Description
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Often called the largest steam locomotive ever made, and certainly a contender for the Worlds Most Famous Locomotive, the Big Boy was forged under some of the most strenuous demands ever placed on a locomotive. The UP Railroad needed a locomotive that could be used to pull a 3,600-ton train over Sherman Hill and the 1.14% grade from Ogden to Wasatch, Utah without the need for helpers. When the design specifications were complete, it was decided on the use of a simple articulated, high speed, 132 ft. long locomotive sporting sixteen 68 diameter drive wheels. What they created was the longest and among the heaviest, most powerful steam locomotive legends in the world. And had not the worker at ALCO chalked Big Boy on the front of the smoke box of one of the 4-8-8-4s under construction, a name that immediately caught on, it is rumored that the name of the type would have been Wasatch, for the mountains they were built to conquer. Quote from Worlds Greatest Steam Locomotives by Eugene L. Huddleston: There were 25 locomotives fabricated in two different groups. Class 1 were locomotives #4000-4019 and Class 2 was numbered 4020-4024. The first Big Boy #4000 was delivered to Omaha, NE on September 5, 1941. Union Pacific's commitment to the Big Boy required them to replace the lighter rail and straighten out many miles of track for clearance, as well as to resize elements of their service areas (such as turntable lengths, etc.) for the entire line these locos would run on. The Big Boys demonstrated fantastic strength and speed as they faced these challenges throughout their storied careers. With the total mileage on the Big Boy fleet being approximately 1,000,000 miles for each locomotive, one must say that they earned their reputation. Several examples remain in museums around the country but silently they sit as a visual echo to the thunder that once made them revered throughout the landscape that the Big Boys dominated. In this production, BLI is modeling three numbered Class-1 Big Boys, two numbered Class-2 Big Boys, and an unpainted model of each. We will also offer two models of #4014 as it appears today with slight paint variations based on the timeframe. Additionally, we are building two models of the Big Boy in the Union Pacific Two Tone Gray paint scheme - one with aluminum lettering and one with yellow. Our models have die cast locomotive and tender bodies for maximum weight and tractive effort. In addition to the Paragon4 versions, several of the models are available in our Stealth Series. These are No-Sound / DCC-Ready models that operate on DC out of the box, or a modeler can easily install their DCC decoder of choice. Out of the box, front and rear lights are directional, and other lights are always illuminated with track power. Additionally, some lighting may be missing depending on selected aftermarket decoder the modeler installs. See below for additional model features. Â
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