Big Boy restoration costs

Considering UP bought SP, I think building a redo of both JUPITER and 119 trains would have been better.  Any NO TRAIN can reach the Last Spike site because the line was taken up in a WWII metal drive.

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I was refering to trains which could actually operate on there own.

Anyway, other than UP being one of the two transcon builders, what does a BB have anything to do with the transcon event?

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Considering UP bought SP, I think building a redo of both JUPITER and 119 trains would have been better. 

Beautiful recreations of both those engines already exist. So spending money there would have been an incredible WASTE.

It's hard to speculate something like this.  Just getting the engine home was expensive. Let alone the labor cost and part machining. 

fisch330 posted:

I'e like to hear some speculation or some actual facts about this huge expense.  Probably will be worth whatever it takes because of the publicity that the engine will provide, not only for the 150th year commemoration but also for the railroad in general and even for the railroad industry itself.

Paul Fischer

Why?  What does it really matter?  It's UP's money to spend and sometimes a cost/return ratio analysis doesn't include all the intangibles.  It sometimes surprises me that others think they are privy to private information.  Then again, having had individuals ask me personal, private financial information, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Most expensive, moving advertisement ever but I'm glad they are doing it.

Paul, Buy some shares and as a part owner ask someone in accounting.  John in Lansing, ILL

rattler21 posted:

Paul, Buy some shares and as a part owner ask someone in accounting.  John in Lansing, ILL

I'm willing to bet that NOBODY in the UP accounting dept. would even DARE divulge such financial information!

superwarp1 posted:

Most expensive, moving advertisement ever but I'm glad they are doing it.

Yeah, no.

While the Union Pacific is indeed putting a lot of money into the Steam Program for PR and advertising, in the bigger picture it’s very cost effective considering the exposure they receive.

Farmers Insurance pumped over $67 MILLION over a six year period into a NASCAR sponsorship. And they are not an outlier in that respect 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/r...onsorship-costs/amp/

Thanx, guys for your thoughts on this subject.  I really didn't expect to get a definitive answer to their actual expense;  I'm not sure that even the U.P. has a handle on what the total costs will be.  But the enormity of this project certainly will cost a bunch and I, for one, am very happy that they did it and look forward to seeing the engine run next year.

Paul fischer