I have read up a little on the Big Boy and certainly followed the posts here on the Forum. As I understand it the vast majority of what the Big Boy was used for was to haul mixed freight, and a lot of it, over the Wasatch Mountains. I understand it hauled a lot of PFE reefers as part of that mixed freight. My question is not so much about the steel sided reefers, but more about wood reefers. Were enough wood reefers still around when the Big Boy was in its prime that those would have been pulled also or would most have the reefers been steel by then? If I am going to make a prototypical freight consist I may as well go all the way? So what say you....all steel or mix of wood and steel?
The first 20 big boys were built in 1941 and the last 5 in 1944. All steel construction in reefers and box cars did not become the norm until the late 1930s. Wood side freight car construction made a comeback for a few years during WW II to save steel. Most of the boxcars and reefers pulled by big boys would have been wood sided until their later years of service.
For more info on what big boys pulled you might want to look at films and photos of them in action.
the UP film Last of the Giants give a good look at the Big Boys in their later years.
Jack Delano's photos for the Office of War Information are very helpful in modeling the freight cars of the WW II era. His color photos from Chicago and the C&NW's Proviso are fantastic for seeing what was headed to or had just come off of the UP at Omaha.
Here is a look at some reefers at a Chicago terminal. Plenty of wood cars!
More Jack Delano photos can be seen on Shorpy. The high resolution views are fantastic due to quality scans of 4x5 Kodachrome transparencies.
I remember older Big Boy articles that talked about them being used for the "Vitamin C trains" in order to get fresh produce distributed to ensure the nutrition of a wartime populace, hence the endless strings of reefers.
An interesting bit of tonnage handled by Big Boys occaisionly, was iron ore. The UP served a couple of iron ore mines in Wyoming, and hauled iron ore into Denver. Big Boys got that assignment - don't know how frequently or what alternate power might have handled it. It was bound for CF&I's huge steel rail mill in Pueblo.
There wasn't much that the Big Boys didn't haul, except Passengers. There are rumors that during the war, BB's hauled some troop trains, but I can't recall ever seeing any photos. The same with regular passenger service, I have heard there were a few instances of Big Boys hauling Varnish, but I have never seen any photos of it happening.
Big Boys had steam lines, like most road locomotives, so could have handled passenger trains in a pinch. And, heck, they were designed to run 70 mph; I know that's pretty slouchy on the UP, but certainly more then adequate for a troop train.
Having studied railroad pictures and narrative for some 65 years, one thing has become apparent to me: if you can imagine something happening, it probably did at one time or another! Ok, a shop 0-6-0T never substituted on the Denver Zephyr, but, by gosh, it has been reported that an O1a Mike did!
Not according to the information that was told to me by many UP Engineers & Firemen from the lines west of Cheyenne. No train line steam lines, thus no passenger service.
like most road locomotives, so could have handled passenger trains in a pinch. And, heck, they were designed to run 70 mph; I know that's pretty slouchy on the UP, but certainly more then adequate for a troop train.
Having studied railroad pictures and narrative for some 65 years, one thing has become apparent to me: if you can imagine something happening, it probably did at one time or another!
DAvid P. Morgan's "Steam's Finest Hour" has full face and full rear tender photos as frontis pieces.........steam line on the tender!! (locomotive #4024)
The Steam lines may have only been on the second group of Engines, or possibly only the early ones. Just a possible explanation for the mismatch of responses.
The Steam lines may have only been on the second group of Engines, or possibly only the early ones. Just a possible explanation for the mismatch of responses.
The first 20 locomotives, delivered in 1941 did not have train lined steam lines.
MTH just released the Premier UP Heavyweights they catalogued to go with their Big Boys we will see later this year. I am going to run some behind my Lionel BB this weekend. If you'd like a set, we have some extras. On our website at mrmuffinstrains.org/shop.
As in the video, put your Stock cars behind the engine (first cars in the consist). As I read that was standard UP practice to keep an eye out on the animals.
I have about 6 or 7 nice tuscan stock cars as my first cars in my Big Boy Mixed freight for this.
My other Big Boy train is about 32 steel side PFE reefers with several yellow and light orange reefers mixed in random to make it look more realistic. I love this fruit train.
There wasn't much that the Big Boys didn't haul, except Passengers. There are rumors that during the war, BB's hauled some troop trains, but I can't recall ever seeing any photos. The same with regular passenger service, I have heard there were a few instances of Big Boys hauling Varnish, but I have never seen any photos of it happening.
Doug
I can imagine that, on a wartime footing, creature comforts would have gone out the window. You probably would have seen any locomotive pressed into any service, including non-passenger fitted freight engines hauling people. Any thoughts?
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