and books. 4014 is a operating, living, breathing piece of history. i would love to see it at steamtown if it's logistically possible.

That whistle! (Can't even really call it a whistle. It's more a roar.) Thanks for the upload.

A five and a half mile long loaded freight train on level ground... Christ where has that power gone these days in railroads?

@Dichuz91

4 жыл бұрын

it's gone into multiple unit setups with midtrains helper and rear end DPU's because even though it could pull a 5 and a half mile long train, it would have been an operational and mechanical nightmare to begin with just on how long it would take to charge the air in the braking system, you essentially wouldn't have any control of the train.

@brianchisnell1548

Жыл бұрын

Electric. All cars have their own motorized axles. The diesel locomotives are big generators.

OMG, I haven't watched this video in years, I had it on VHS when I was little. This is one of my first memories when it comes to trains.

Find it funny that in this short documentary, they displayed the sister engines of the 4014, the 4013 and 4015. Even Genesis, the 4000, was displayed. But 4014 was never caught on camera for this video. Thankfully she'll be up and running in time for the Union Pacific's 150th anniversary and will have many more years in the spotlight. I actually managed to catch the 4014 while it made its 3-day stop in Vegas. Got a picture of my HO scale model #4005 on the side rods of its life sized counterpart along with a few other memorable shots. I think I might catch a ride when 4014 is fully repaired.

@PeriscopeFilm

8 жыл бұрын

+onepiececrazytrain Thanks for your comments

@stevew270

8 жыл бұрын

+onepiececrazytrain But you can see 3985 at 9:10 and 9:36 that's still operational but in its 15 year inspection.

@shivam832

8 жыл бұрын

interesting points ,if anyone else wants to discover get a railroad job try Tarbetti Rail Work Tutor ( search on google ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my m8 got amazing results with it.

@308RoadReady

8 жыл бұрын

+onepiececrazytrain Its also interesting that most of the steamers in this documentary have been saved specifically because of this movie. 5511 the 2-10-2, 3985, 9000, among others are survivors because the UP realized their screen appeal and saved them.

@BogalloShrimp

8 жыл бұрын

hey ,if anyone else wants to learn about how to get a job at the railroadhow to get a job on the railroad try Corbandy Simple Railroad Crusher (do a google search ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my m8 got cool results with it.

I'm glad we do have some surviving Big Boy locomotives today for museum pieces and for railroad excursions.

This is so beautiful! I could watch it every day. Especially the ending with Big Boy's whistle. Gorgeous! I think it's awesome they showed Challenger engine 3985 as well. :) Steam engines surely are great machines!

That made my heart happy! Oh, the awesome sights and sounds!

And now they've restored him!

Finally found some vintage footage of Big Boy in action. All the other videos I've found are photo montages. Thanks for posting, PF!

@ 2:04 "It had romantic aspects too" just as camera pans to piston and drive rods hammering away in hot cylinder. Just mechanical excellence and coincidence

@locoluke4149

5 жыл бұрын

I can’t not think they knew what they were doing with that.

@deadfreightwest5956

3 жыл бұрын

@@locoluke4149 - The film broke just as he completed the sentence. This copy has a lot of breaks at the beginning. Pentrex released a near pristine version on DVD plus all the extra content filmed but not used on two more DVDs. This film should be shown to budding filmmakers as a great example of an "industrial" and how to do it right.

This program is a classic steam era documentary & a must have for any Union Pacific rr steam era fan.

4:54 UP 5511, a 2-10-2 that is the last survivor of her class. Still around today, used to be stored in the UP Steam Shops in Wyoming, recently sold to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America. 9:11 UP 3985, a Challenger famous for it's role in the UP Steam Program, ran from the 80s to the 2010s, retired in 2020 due to bad condition, then also sold(sadly, in my opinion) to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America. I say sadly because the 3985 was part of the UP's Big Three(The FEF, Challenger, and Big Boy), and part of the Steam Program Family. I honestly would've loved to see 3985 and 4014 run together again, and even doublehead! A sight not seen since the days of steam. . . Edit: HOLD IT!!! "The donation agreement allows the railroad *_to reclaim the locomotive_*_ upon reimbursing the museum for its costs."_ . . ."WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, yeah baby! That's what we've been waiting for, that's what it's all about. Woooooo!"

@TheWeavingBagel

4 ай бұрын

Fun fact the scene where you see 5511 was “faked”. They put bribing car tires in the smoke box

#4014 was taken from Pomona California and brought rolling on its own wheels to the UP yard in Wyoming 5 years ago. It has been restored and rebuilt and is alive today!

