Now for Something a Little Different

I never thought I would get to see this! This is Big Boy, a Union Pacific Steam Locomotive built right at the cusp of the Diesel Age.

 

These were not the greyhounds of the passenger service, rather they were the big brutes designed to help haul freight over the Rocky Mountains on the Union Pacific Line.

 

This engine was meticulously restored by Union Pacific and has been touring the country this year drawing huge crowds.

 

They are massive with a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement. They were so long that they were articulated - the front 4-8 are on a different carriage from the rest of the engine so it could navigate the tighter turns of the mountain tracks.

 

A cold front blew through the Brazos Valley and it was raw (for Texas) standing out by the tracks waiting for Big Boy to pass. The cold wet air allowed a distinctive steam cloud to form so it was well worth standing in the cold.

 

We actually had a freeze last week and this is as much fall color as I have ever seen here in the Brazos Valley.

 

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