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Chasing the Union Pacific Steam Locomotive 4014, The Big Boy

Chasing the Union Pacific Steam Locomotive 4014, The Big Boy

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This is one of the last images from my DJI Air 2 drone before it ended up in the top of a 30′ oak tree the next day at Dexter, MO after a Fly Away. In this shot Engineer Ed Dickens waves from the cab as Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes under the signal bridge in downtown McRae, Arkansas on Friday, on August 27th, 2021, as they head north on the UP Hoxie subdivision on its way to Popular Bluff, MO.

My first over night railfan trip since the beginning of COVID was from August 26th through the 28th where good friend Ryan Scott and I chased the Union Pacific Steam Locomotive 4014, the Big Boy, from Little Rock, Arkansas to just south of St. Louis, Missouri. 

The Big Boy is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive which was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York in 1941. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one.

According to Wikipedia: “The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1959, when it was donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 and thereafter displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California.

In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 was operated for the first time after sitting dormant for almost six decades.

It ran its first excursion, double-headed with Union Pacific 844, three days later on May 4, 2019. Now part of the Union Pacific’s heritage fleet, it now operates in excursion service, in addition to hauling revenue freight during ferry moves.”

The Big Boy was on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming and returning to Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th to finish the trip.

All in all Ryan and I had a great trip, even though my DJI Air 2 drone ended up stuck in a 30′ oak tree! 

Yep, during my chase of Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy on Saturday, August 28th, 2021, my Air 2 Drone decided it wanted to take off on its own where it moved about 150 feet from where I had it hovering over the junction where the UP Hoxie sub meets the Chester Sub, South of Scott City, Missouri! Not totally sure why, but it happened and even though I had the home point set to the crossing where I took off from and my hover point where I was waiting for the Big Boy was in a clear area.

It was a very hot and humid day though and I was watching the drone hover and when we heard the steam whistle blow, I reached over to start my 4K video recording and when I looked back at the drone controller screen the drone was in the top of tree, more than 150’ from where I had it hovering! To top it all off the Big Boy didn’t even merge onto the Chester Sub like we thought it was going to and it came through a crossing that was about 25’ from where the drone decided on its own to move to. Perhaps it knew something I didn’t! LOL In all seriousness, that’s the exact reason you always keep sight of your drone! I couldn’t have looked away from the controller and drone more than 15 seconds or so and this happened!

Fortunately, it was out in the middle of the country and there were only about 6 of us railfans and a couple of locals at this location. The drone didn’t fly over anyone before it decided to fly away and land in the top of 30-40’ oak tree, about in the middle of a stand of about 2 acres of oaks! The forest was so dense that I couldn’t even walk into where it was, and I wouldn’t even think about climbing such a tree at my age!

I had a care package which would have allowed me to replace the drone for $400, but I opted to go ahead and spend the extra money and buy the newer DJI Air 2S drone instead as it has a much better sensor than the Air 2. I got the new drone in a few weeks ago and I’m very happy with the quality and performance of the drone!

 

A 2020 COVID-19 Roadtrip Update

A 2020 COVID-19 Roadtrip Update

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Well, just like with most folks during this year of COVID-19 for the most part we haven’t made much in the way of trips and none that required spending the night anywhere. It has been a strange and different time for us, as with many other folks that like to travel and see this great country of ours.

Chrystal and April in Chicago waiting for the YoYo Ma concert to begin. (Photo by Chrystal Brantley)

We did individually get in trips, me in February to visit my niece and Aprils daughter Chrystal who lives in Chicago and my sister April went up to attend a YoYo Ma concert at with her, both events were before the COVID hit the states and disrupted mostly everyone’s lives.

Also, since it’s pretty much a socially distant endeavor I have continued to make day trips around the tri-state area chasing and photographing trains, so at least that part of my photographic life has continued to some degree.

I have kept all my trips to where I get home every night as I’m still not ready to stay overnight anywhere where I can’t control my environment. Most of the trips are solitary for the most part, although a few times good friends and fellow railfans Ryan Scott and Cooper Smith have joined me individually on occasion. I have been limiting folks joining me on my railfan outings to one at a time as with COVID it’s much safer.

Sis and I made a day trip to the Cheekwood Estate in Nashville, Tennessee to see and photograph the stunning glass works of Dale Chihuly that were and still are on display there. It was a beautiful day and we both enjoyed getting out and shooting pictures together!

Cheekwood visit… Click on photos for larger view!

Sis and I were planning to attend my Combat Camera Reunion at Ogden, Utah and it’s still on the books, although the dates have been pushed back twice already because of COVID. Right now we’re set for May 13th – 15th, but that will all depend on where things are at with COVID of course. I know several people, myself included are already discussing the possibility of moving it to October time frame which is when we normally have the reunions. Time will tell.

Well below is a sampling our lives this year along with a description of the locations and memories from the year! I hope you enjoy and here’s to more travel in 2021! (Click on photos for a large view.

A collection of some of my favorite train photos from 2020! Click on photo for a larger view!

Aunt Jean’s Memorial Service

Aunt Jean’s Memorial Service

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Ada Jean Hirsch (Pearson) May 6, 1929-November 6, 2019

Not all road trips are necessarily about having fun. Some are also about paying respects to those whom you love and that have made an impact on your life such as Aunt Jean! I think I got my wandering spirit and love of traveling the world from her! She was always on the go and enjoyed traveling so much and now she’s on the ultimate trip!!

