Originally Posted by
genejockey
When TOB was 5 or 6 and still REALLY into steam engines, UP ran an excursion with their 3985 Challenger, to Seattle and back. He and I flew up to Portland and rode for a day, out to Hinkle Oregon, where we stayed overnight before catching Amtrak's Pioneer back to Portland and then back home.
He had a wonderful time and remembers none of it. Ah, well.
Never seen that one running, just SPS 700, UP 844, UP 4014, 844/4014 double-heading, SP 4449, and a buncha shortline type steam. Next one I hope to see in action is ATSF 2926.
The first one I remember was at Cass, WV, when I was ten or so. I don't blame the boy for not remembering, I only have really vague memories of anything before the age of 8.
Originally Posted by
Pantah
I missed my chance to catch Big Boy in person within the last year when it was in California last, bummed I didn't make the time to go see it. I have watched a bunch of the videos taken of train chasers driving along a frontage road pacing it on its travels around the US, super cool that it's running again these days.
My dad has always been a bit of a train nerd and I've followed suit though a bit more casually. I believe he still has his old VHS copy of the Last of the Giants that we watched a few times when I was a kid. It's what sparked my (admittedly moderate) interest in steam and overall interest in trains.
Seeing the BigBoy is pretty awesome, even though it's a bit of a zoo, so many foamers going nuts driving from one photo spot to another. There were even groups people out in the middle of nowhere Wyoming posted up waiting for it to roll by.
Things were a lot more mellow for the UP844 trips. Maybe the snow sidelined some folks during this one, it sure was nice.
