2/5/23

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Today's image is another from the archives.  This is the Union Pacific's Challenger locomotive when it was traveling through western Kansas some years back and I drove to see it.  3985 is an articulated (hinged to allow it to go through curves) locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-6-6-4.  The 2 sets of 6 driving wheels have their own steam cylinders.  It was built in 1943 and retired in 1962.  It was restored in 1981 and ran excursion duties until 2020 and was the largest operating steam locomotive until the Big Boy. UP donated the locomotive to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America who plan to restore it back to operating condition and it was moved there last year.

6/12/16

So it's steamy outside today again and so a real steamy Sunday.  :-)  My image goes back to a usually cooler place of Minnesota and a friend's cool 12 inch scale locomotive.  It's a Challenger type which is articulated which means it has 2 sets of drivers, 4-6 6-4 so even though it's long it can negotiate sharp curves.  This large scale locomotive is incredibly detailed and beautiful and fun to operate, the front of it seems to go on forever.  Here it is heading up a steep grade to the loading area.

1/31/16

Well, it's the last day of January but it feels like it should be March or April, 50F or 10C today.  That ends today with a snow storm predicted that is supposed to begin tomorrow.  This goes back to a nice warm day in September at a friend's place in Minnesota where he has a large scale railroad.  This is his Challenger locomotive and it's train just after it crossed the bridge alongside the pond.  His friend and co-hort who helped him build the railway is operating the locomotive.  I have been allowed to operate this one and it just seems to go on forever when you are in the seat.  It's 12 inch scale but quite large for that.  A beautifully detailed locomotive as well. 

12/20/15

Wow, only 5 days till Christmas!  It sure doesn't seem like that or feel like that with the temps going up to near 60 F today.  I'm not fond of the wind, 30mph gusts kind of stink.  Anyway, my image for today is from Minnesota and one of the 12 inch large scale steam locomotives that some friends own there.  This is their Challenger style locomotive.  It runs on wood, Oak, and certainly heats it up enough because this image is of it "popping off" as we say.  The pressure has built up to the safety level and so the pressure relief has opened to let the excess get out.  Usually you would run these locomotives on coal.  I love the smell they produce with the wood fire though, quite nice.

10/18/15

Another beautiful Fall day.  I am beginning to sound like a broken record but we have been lucky this Fall with some really gorgeous days.  My image for today goes back to a beautiful summer day in Minnesota and a friend's railroad.  He has a collection of beautiful 12 inch scale locomotives of which this is one of them.  This one is a Challenger type, articulated 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement.  It is quite something to operate when the front of it goes on forever yet can negotiate some fairly sharp turns due to the articulation.  Here I caught it after it emerged from the tunnel being operated by the owner's best friend and cohort on his operation. 

9/8/13

It's time for my favorite subject, railroading!  This is a Large Scale locomotive I was able to see in Minnesota.  We went up a day earlier than we usually do to be able to travel to this private railroad.  It is a 12 inch scale railroad and you can get a sense of scale from the man in the back bending down to work in the cab.  It is a Challenger style locomotive in small scale like one that the Union Pacific still operates.  It was beautifully detailed and I even was allowed to operate it!  Very cool!  This has a couple of effects done to it, the color is muted and a small glow was put on it as well.