Big Boy!

Life is always full of choices, right? I can't do nearly all the things I'd like to in this summer of the 250th Anniversary of the USA. But here's what I did choose.

The Big Boy engine is the largest steam engine ever built. 25 of the engines were built between 1941 and 1946. Eight still exist, and one is running, the 4014. It was purchased by the Union Pacific in 2017 and refurbished for the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad connection.

How big is big? It's 133 feet long. It's articulated (has a joint in the middle so it can negotiate curves in the rail). The drive wheels are 4 inches higher than I am tall (65 inches). It weighs 1.2 million pounds.

It's on a transcontinental tour, and this is the closest place I could see it. Me and about 2000 other people. It was pretty amazing how many people showed up on a corner in the middle of Indiana wheat fields to watch it!

There was a good police and safety personnel presence. Good thing- I can not believe how stupid people were acting.

I'll let the video speak for itself. I should have taken the tripod, but it's not bad for handheld. After the whistle blows, if it sounds like a kid crying... it is. That whistle was viscerally loud when you were right beside it. They warned parents to cover their kids' ears, but I guess someone didn't. (And yes, there are some helper diesel engines for dynamic braking and safety.)



Train personnel waved to us, and I was pleased to see there was at least one female staffer. She seemed excited that so many people came to see the train.

This is a quintessential and beautiful Indiana sight in the summer. And it's on the road where we saw the train.

I got there 75 minutes early and had to walk about a half mile. People who arrived later than that had to walk as much as a mile from where they could park. There were a drone and a helicopter, and at least two small planes in the sky.

Pretty darned awesome. I've now seen the two biggest steam engines ever made. Link below has a pic of the Yellowstone (not running) in a museum in Duluth. It is a tiny bit smaller, but it had more power and traction to haul iron ore on the Duluth, Mesabi, and Iron Range line in Minnesota. Its driving wheels are only an inch higher than I am tall.

Drove in torrential white-out rain coming home, but at least we weren't waiting for the train in that!

I would have LOVED to see this train cross the Letchworth Gorge Bridge in New York, but I understand the park already has so many people who have reserved entrance that it's already totally closed to more people on that day, June 11. It's also going to be in Philadelphia for the 4th of July celebration. Wouldn't that be something! But I'm content that I got to see it in action somewhere.

Miles walked in 2026: 174.8

See the Yellowstone engine

Stop Three - Gary

 And... another virtual friendship bites the dust and becomes transformed to an in-person one. This is Gary, a man I met through a Facebook group focused on fiberglass trailers. He helped me overcome so many difficult fixes on my trailer, Sunny! Not only does he have a fiberglass trailer of his own that he did extensive repairs on, he has a lifetime of experience working on vehicles and figuring out ways to do things that aren't standard by-the-book repairs. We have several other things in common, and also a shared faith. Turns out... he also likes jigsaw puzzles. He had one started. Of course, we had to finish that while we visited. The puzzle is called "Cafe on the Water."

Best happenings of the drive... These are the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant. For one thing, I thought it was just interesting how the steam suddenly flattens out into the cloud layer. Must hit a layer of air that is a different temperature. I also thought the contrast of the high tech power generation with the farmland was interesting. If I'd stopped I could have gotten a much better picture, but I just did a bunch of point and shoot. This is the best one.

If you have any doubts that railroads are alive and well, just come to the plains. Long freight trains loaded with containers are a common sight.

I crossed the Mississippi River today too. There wasn't any real place to stop even if I'd been willing. I did a bunch of point and click attempts. This is the only one worth anything, and you can only see an edge of the river.

It was almost dark when I got to Gary's house. His neighbor has a small prairie he's restored. There are trails through it. There was just time to take a little walk which was perfect to get out the kinks. Again, not the best season of the year to showcase the plants. but it was enjoyable.

Just in time for a sunset on the prairie. Then he fed me stew and apple crisp. So yummy.

Turns out that Gary has a history of many skills using his hands, not just working on vehicles. For a while, he made mountain dulcimers. Here are two of them.

Once more, I'm very happy to have met this person for real. Of course, not every internet "relationship" works out, but I don't think it's all that different from the old "pen pal" idea. Some of those turned into real friendships, and some faded away. In either case, our horizons are always broadened a bit.

Thanks, Gary, for your help and your friendship!

See Stop Two- Ken