Hi, Bob.
 
BW>That's not the point as they were built for the Wasatch. It's the other 
plac
BW>they *weren't* built for. And a doubled set of Northerns are stretched out 
f
BW>enough that the shorter radius curves make no difference. The coupling is 
ve
BW>different than a Big Boy pivot point as the only 'engine' that really 
pivots
BW>the BB is the front one.
 
No question of it. Both sets of drivers would easily make it around most
curves on the U.P., unless the U.P. has modified their mainline tracks
in recent years to make curves tighter than they were with all the
Mallets they had for years. The only consideration with either a
Challenger or Big Boy would be getting the boiler front around anything
really close to the rails, or avoiding anything on an adjacent track as
two trains might be passing each other. Recall that one of the U.P.
Challengers had clearance problems on one of the eastern roads some
number of years ago, including remodeling even close clearances on one
or more of their bridges during a visit. Might have been the
Clinchfield?
 
 
BW>Well, for the most part, the trains were made up to use just one BB but it 
w
BW>not uncommon to find doubled BB's or with other power as helpers. I think 
th
BW>watering 'hole' was about 2/3rds up the hill, wasn't it?
 
Something like that. Each engine had sufficient water to make it out of
the freight yard in Cheyenne with whatever train they were on to the
refill location, then on over the hill and into Laramie before needing
another "drink."
 
 
BW>There's one at St. Louis I've been meaning to go see. I went to Omaha and 
wa
BW>able to see 4023 at the shop area, using a visitors pass, to get inside 
he
BW>chain linked fence area. Now, it's sitting in Kinnifick(sp) park at the 
exit
BW>going to the airport. With it is a 6900 series Big D. Need to get up there
BW>again. Had a rented camcorder but the battery went down too fast with no 
spa
BW>:(
 
I happened across one of the Big Boys in a small park in Cheyenne a long
time ago while driving a new highway bus back from Pontiac, Michigan. On
the way to Pontiac on the train between Oakland and Chicago, when we
stopped in Cheyenne, the U.P. had the 3985 on a display track just west
of the depot in Cheyenne, and in very good condition, given that their
shops were just across the station tracks and freight yard. Only a few
months after that trip did the U.P. move the 3985 back onto mainline
tracks to get it into the shops where they went through it from pilot to
tender before putting it back on the high iron once again.
 
Only time I recall seeing a DDA40X on U.P. rails was one day while
working out of the Oakland plant for RMC Lonestar several years ago when
the U.P. still had some number of them running on priority freights. At
least one of them was tied with two or three of the SD40s, sitting on
the yard track at U.P.'s Oakland yard. Wasn't too long after that that
all of them were retired from active service.
 
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 # SLMR 2.1a # I'm in shape ... round's a shape isn't it?
 # PDQWK 2.5 #51
 
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