On December 7, 2019 Sis and I made the trip to Ohio for her Memorial Service at Lostcreek United Church of Christ, in Casstown, Ohio. The service was well attended by family members, as well as members of her church that loved and cared for her.

She was the last direct descendant on our dads side of the family and she is missed! Below is a video I shot of the memorial service which I felt the family members that couldn’t attend would like to see.

Chasing Union Pacific’s Big Boy Steam Locomotive

Chasing Union Pacific’s Big Boy Steam Locomotive

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November 13, 2019 – UP engineer Ed Dickens leans out the cab of Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy as it heads through the curve approaching Malvern, Arkansas, as it races north on the Little Rock Subdivision with it’s passenger train on UP’s Race Across the Southwest event.

Well, I struck out on my own on November 12, 2019 to chase the recently restored Union Pacific 4014 (Big Boy) steam locomotive between Hope and Little Rock Arkansas. It’s been running close to a year now and this is the closest it’s been to Madisonville, Ky so far and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph the largest operating Steam Locomotive in the United States, if not the world! It was a great thrill to see and photograph this majestic locomotive and to feel it moving the ground as it breathed it’s fire and smoke along the way. To say it was a thrill is putting it mildly.

Events like this aren’t just for us old guys that love trains!! This is friend Doyle Massey and his kids at Prescott, AR! We’ve known each other for several years and almost always run into each other on these events!

I almost went to Chicago to photograph it earlier in the year, but I’m so glad I waited for it in November because the cold air made for a great show with all the steam from the hot exhaust of the locomotive as it made it’s way between Hope and Little Rock, Arkansas over two days! 

I met several railfans who are friends on Facebook with me and also made some new friends along the way and some I had already meet in past trips! The railfan community in many ways is like my military community in the fact that it’s a good, close knit group that have like interests!

Below is a video I shot of it departing Prescott, Arkansas! For full effects, turn up your sound! Below the video are some of my favorite pictures from the chase. Click on the thumbnails to view the full picture!

 

Chasing My Old Kentucky Dinner Train

Chasing My Old Kentucky Dinner Train

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Waiting on a train at the north wye, on the Buster Pike overpass, north of Danville, Ky on the NS CNO&TP First District, during a day of railfanning will fellow photographers, David Higdon Jr, Bryan Burton, Ryan Scott and a Facebookless, Bill Crecco! A great time by all and a great day of railfanning with friends!

I recently spent the day with four other railfans chasing the RJ Corman Lunch and Dinner train that runs out of Bardstown, Kentucky and also made our way over to Danville, Kentucky to catch a few trains on the Norfolk Southern line that runs through there and splits off to Louisville and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Usually when I go trackside to railfan it’s a solitary event, or at most one other person, but this trip was a bit different with the five of us. They included good friends and fellow railfan photographers, Ryan Scott from Indiana, Bryan Burton from Tennessee, David Higdon Jr. from Illinois and Bill Crecco, who we jokingly call “Facebookless Bill” because he doesn’t have a Facebook account, is also from Indiana.

I started my part of the trip at 4am in the morning where I drove to Henderson, Kentucky and met up with Ryan and Dave, so we could all carpool over to Bardstown together. As most who know me, that’s pretty early for me to be up these days, but it’s not bad as long is it’s only once in awhile! We arrived in Bardstown about 9am local time which gave us time to grab breakfast at Cracker Barrel and figure out or plan of attack for the two runs that day of the train. Bryan, from Tennessee had be up to Bardstown earlier in the month and had pretty much scoped out what he felt were the best spots and we all relied on his judgment, which didn’t disappoint as you can see from the pictures accompanying this post!

RJ Corman’s (RJC) My Old Kentucky Dinner Train with FP7A #1940 and 1941 pulls into Limestone Junction, Ky with a string of dining cars, on the RJC Bardstown Line. This is the turn around point for the train, where the engines run around their train before heading back to Bardstown.  According to the RJC Dinner Train brochure, Limestone Springs Junction is located at MP: 24 and is the final attraction along the route.  This old-English style depot is presently owned by the Jim Beam company, but in the past it reportedly housed numerous famous and wealthy passengers on the second floor of its overnight facilities.  The depot also served as a filming location for the 1981 movie “Stripes” featuring Bill Murray and John Candy.
RJ Corman’s (RJC) My Old Kentucky Dinner Train with FP7A # 1940 leading, 1941 trailing and a string of dining cars, passes the Samuels Bourbon Rickhouses, which are used to store barrels of bourbon, on the RJC Bardstown Line at Deatsville, Kentucky.  The Rickhouses store barrels of bourbon.

While we didn’t ride the lunch or dinner trains this trip, I had before when I worked for The Messenger Newspaper. Reporter Garth Gamblin and I did a series for many years called “Saturday Adventures” and the dinner train was one of the features we did for the Sunday Lifestyles page. The food and two hour trip were great back then and I’m sure nothing has changed since then.

It was a long day, but as you can see from the photographs above and the gallery below we all came away with great photographs and memories of a fun day trackside!