Union Pacific #4017 Big Boy

[NateLiquidGravity]

I know there are a bunch of train fans here, so I thought I would post a couple photos of the Union Pacific #4017 Big Boy I saw yesterday at the National Railroad Museum. What a beast that thing is!

I highly recommend checking out the trains at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

 

[Old Geeser]

Thanks, Nate, for those christle clear photos of the Big Boy. Can we trace the images and create a 3D model?
Karl

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Thanks, Nate, for those christle clear photos of the Big Boy. Can we trace the images and create a 3D model?
Karl

If you can then I won't stop you. It is beyond my patience to accomplish such a task.

 

[swertel]

I know there are a bunch of train fans here, so I thought I would post a couple photos of the Union Pacific #4017 Big Boy I saw yesterday at the National Railroad Museum. What a beast that thing is!

I highly recommend checking out the trains at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I grew up in Green Bay but haven't been back to the Railroad Museum in... in a long time.

I also highly recommend a visit if you are ever in town. It's not far from Lambeau.

 

[GIOV]

Thanks Nate,
Your pictures are of very good quality. What a swarm of command valves.!

I have found an interesting plan of this huge steam locomotive. It might be useful for some enthusiastic Alibre.... Harold next project?!!

https://i.etsystatic.com/14861181/r/il/e61102/1186045444/il_fullxfull.1186045444_1wm8.jpg

"Big Boy" 4014, built in 1941 youtube at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

"Big Boy" 4014, built in 1941 youtube at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

American Locomotive Company
69588
Sokerectady Work (Please correct if needed)
Dec. 1941

 

[OTE_TheMissile]

I haven't had a reason to go up that way in ages or I'd make a trip out of it. There's an R/C track I raced at a few times near there, but I got out of the hobby around 2015.

I have seen the restored #4014 run past me when it came through on its first tour. One of those things your brain struggles to understand what you're showing it: something that big and that heavy should not be moving, let alone that fast. And yet there it is in front of you.

 

[HaroldL]

That video brings back some memories I have as a kid falling asleep in the summer time with the windows open and hearing the whistles on the steam engines as they went through town and off into the distance. The tracks were a few miles away and the sound seemed haunting and lonely.

BTW the first minute could be trimmed off the video. just sayin'.

 

[OTE_TheMissile]

I couldn't tell how fast it was going & am not smart enough to know how to edit videos on my phone lol

 

[GIOV]

Here is some measures that may help:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/obts/images/5/5e/1941.2DD2~LSxx.AARE_1.435~0040.48_ALCo.BigB~UPac.40XX_SR00.JPG

The Boiler:

https://oldmachinepress.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/big-boy-4014-boiler-stripped.jpg?w=625&h=341

 

[GIOV]

Nate,
here is the Animagraffs of How a Steam Locomotive Works (Union Pacific "Big Boy")

​

and a comments about:

​

 

[GIOV]

A nice picture of the Locomotive Union Pacific 4012 in Pennsylvania:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Union_Pacific_No._4012.png

 

[bobsmodels]

https://i.etsystatic.com/14861181/r/il/e61102/1186045444/il_fullxfull.1186045444_1wm8.jpg

Hi
You would not happen to have a link to that for better resolution so as to read all the text.

Thank You
Bob

 

[GIOV]

Hi
You would not happen to have a link to that for better resolution so as to read all the text.

1.-I don't have acces a better resolution of the drawing. May be contact directly the Union Pacific

Union Pacific Contacts

Emergency contact for immediate life safety concerns, vehicles stopped on railroad tracks, hazardous material releases, criminal activity in progress, fires, and other incidents requiring emergency response.

www.up.com

Big Boy No. 4014

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate...

www.up.com

2.-Here are other resource that may help:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/ed/68/40ed680fddbc6baf6d839b7733c228a6.jpg

https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/RailwayAge1941UPBigBoy.pdf

https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Railway_Age_1941_Union_Pacific_Big_Boy_Technical-Drawing.pdf

Re: Steam Update: Locomotive No. 4014 Front Engine Walk Along • with working drawings

Cool!! I had no idea there were that many parts on a steam engine, let alone a big boy. I wonder what percentage of original parts vs new there are. The way Ed was talking, it sounded like mostly new, including some design updates. Thanks for posting.

ogrforum.ogaugerr.com

3.-So if you have some cash:

Livesteam Locomotives

Livesteam Locomotives

www.livesteamlocomotives.com

I hope this help,
GIOV

 

[JimCad]

What a Superb piece of engineering !

 

[bobsmodels]

Giov

Lost track of what site had this thread, thank you for the additional information

Bob

 

[stepalibre]

I asked ChatGPT:

 

[stepalibre]

I watched some YouTube videos. Amazing design and engineering. I'm curious about how something so complex was made without CAD. I understand the process but more details about how designers and engineers worked on projects similar to this would be cool to see.

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

I watched some YouTube videos. Amazing design and engineering. I'm curious about how something so complex was made without CAD. I understand the process but more details about how designers and engineers worked on projects similar to this would be cool to see.

Similar to this:

Life before the invention of AutoCAD, 1950-1980 - Rare Historical Photos

Before the advent of AutoCAD and other drafting software, engineering drawings were made on sheets of large paper using drawing boards.

rarehistoricalphotos.com

 

[stepalibre]

Similar to this:

Life before the invention of AutoCAD, 1950-1980 - Rare Historical Photos

Before the advent of AutoCAD and other drafting software, engineering drawings were made on sheets of large paper using drawing boards.

rarehistoricalphotos.com

Yes and for trains, ships or aircraft. I couldn't found any content for mechanical design and engineering from that era. Civil, structural and architectural is easier to find. It is all really interesting to learn about, I can't imagine life without CAD. I started my career in 2008.

Years ago I spent time searching the web after a senior designer coworker explained what it was like moving to CAD.

 

[simonb65]

I started my career in 2008.

When I started in 1981 in the aerospace industry, the drawing offices consumed huge amounts of office space with all the drawing boards and draws for storing the drawing masters. I still have all my drawings from the drawing training school too! The time it used to take to draw simple parts and specifically draw spines with a pile of weights to hold a long flexible 'edge' in place. All the drawings were done on plastic drawing film, so that they could go through a UV 'copier' to generate the 'blueprints' the fab or assembly workers could work to.

The arrival of CAD and the early days of Catia, reduced 6 drawing offices in our factory to a single office of workstations. Design also changed from drawing, manufacture part, test fit and access in a mock up to all being done in a virtual world ... with more accuracy and speed.

After using CAD for the last 20 years, It's hard to believe the way it used to be done. Still got the rulers off my old drawing board (and all my Rotring ink pens, pencils and text stencils), but instead of drawing with them, I now use them for measuring things that I then CAD up ... in Alibre!