@johnpodo

3 жыл бұрын

“How long did you guys put me to sleep” roared 4014

@krismangila1594

2 жыл бұрын

😆 😆 😆!

And now not the last go 4014 under steam again!

When they complete the restoration of #4014 in 2019 I might be able to ride a Big Boy that would be a real thrill.

@mratsfrailfan1894

4 жыл бұрын

Finished

Σαν ονειρο υπεροχες εποχες... amazing moments from the old times..

Loved this, none of the big razzmatazz that several have placed on them, but just solid railway history with some classic images of a locomotive doing its job. They may be lost from the everyday, but not gone from existence, thankfully . The thought of seeing a big boy doing the job again is worth the wait.

@jasonbaird1645

Жыл бұрын

I'm thankful there are some people at UP who realize the goodwill they generate by keeping a couple of their steamers alive is worth far more than what it costs. As a child of 1984, I never thought I would get to see a real Big Boy in action, but then they restored 4014 and made me into a kid again for a few hours. Not many things can do that, and it's truly special when you run into something that can.

15:10 mark the man is missing his middle finger when he holds up his hand. Almost certainly railroad related. Everyone in this video is a legend.

@PeriscopeFilm

8 ай бұрын

Great detail!

I am not into railways and locomotives as a rule, but even I can confidently say that “that’s one big engine”, very impressive.

Sadly the Challenger 3895 is now retired. I live just about a mile from the UP Steam Shop in Cheyenne.

Love these old docos - wonder if we could even still build one of these locomotives from scratch? Super pieces of engineering.

@kristoffermangila

Жыл бұрын

Well, the T1 Trust is building from scratch a new Pennsy T1 duplex...

They don't make like they use to,many are restored but you can't beat the old days.

My name is Cullen Bohannon and i approve this message!

Very interesting video, it took more people to do a simple service of a steam loco than a diesel loco, so in the end it was economics that killed the steam.

pure documentary film. love to watch it . thanks for uploading....

all of the engines in the Steam Shop Fleet are featured in this film except 838, #844, and BIG BOY himself 4014. we have 5511, we have 1243, we have #3985, and we have 4002 all of them are or were in Cheyenne and stored in the roundhouse.

Lucky the boy who could see them in action. Lucky for all of us today because she was brought back. These videos were all I had then but now seeing it these videos though good are not indicative of how truly awesome the boy boy was...........is.

Who in the hell would not like this video ?? What a great display of steam power,and all the people who made it work !!! You 45 are not at all railfans !!! Maybe some cartoons would suite you better !!!

read somewhere that 2 BIG BOYS double headed one of the biggest trains ever on the UP, and it's supposedly NOT recorded history...

@4gauge10

4 жыл бұрын

That wasn't the biggest train in history though... There was one more that beat even Big-Boy... The Union Pacific back in the very early 1960's(about 1961)had the G.E.turbines that were rated at 10,000 hp.a piece.(that's right,10,000 horsepower) The U.P.double headed these G.E.turbines pulling trains that were longer then 5.5 miles.The record still stands till this day.General Electric built the most powerful road engine in the world.

@theblocksmith645

3 жыл бұрын

@@4gauge10 but it was considered a failure and the big boy was and still is a success along with that 2 big boys were longer and had more pulling power

I was one of the lucky boys. My aunt and uncle ran a truck stop across the Lincoln Highway from the UP mainline approach to Sherman Hill. I'd visit and sit out front waiting for the Big Boys and double headers getting up steam and speed for the grade ahead.

Steam will never truly die

I remember when I had a copy of this on VHS

This is on my bucket list.

Fun fact: 9000 and 3985 are famous because they appeared in this film.

Thanks. Love the Big Boy. Got to see it in Cheyenne. Behind it is a shop where they are preparing another one for excursions. Should be ready 2017. Would love to ride that train.

@mratsfrailfan1894

4 жыл бұрын

2019 and it’s done

Thanks for posting this excellent video!

What a great find, pure railroading gold.

Fantastic! As a railroad lover, I think this movie is the best.

Wish there was a LOVE BUTTON as well 😍😍 love from india

0:07 Awesome Union Pacific Big Boy Train Documentary Movie. Thanks Mate. X

i have these around me..and cass scenic railroad as well..they still use the old trains..its awesome..the other line is passenger wood cars as well..and takes tours all year long..they even do a hold up by jesse james ride..lol..and the spook train for halloween..lol..its fun too

I really enjoyed this, thankyou!

i love old locomotive documentary's like this

I remember in the early 50s seeing these west of Cheyenne Wyoming struggling up the mountain KS from our car.

