Big Boy

Anyway, hope you enjoy, especially ya'll not on the route.  

These are great!  Thanks for posting!

Thanks for all of the pics and videos!

We missed it this time through so it’s great to see you got to enjoy it live! Nothing like seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling the beast in person.

I'm not one for crowds, so I went to Tomball, TX, specifically where the line crosses FM 2978.  I wanted to see it moving and not just sitting there.  This is nowhere near populated areas, so I was surprised to see so many people there.  Since I was close, perhaps too close, it seemed to move by pretty fast.  The whistle was amazing, the video doesn't do it justice!

Great, glad to see other enjoy as well.

A late question on Big Boy. If you look at my video above you’ll note that there really isn’t much smoke coming out. Movies et al show billowing clouds of that stuff. Is this because it isn’t under much strain pulling the consist due to the diesel doing the heavy lifting?

@texgeekboy  I thought it was because efficient fires (complete combustion) make little smoke. But we'll see what more knowledgeable people have to say. I'm drawing that conclusion from bonfires in my backyard. I suspect a steam engine is a little different.

@texgeekboy posted:

A late question on Big Boy. If you look at my video above you’ll note that there really isn’t much smoke coming out. Movies et al show billowing clouds of that stuff. Is this because it isn’t under much strain pulling the consist due to the diesel doing the heavy lifting?

Movies of past 4000 class locomotives on the UP, i.e. back in the "days of steam", tend to show lots and LOTS of smoke, primarily because they were coal burners, and used Wyoming Coal.

During the complete overhaul/restoration of #4014, she was converted to burn power plant oil, and thus produces a LOT less smoke, and of course no cinders.

@texgeekboy posted:

A late question on Big Boy. If you look at my video above you’ll note that there really isn’t much smoke coming out. Movies et al show billowing clouds of that stuff. Is this because it isn’t under much strain pulling the consist due to the diesel doing the heavy lifting?

Watch this.  It's very good about explaining that.

@MartyE posted:

Watch this.  It's very good about explaining that.

Cool animation and explanation Marty.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Cool animation and explanation Marty.

I certainly learned a thing or 2. 

@MartyE posted:

I certainly learned a thing or 2.

Some of the details are interesting, I have a better understanding of where all the stuff in the boiler is that I've been hearing about.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Some of the details are interesting, I have a better understanding of where all the stuff in the boiler is that I've been hearing about.

From simple manual transmissions to the SR-71 ... he makes his videos fun to watch.     ANIMAGRAFFS

Thanks for the explanation and links to animagraff.  Frankly I was surprised at the smoke coming out.  Since we were under an overpass I wondered if the smoke was going to be a problem!