Union Pacific's Big Boys: The Complete Story from History to Restoration

by Trains Magazine (Compiler), Jim Wrinn (Foreword)

Union Pacific’s Big The complete story from history to restoration covers the who, what, why, and when of the 25 popular 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives. This book gives the historical background on the early 1940s development, explains why they were built, how they were used, and traces their history until they were retired in the 1950s. It also covers the much anticipated and well covered restoration of No. 4014 starting when it was recovered in a park in 2013 all the way through to its restoration and tour across the United States in the summer of 2019. Trains magazine has been published for almost 80 years, much of which has included extensive coverage of Union Pacific’s Big Boys since they were created. Everything you need to know about these popular steam locomotives can be found in this 224-page book.

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Matthew James · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy steamer freight train legend of the North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy Big Boy steamer freight trains, on the North American Union Pacific Railroad, in Nebraska then Wyoming then Utah, the 25 North American 4-8-8-4 4000 Class Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy steamer tender engine locomotives of the 1940’s were driven by their four cylinder pistons that powered their too strongest 16 drive wheels. They were the largest and giant and articulated North American Union Pacific Railroad freight steamer tender engine locomotives that had ever been built and they could pull a freight train and a freight train caboose car in more than five miles long. The North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy Big Boy steamer freight trains were the steamer freight choo choo trains that sped down the North American Union Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline train tracks. They sped down the North American Union Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline train tracks because something meant that they had to deliver the North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy freight train loads to their destinations out on the North American Union Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline train tracks. They did it to be powered by the too strongest sixteen drive wheels on the 25 North American 4-8-8-4 4000 Class Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy steamer tender engine locomotives in the North American Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy movie, The Union Pacific Big Boy Collection from Pentrex. The North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy Big Boy steamer freight trains decided to chant “I think I can,” and “I thought I could,” over Wyoming Sherman Hill and they decided to chant “I think I can,” and “I thought I could,” over the Wasatch Mountain Range when they decided to deliver the North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy freight train loads to their destinations out on the North American Union Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline train tracks. According to the North American Union Pacific Railroad long sturdy Big Boy steamer freight trains, the 25 so too largest and so too giant and so too strongest and so too powerful North American 4-8-8-4 4000 Class Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy steamer tender engine locomotives decided to chant “I think I can,” and “I thought I could,” over Wyoming Sherman Hill when they decided to pull the heavy loaded five within a half mile long North American Union Pacific Railroad freight trains and the North American Union Pacific Railroad freight train caboose cars over Wyoming Sherman Hill with the help of their too strongest sixteen drive wheels. To work that dangerous problem out, they had to be developed to pull the heavy loaded five within a half mile long North American Union Pacific Railroad freight trains and the North American Union Pacific Railroad freight train caboose cars over Wyoming Sherman Hill and up Wyoming Sherman Hill’s steep mountain grades. They lived at the North American Union Pacific Railroad Museum in the North American Cheyenne, Wyoming railroad town throughout the 20th century from 1940 to 1959 within the 20th century. They had four front lead wheels and they had sixteen drive wheels and they had four trailing wheels and they had fourteen tender wheels. Their too strongest sixteen drive wheels were powered by their four too larger cylinder pistons and their 86-ton elephantine tenders carried twenty-eight tons of coal which had been enough to heat the big average house so that the coal would be there to be needed for many great weather month seasons. Their 86-ton elephantine tenders also carried 25,000 gallons of clean and fresh water that had to look kinda like more than enough for the good-sized home backyard swimming pool for their thirsty boiler bodies. The 25 North American 4-8-8-4 4000 Class Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy steamer tender engine locomotives often went through most of their foods and their drinks within the first half part of their 57 mile trip over Wyoming Sherman Hill with a heavy freight train in Big Boy then Last Of The Giants then Last Of The Giants Volume 2: The Cheyenne Shops then Last Of The Giants Volume 3: Sherman Hill then Big Boys On TV then The Union Pacific Big Boy Collection, the North American Union Pacific Railroad train movies that had to be released by NBC then Pentrex. They did it between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Laramie, Wyoming and they had to go deliver the different heavy North American freight train loads to their correct destinations out on the North American Union Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline railroad train tracks between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming and between Ogden, Utah and Evanston, Wyoming and between Green River, Wyoming and Rawlins, Wyoming and between Rawlins, Wyoming and Laramie, Wyoming and between Laramie, Wyoming and Cheyenne, Wyoming and between Cheyenne, Wyoming and North Platte, Nebraska throughout Big Boy then Last Of The Giants then Last Of The Giants Volume 2: The Cheyenne Shops then Last Of The Giants Volume 3: Sherman Hill then Big Boys On TV then The Union Pacific Big Boy Collection. They were built in 1940 then 1944 because their bodies operated from 1941 to 1959 within the 20th century. In The Union Pacific Big Boy Collection, the North American Union Pacific Railroad movie that had been from Pentrex, the Big Boys were the stuff of legends, the giants of the rails, revered for their immense size then their power then their reliability. Longer and heavier and more powerful than any North American articulated steamer tender engine locomotive within the western North American United States, they became the too great symbols of an era. The constant interest in the Big Boys had to lead Pentrex to conduct an exhaustive search for untapped footage. The newly discovered collection of 35mm film (not before to have been available to the public), combined with our existing archives, had been given us the comprehensive film library we needed in order to look assembled, for the first time located anywhere, then an all-inclusive record of each of the 25 North American 4-8-8-4 4000 Class Union Pacific Railroad steamer tender engine locomotives known as the Big Boys. Each of the Big Boys, starting a journey from the number 4000 Big Boy to the number 4024 Big Boy, was shown in numerical order. You’ll see them in North American long sturdy steamer freight train action taming the Wasatch Mountains and conquering the stiff grades of Sherman Hill between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Laramie, Wyoming. With their 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement and their 132-foot long locomotive then tender, and their 1.2 million pounds of loaded weight, the Big Boys literally shook the planet, Earth as they thundered by. Will we ever see the Big Boy on the rails again? It’s not likely. However, you can experience their awesome majesty power of the Big Boys in this exciting presentation - The Union Pacific BIG BOY Collection from Pentrex.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent compilation with great photography. The flow is a little odd but that's not unreasonable for a book like this.