Thank you for uploading this. Haven't seen this video since I was in the single digits!

And just recently, 4014 proved she can STILL do it!

Awsome video and an incredible tribute to the Big Boy I also like how the narrator call it "He".

I still have my VHS copy of this movie Excellent movie from back in the day 😎❤️👍👍👍

I wish today's railroads were still like this like having both steam and diesel locomotives at the same time (i know that sounds silly of me to say but i like both steam and diesel engines)

Who were those two people that watched the North American Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy steamer freight train go by from 0:58 to 1:23?

13:46 Narrator: With Big Boy's Size, Two Stacks were needed, Hoods to deflect the smoke confirm it a clear view from the cab often were used by the Engineer. Me: Speaking of the hoods, I've got good news for the Big Boy fans, As of July of 2021 before the Break-in Run to Denver, CO. 4014 has it's Stack Hoods Back!

wonderfull movie, whit beautifull locomotives. antonio sp brazil.God bless you.

Interesting amalgamation of marvellous visuals and tech information

An excellent film for enthusiasts and general interest - highly reccomend Brian Wheeler - NZ

Can't wait for the return of the king. I definitely want to get out to Cheyenne once 4014 is back in action.

@Michael-eg3rs

7 жыл бұрын

same here brother!!

I just subscribed to your channel and hello from New Hampshire.

I used to watch this very film when I was little :)

@aidenheartshaven5473

8 жыл бұрын

+Mr. Lame Me too

One of them is in a steam shop to get a new life... there is a reason for the name. There you see the biggest steam locomotive in the world....

When I was at the Union Pacific Museum in Council Bluffs, IA, I saw this feature.

from my train aficionado friend: ...UP Big Boy engines, the physically largest locomotives ever built. Here's a well-made sound and color UP documentary about them which came out c. 1960, shortly after their last operation in 1959. It's well photographed, technically accurate and explained in a way understandable to "civilians." The title is "Last of the Giants." The Big Boys were not used in Kansas or California. They were designed to pull heavy fast freight trains over the continental divide (Wasatch Mountains) in Wyoming and Utah, I think from Cheyenne to Ogden, and that's where they spent their 1941-59 working lives. A number of them have been preserved and the present-day mega-merged UP is currently restoring one to operation for excursion service. PS I recently read someplace that the UP originally was going to call them the Wasatch type. I don't know if that's true, but the actual historical fact is that when the first one emerged from the American Locomotive Company (Alco) factory in Schenectady NY, some anonymous worker, who must have been a young person in the Roaring '20s and retained the slang, had chalked the words "Big Boy" on the huge machine's boiler front. It was photographed, probably got wide distribution in newspapers, magazines and newsreels since the world's biggest loco was a newsworthy event, and the name caught on.

they look so dirty in this film. The engines must be doing a lot of work!

had this on vhs as a kid

@zackboone15

8 жыл бұрын

+Haden Curtis i have this as part of a collection. Best part is my VCR still works

2019, it happened.

baffles me how the few bolts holding the couplings to the lead engine frame and the coupling itself can withstand the load of a 5 mile train ...

@deadfreightwest5956

3 жыл бұрын

Well, actually, it's the drawbar, which is well anchored... usually. Some freight cars have theirs cushioned by rubber. I remember some 20+ years ago an eastbound BNSF train on the Trinidad Loop in eastern Washington ripped the drawbar out of a freight car. They took what train they had to Quincy, tied it down, and took the engines back down to the remainder to "chain up" and try to get it up and out of the way.

Amazing machines.

@mikeklaene4359

9 жыл бұрын

Steam locomotives in general were amazing. Mechanical nightmares to keep running. The Big Boys are basically to locomotives sharing a boiler.

Traveled to US several times, never got a chance to see the Big B. Hope will succeed one day.

@CountvonStaffordofVirginia1607

8 жыл бұрын

I think that chance will come very soon

@asingh5482

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks

The happy memory from childhood lives again. Long live 4014.

Brilliant little film

I struggled on learning many things but learning about the history of my nations railroads and there locomotives cars and machinery was something I was able to learn easily and still come back to relearn

This steam train is huge

주황색 디젤전기기관차 쪽문옆에 서울발 여수엑스포행 무궁화호 1517호 탈선사고로 사고현장에서 과다출혈로 안타깝게 숨진 양모 기관사님이 순천역에서 탑승했다.

