Description
ATHEARN GENESIS BIG BOY STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WITH SNOWBUS CABOOSE PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:
Union Pacific wanted something that could make the same speeds as the Challengers but could carry the entire 4,290-ton train over the Wahsatch Mountains without a helper. The easiest solution was to scale up the successful Challenger design by adding another pair of drivers to each half of the locomotive, thus making a 4-8-8-4.
In 1941, UP placed an order for twenty 4-8-8-4's, numbered 4000 through 4019, with the American Locomotive Works. According to legend, an unidentified machinist at the ALCO plant is responsible for the name “Big Boy”, having scrawled the name in chalk on a partially completed locomotive.
The Big Boys were exactly what the railroad wanted. They were coal burners with 68-inch drivers, 135,375 pounds of tractive effort and 6,000 horsepower. They started service on the line from Ogden to Green River, Wyoming and their operating range soon increased to cover the line all the way to Cheyenne.
Traffic during WWII resulted in five more Big Boys, numbered 4020 through 2024. being built in 1944. These versions were slightly heavier than the original order due to wartime materials restrictions. Despite the influx of diesel locomotives following WWII, the Big Boys and Challengers remained the prime power on the Overland Route. They also say service as helpers, leading gas turbines and diesels over Sherman Hill. They remained active through the 1950s and weren't retired until the early 1960s. By then, the first twenty units had been run well over one million miles.
ATHEARN GENESIS BIG BOY STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Illuminated number boards and headlights
- Headlight turns off in reverse
- Illuminated directional back-up light in the tender
- Correctly operating eccentric cranks
- Adjustable top cab vent and cab windows
- Pivoting front and rear engines for negotiating 18” radius curves
- Boiler backhead with full details and printed gauges
- Synchronized chuff, whistle, bell, blow-down, air compressor, dyno and pop-off valve sounds
- User-controlled whistle, short whistle, bell, squeal, coupler crash, injector, water stop and light dimmer
- Current pick-up on all driver and wheels
- Individually-applied detail parts, including brass-painted bell and whistle, piping, valves, generator, steps, air pump, air tanks, reverser and coupler lift bar
- Front coupler pocket can be inserted to mount operating coupler
- Dual speakers for great sound quality
- Upgraded headlight lighting with brighter LED
- Improved loco-to-tender connection harness for increased durability and serviceability
- Minimum recommended radius: 22”
ATHEARN GENESIS CA-11 CABOOSE FEATURES:
- Better than brass detail™ including roadname and road number specific detail and laser-sharp painting and printing
- Fully detailed interior including conductor's desk, stove, sink, bathroom, radio stand, and more
- Lighting functions in DCC with brightness control
- Lit walkway lights; an Athearn Genesis ICC Caboose first
- See-through end platforms and steps
- Etched metal window screens on door and some side windows
- Flush window glazing
- Wire-form grab irons
- Caboose trucks with rotating roller bearing caps
- Axle generator details
- Body-mounted McHenry® scale knuckle-spring Couplers
- Multiple road numbers
- Separate wireform grab irons, etched metal coupler platforms
- Coupler lift bars, trainline hoses, brake hoses, and hardware
- Full underframe detail: air brake reservoir, control valve, and brake cylinder with plumbing and brake rod details
- Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- Weighted for trouble-free operation
- Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box
- Accurately painted and printed for prototypical realism
- Highly-detailed, injection-molded body
- Window packaging for easy viewing, plus interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
- Minimum radius: 18”
LOCOMOTIVE SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:
- On-board DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
- Dual speakers for optimal sound quality
- Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
- Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
- Engine, whistle, and bell sounds work in DC
- All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
- Precision slow speed control
- Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
- Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
- CV chart included in the box
CABOOSE SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:
- On-board DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami Soundcar sound
- Air horn or trainline air whistle as appropriate
- Clickety-clack with optional wheel flat spot sounds
- Brake set/release sounds including retainers and brake squeal
- ”Big Hole” emergency brake application sound
- Handbrake tie-down/release
- Adjustable flange squeal
- Air horn, and bell sounds work seamlessly with Soundtraxx locomotive sound decoders
- Supports advanced consisting in DCC
- Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
- All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
BIG BOY FEATURES:
- 2024 style new “Big Boy” font printed on smokebox door
- Current tender markings
- Additional “plaques” applied to boiler and tender
- “Polished” cylinder heads
- “Polished” paint finish
- PTC Equipment
SNOWBUS FEATURES:
- Unique body style with enclosed end porches
- Features insulated,-non-opening windows
- MU pedestal and rubber signal hoses unique to these cars
- Additional center-mounted porch light
- Original straight steps
