Prototype News

Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014 will embark on one more tour this November to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with the locomotive scheduled to be on display in the Denver area on November ​21.

This marks the Big Boy’s first-ever holiday tour and comes just months after its coast-to-coast tour for America’s 250th anniversary, which drew countless of spectators along its 14-state route.

The public will have a rare opportunity to ride behind 4014 in cars from the UP’s heritage fleet from Cheyenne to Denver. Tickets will be sold through the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, and the trip will support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The UP’s Community Ties Giving Program will also donate to the foundation as part of the event.

Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and a few elves will be accompanying 4014 at its stop in Denver and will be giving out gifts to children. Tickets will first go on sale to patrons of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum on October 16, while remaining tickets will be sold to the public on October ​19.

UP wants to remind everyone to remain 25 feet back from the tracks when viewing the Big Boy.

The post ‘Big Boy’ to Lead Holiday Tour in November appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

For the second time in a month, Union Pacific dispatched a fire train from Sparks, Nev., to fight a wildfire along their tracks outside of Reno.  

The Floriston Fire broke out before 11 a.m. Wednesday, about nine miles northeast of Truckee, Calif., and adjacent to UP’s main line over Donner Pass. The fire train was sent out later that afternoon. 

Crews use hoses on a UP fire train to douse the landscape arond the tracks as the Floriston Fire burned nearby. Photo by Nick Stewart. 

The train was led by one locomotive and had three tank cars containing water, along with a platform car for a crew. The tank cars were outfitted with hoses and the platform car was equipped with cannons that allowed a crew to douse flames with water along the right-of-way.

As of Wednesday evening, the fire burned more than 600 acres and was five percent contained. Freight and passenger train traffic continued as normal while crews fought the fire. 

UP sent another fire train up their former Western Pacific branch line north of Reno last month to help contain the Hawk Fire. —Nick Stewart

Freight and passenger train traffic continued as normal while crews fought the fire. Photo by Nick Stewart. 

The post UP Sends Fire Train To Douse Flames On Donner appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

New York Central L-3a 4-8-2 “Mohawk” 3001 left the National New York Central Museum in Elkhart, Ind., on September 15, bound for Fort Wayne, where it will be restored to service after decades on display. 

The steam locomotive was being moved over Norfolk Southern rails behind that road’s NYC heritage unit, SD70ACe 1066. It was unclear when the locomotive would arrive in Fort Wayne.

The 3001 is the largest surviving NYC steam locomotive and the only member of the L-3a class to escape the scrapper’s torch. The locomotive was under the care of the City of Elkhart, Ind., and has been on display at the National New York Central Museum for decades. In October 2024, FWRHS launched an effort to restore the locomotive for use on its popular Indiana Rail Experience excursions. 

FWRHS owns three other steam locomotives, most notably Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 765, which it has operated since the 1970s. For the last few years, it has managed the Indiana Rail Experience, an excursion operation on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, which has trackage in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Much of that track is former NYC, meaning locomotive 3001 will be right at home. NYC 3001 will also join the fleet of seven Budd streamlined cars built in 1941 for the NYC “Empire State Express” and purchased from Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in 2023.

According to FWRHS, a mechanical evaluation of the locomotive has been performed by FMW Solutions with financial support from former Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. The group estimates that it will take $4.3 million to restore the locomotive to operation. Donations can be made online at AmericanLoco.org. FWRHS is also encouraging people to join its pledge list.

—Justin Franz 

The post ‘Mohawk’ on the Move appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.