Embedded Files
When I first arrived, all I could see was the string of passenger cars: the locomotive and its tenders had gone off to fill up with water.
They told me it would be back within the half hour, but an hour later they announced that the fittings on the water tank didn't fit the locomotive so they were jury-rigging something in order to fill it up. So I spent a lot of time visiting and photographing the cars in its consist. But I figure the engine is of greater interest to most people so I'll start with its arrival and show the cars in separate pages.
I was about to give up and leave when I heard the distinctive sound of a steam whistle in the distance. Here comes number 3985!
My first glimpse was a long way away - taken with maximum telephoto.
The 3985 Challenger is an oil-burning engine that pulls three tenders, its own plus #814 and #809.
The Jim Adams, UPP 809, is my favorite - a real beauty!
The space was so small and the crowd so great that I couldn't get a shot of the whole tender, so I present it in two halves. Check out the trucks!
The Challenger locomotive is a massive 4-6-6-4 steam engine, the largest engine in service today, historically surpassed in size only by the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy.
Here, let me take you on a detailed pictorial tour of this fine locomotive.
Up the steps into the cab ... click here for a pictorial tour of the cab.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse