No Longer Available in VHS (See below for link to DVD version) Union Pacific's Big Boys Measuring 132 feet long and weighing one and one-quarter million pounds, the Union Pacific's Big Boys were appropriately named. These articulated locomotives were the largest and heaviest of their type and could pull a loaded 5-1/2 mile long train on level track. Their tenders carried 28 tons of coal and 25,000 gallons of water; with a heavy train a Big Boy could use all of this up in the first half of a 57-mile run! Although there were only 25 Big Boys ever built, they ran up a total of nearly 26 million miles in 18 years, hauling billions of tons. It's no wonder, then, why the Big Boys have continued to be such favorites among railfans. In this film produced by the Union Pacific Railroad you'll see the development of steam power on the Union Pacific from 4-6-0s, 2-8-0s, and 2-8-2s up to 2-10-2s and even 4-12-2s, shown through film, photos and animated diagrams. This is followed by the development of compound articulated Mallets and simple articulateds such as the Challengers. At the apex of it all, you'll meet the Big Boys and watch in fascination as these locomotives are serviced and rebuilt. Then sit back and enjoy trackside and cab shots of these mighty 4-8-8-4s as they pull long freights over Wyoming's Sherman Hill during the fall and into the colder months. Spectacular scenery provides a fitting backdrop for these handsome locomotives as they run during their last years in service. This beautifully produced film, written and directed by noted Union Pacific historian Allan Kreig, is one that you'll enjoy watching again and again. 25 Minutes In Color with Stereo Sound and Narration Packaged in Plain Wrap Produced by Union Pacific Railroad 1959 |
| Available in DVD: Big Boy Combo Part 1 P.O. Box 94911 Pasadena, CA 91109-4911 |