4:55 We will be seeing 5511 under steam again soon!

A great compliment to the age of steam, when man and machine were both much more civilized and kind ; it would be nice for the new age of speeding through life more recklessly missing so much along their way, to stop and enjoy the reason why they are here now. Just sayin' .........

Halloween 2020. 2nd section. The Big Boy movie says it has enough potential power to theoretically pull a loaded freight train 5&1/2 miles long on level track. So I had to do a lot of math to figure this out. The standard boxcar of the 1940's is the wooden 40', forty feet long, and weighs up to 40 tons when fully loaded. Thus, a single mile long freight has 132 cars and weighs 5280 tons. Multiply (x) 5 miles equals = 660 cars, weighing 26,400 Tons!! Then, add on the last 1/2 mile with 66 cars weighing 2,640 tons. The grand total is !! 726 cars, that weigh 29,040 tons!!!!!!! I don't want to be stopped at a road crossing when this went by. It would start at 5 mph just to pull out the slack in the couplers. The first mile of 132 cars would take 12 minutes to roll past. When you multiply that it would take 1 Hour and 6 minutes until the caboose rolled by. The real train weight also changes with the size of different loads, like heavy coal cars. But then, the Wasatch mountains have steep hills, and many curves. So we can never see the true theoretical power of the Big Boys at full power.

trains, cause no other land vehicle can be more epic.

Happy Halloween, Sat., 10/31/2020. Here in Green Bay we have no. 4017 at the National Railroad Museum since July 5 1961, so next year in 2021 it will be a Double Anniversary with #4017 being built in December 1941 for the 80th Anniversary; plus the 60th Anniversary since its donation in 1961. But it is now trapped inside its new exhibition building since 2001 when the Museum shoved it back to the new display site, then ripped up the tracks. And built the new Lenfestey Reception Center plus new offices in front of it. So now we have to rip down the offices to get it out. Next comment: The 5&1/2 mile long train potentially had 726 cars!! From, Steven the official tour guide 1984--1989, A.D.

@archviewcondominium8512

2 жыл бұрын

Buildings can be rebuilt elsewhere and trackage rebuilt to untrap her. I am lucky enough to live in St Louis where we have our own static display of one of the Big Boys. Saw 4014 in August 2021 in St Louis. So glad she is back again. I have ridden behind every steamer I could find, coal and oil, and seen others. NRHS brought 4 of them to St Louis in 1990 for their convention. Steam heaven!!!!! The whistle is music to my ears.oved this video.

Majestic!!!

@shakeithanemry192

6 жыл бұрын

Prashant Sasidharan jb

@mylifeeventsletsenjoy5883

6 жыл бұрын

INDIAN RAILWAYS are too good as well...see some of those in the history of LEGENDARY IR

9:13 3985, to bad she sits idle again, probably forever this time.

when america was great!

@thomasshannon2741

6 жыл бұрын

we almost go thru the thread without someone whining (smh)

@kurtvonfricken6829

5 жыл бұрын

Wade Spencer They were probably better off here than most places in the world.

@kurtvonfricken6829

5 жыл бұрын

Wade Spencer Apparently you've never been in other parts of the world. People there still today are routinely killed for political beliefs, religious beliefs, and their sexual preference etc. Utopia doesn't exist.

@samuelh5567

4 жыл бұрын

Amen to that.

Amazing!!

@PeriscopeFilm

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!! Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

4:31 That is Locomotive #1243. I remember seeing a video of 3985 pulling her along with an auto rack train.

@quasimoto7662

8 жыл бұрын

Right after is 5511, a rarely seen engine still in the Cheyenne roundhouse, plus many surviving big boys, 3985, and 9000

@wharris302

8 жыл бұрын

+Quasimoto7 4000s are big boys, 3900 is challenger, 9000 not sure what the nickname is

@locoluke4149

5 жыл бұрын

1243 resides in a museum in Omaha, Nebraska, today.

3985 makes a cameo @ 9:13

I love these old, color films!

@PeriscopeFilm

Жыл бұрын

Glad you found it. Join this channel to get access to perks: kzread.info/dron/ddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g.htmljoin Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference

Union Pacific has been restoring 4014 since 2014 in Cheyenne,Wyoming and the grand old fellow will be busting down the transcon any day now.

@jamesm6638

5 жыл бұрын

5 years later and the time is finally here

great vid