O
olyman
Guest
man!! that thing was hauling yass !! know how fast it was going??
the onion pacific has a large steamer still running on special occasions--rebuilt by the employees, on their own time. they are even thinking about rebuilding the largest steamer ever built. a 4-8-4?? as al said, heavy muthas--Only the bases where they once stood .
About 25 years ago there was special a steam commemeration run through Ohio with I think a Lima built steamer .From Bellefountain Ohio to Kenton is about 30-35 Miles . In that few miles it sucked down a few thousand gallons of water and burned around 30 tons of coal .
They filled the water tender from a fire truck ,used a clam shell crane for the coal and it hissed and snorted and was on it's way towards Toledo .
If I'm not mistaken the Santa Fe still has two operating steamers they use for excursion runs . Biguns,the 5000 HP jobs .
This is "Tornado", the last steam locomotive to have been built in the UK..completed last year at a cost of £3m!
If that is truely the case that engine would be most likely a Lima built Allegany .It surpased even the ALNICO big boy that was used to haul iron ore from the massabi range .We are talking over 500 tons ,locomotive plus tender and capable of I think 8500 HP with the right boiler .they are even thinking about rebuilding the largest steamer ever built. a 4-8-4?? as al said, heavy muthas--
Well worth reading - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Big_Boy
When German spies in ww2 send back word of vast American locomotives pulling war trains at high speed, they wer laughed at for exagerrating