If any of you remember the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursions with UP 3985 from May 15-16 1993, you probably remember that on the 16th, Steve Lee and his crew renumbered 3985 to 3718 as a nod to what could've happened to the locomotive after World War II. Many of the riders and trackside viewers didn't get the joke.
This cosmetic alteration was funny because it would've been totally accurate in an alternate reality. In 1945, Challengers 3975-3984 were converted to oil and renumbered 3708-3717. Had 3985 been next in line for such a conversion, she would've been numbered 3718. Since 3985 burned oil during the 1993 excursions, the cosmetic alteration was mechanically accurate as well. Furthermore, there is photographic evidence of the oil burning Challengers wearing smoke deflectors just as 3985 did during the excursions.
