Just caught this photo posted at Railpictures... http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=185431 As someone who models almost exclusively stacktrains, I love seeing an excuse to do something weird on the layout. So here's an invitation to post pics or links, if you know of any photos of steam pulling stacks (or other really incongruous freight, like spine cars or enclosed autoracks). I remember seeing in a magazine a long time ago a large UP steam loco pulling an APL stack train of about 70 wells. I believe it was an actual cross county revenue run. Anybody remember the details of that?
I recall some video footage, (but not who produced it), of UP 844 with stacks. Also, of that same loco helping a stalled stack train. Seems like it was 1990's. Boxcab E50
This could easily come to pass if 3985, 844, and other oil burners are still able to burn Bunker-C. For those who may not remember, Bunker-C is what UP, and other roads used for their oil fired steamers. Bunker-C is that really nasty stuff that remains from a barrel of crude when everything else has been refined out of it. It costs relatively little, but it has to be heated pretty hot just so it will flow from the tank to the burner. I wonder if the cost/benefit ratio would ever tip in favor of oil-fired steam over diesels. You would have to compare the rising cost of diesel fuel over Bunker-C against the higher cost of maintaining steamers over diesels. You would also have to find a company that would even agree to build a steamer from scratch. I'm sure GE and GM would fight like mad to prevent something like this.
GE and GM will have no say if they go out of business because nobody is buying their cars anymore [becasue, well, duh, they can't afford the gasoline!!] In the meanwhile, if GE and GM were smart perhaps maybe they'd be developing Superpower steam right now, both coal fired and oil fired, becasue if there is any one thing we have in massive quantities and "won't ever run out" its coal...yeah right...
Would you believe a nuclear powered steam locomotive? Hey, we have nukey powered steam turbines in electric power plants and submarines, what's wrong with a small reactor in place of the firebox? And you could hire nukey engineers and boat drivers when they retired from 20 years of sub duty in the US Navy....sounds good to me. :teeth:
In the case of Union Pacific, they were power short. They have also used the big DD40, too. It used to be UP policy. I expect the steam engines are too valuable now.
I did some googling and I found the video...it was UP 3985 http://www.railfanvideo.com/catalog/categoryview.aspx?catid=003 (middle of the page) An excuse to buy the Athearn Challenger!! ...not that I can afford one. Maybe one of the guys at the club has one and will be willing to couple up to my string of Interail stack cars.
In 1993 I met Steve Lee and the crew (a great bunch of guys too) when they brought 3985 to Little Rock, AR. Which has happened on other occasions in the 90's also there were times when 844 and the E units was brought there too. Anyways I remember a discussion before this "video" was recorded for customer relations and PR on the request of pulling the stack trains. 3985 had been out on short test runs before that time and on a return trip there was call to Steve in regards to a stalled drag. They wondered if Steve and the crew could pull it off. Man did they ever!! That would have been one of the greatest footage there. There were 4 diesels and over 100 cars in the consist. Imagine seeing 3985 rescuing these boys eh? The guys said that was one of the best days they ever had... ranked in the top 10 greatest moments with 3985. I wish I was there for that. Someone somewhere there had to have been a foamer recording this moment only time will tell. Steve and the steam crew are top notch. I have pictures of them and their autographs. They are the reasons I gravitated to UP in my MRR and photography hobby and became a UPHS member. Guys like these are the core fabric of the rich history of RR. They exude all that is important about American RR history.
Nope, sorry, the Paranoidofallthings People wouldn't let this one out of the railroad yard. All they will think is ChernoboBoats when they see them. Nuclear energy as a resource is very 'out" in this country - my college, a research one University, has disbanded its Nuclear Engineering Program completely.
