4014 Bigboy

[wctriumph]

I was coming back from Salt Lake City and came down 287 from Laramie and there was a Challenger sitting out on the tracks, not moving, smoke flowing up into the sky. I pulled over on the shoulder and watched from a distance and after about an hour it was just sitting there. I found a road and drove down to the train and it was broken! One of the big solid bearings/ bushings on the main Rod had seized up because the machine shop had machined it just a little oversized. They were trying to pull it out and were waiting for a new one to be brought out from Cheyenne. They finally got it pulled and the new one installed and got the engine going again. It took quite a while but I was fully entertained talking to the engineer and the brakeman. They let me up into the cab and man, if could, I would change careers so I could drive that sucker. They use it to take train rides from Denver to Cheyenne for the Cheyenne Days. Not as large as the Big Boy but just as cool for me.

[BladesNBarrels]

Did the Cheyenne Frontier Days trip in 2013, after entering the drawing for 3 years.
It is worth doing at least once - lots of food, parade in Cheyenne, BBQ, and rodeo performance.
They were using Old 844 and every intersection had people taking photo's and waving, lots of American Flags.
And, it was a great weather day.
Half way, they took a break and took on water.