Not a steam engine but these are waiting to pull a train up the Swannanoah gap between Old Fort and Black Mountain N.C. It is the steepest grade East of the Mississippi for regular trains.
Posted on 04/15/2014 4:27:36 PM PDT by Navy Patriot
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — In its prime, a massive steam locomotive known as Big Boy No. 4014 was a moving eruption of smoke and vapor, a 6,300-horsepower brute dragging heavy freight trains over the mountains of Wyoming and Utah.
It's been silent for half a century, pushed aside by more efficient diesels, but now it's coming back to life. The Union Pacific Railroad is embarking on a yearslong restoration project that will put No. 4014 back to work pulling special excursion trains.
"It's sort of like going and finding the Titanic or something that's just very elusive, nothing that we ever thought would happen," said Jim Wrinn, editor of Trains, a magazine that covers the railroad industry.
"Something that's so large and powerful and magnificent, we didn't think any of them would ever come back," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I recall watching a TV documentary about the UP firing up a Big Boy for a run from Denver to Cheyenne, WY. Does the UP have another Big Boy in running condition???
You be right, just remember, there are two loops so irradiated water is never outside the shielding.
Highly recommend the White Pass & Yukon Route out of Skagway Alaska ! Breathtaking narrow guage ride through Alaska’s mountains.
Have the HO version of the steam engine and matching old-fashioned Pullmans and caboose. “Skagway River” line.
What did Santa Fe have- some kind of huge, insane 2-10-10-2 or something? SP nut myself, but big steam is always awesome to watch.
Oh, super narrow-gauge fan. North Pacific Coast 3’ gauge, in particular.
There are probably about half a dozen that can be put in running condition with a complete overhaul, I don’t know how many UP owns, most were donated to various historical societies.
“nuclear powered ships are technically steam powered”
Anything nuclear powered is done so through steam.
Yes they did, SF did a lot of experimentation.
the eternally hot core flashes water to steam to drive the turbines which drive the generators which drive the electricity.
Love old ‘two streaks of rust’ NG lines. get to drive anything cool?
None of these are currently running but an example of the slightly smaller “Challenger” series loco can be seen in action by searching for “UP 3985” on YouTube. Still a massive 1 MM lb+ plus behemoth, absolutely awesome barreling across Wyoming at 70 mph. There are also some archival pieces of the 40xx Big Boys.
The St Vrain nuclear power plant used helium to transfer heat form the core to the steam side. It is a conventional power plant now.
Most nuclear power stations use pressurized water reactors. The primary coolant is water that is prevented from vaporising by keeping it under tremendous pressure. As it passes through the reactor its temperature rises by only a few degrees. It then passes through a steam generator where it heats unpressurized water into steam. This is relatively low grade steam and the turbines are specially designed for it.
As a matter of fact, if the water in the primary coolant loop starts getting vapor in it, it becomes suddenly very inefficient at absorbing heat from the reactor, and you've got a big problem.
There are two in a railroad museum in northern Illinois. I visited it about 15 years ago and got some pictures of my children sitting on the them. These machines were truly awe-inspiring. I got the same feeling from looking at them and touching them that I got from watching a rocket take off. Even silent and rusted, power radiated from them. I am so pleased someone is bringing one back to life. Seeing it move will be a tremendous thrill.
They have a huge collection and a few years ago built a roundhouse. Steam engines from around the country are sent to Greenfield Village for repairs.
Not a steam engine but these are waiting to pull a train up the Swannanoah gap between Old Fort and Black Mountain N.C. It is the steepest grade East of the Mississippi for regular trains.
Yep. And I effed up, it’s in Dearborn. I knew that.
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