it's not so much the speed of this mammoth iron giant, it'd the sheer awsomeness, there is a poetic beauty in the drivers, churning, smoke belching, the massive size. diesels just dont have the romance of the steam era. am i a railroad fan? obviously yes, having ridden GG1 powered trains, pacific (4-6-2) steam engines, it was railroadings heyday and you had to experience being there.....i thank God i was!
@atm91771 True. The Milwaukee Hiawatha Class A's and F-7's hold the speed record for regular steam-powered passenger service, but the speed record holder for fastest top speed is the Class A-4 Mallard in England. There have been many "unofficial" records set by the Pennsylvania RR with 4-4-2 No. 7002, as well as speed records in Ohio and Indiana set by the S-1 and T-1 steam locomotives.
the locomotive was built to haul more weight more than anyting of its time. was orriginally weighted for 400 short tons but was later used to haul 5 to 6
@tavis5500 I should clarify, not that much compared to what they can pull - even UK steam engines can do 600 fairly easily, and they're tiny by comparison to these. Even the 9Fs or Duchess's
At top speed?! Mechanical top speed or top permitted speed? The railway track owners usually set conservative speed restrictions on steam locos because of damage to the track from the hammer effect of the heavy con rods pounding up and down. My guess is that this one was doing about 80kph (51mph) at the most.
If she would hit 88 Miles per Hour, surely she should show up on all the torn away tracks down Mainstreet here in Gainesville, Florida. reference to Back to the Future about the speed capability. "Well, I suppose if you had a straight stretch of track with a level grade, and you weren't haulin' no cars behind you, and if you can get the fire hot enough, and I'm talkin' about hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself... then yes, it might be possible to get her up that fast. "
@Gunny761 That is not entirely true. The Challlengers of the Union Pacific were built with speed in mind. They were meant for fast freight and occasional passenger service. However they were also effective in drag freight service too.
Very nice steam train..........
indiantrains 3 weeks ago
it's not so much the speed of this mammoth iron giant, it'd the sheer awsomeness, there is a poetic beauty in the drivers, churning, smoke belching, the massive size. diesels just dont have the romance of the steam era. am i a railroad fan? obviously yes, having ridden GG1 powered trains, pacific (4-6-2) steam engines, it was railroadings heyday and you had to experience being there.....i thank God i was!
f4phantom64 1 month ago
79 mph is maximum...I would say she was going around 55 or 60 mph at the most.
Mlwtca 2 months ago
Do some research on the Milwaukee Road Hiawathas, they ran consistently in the 100+mph range, and may hold the speed record for steam locomotives.
atm91771 2 months ago
@atm91771 True. The Milwaukee Hiawatha Class A's and F-7's hold the speed record for regular steam-powered passenger service, but the speed record holder for fastest top speed is the Class A-4 Mallard in England. There have been many "unofficial" records set by the Pennsylvania RR with 4-4-2 No. 7002, as well as speed records in Ohio and Indiana set by the S-1 and T-1 steam locomotives.
nyshortline 2 weeks ago
Nice engine. Thumbs up! :)
megatwingo 3 months ago
the locomotive was built to haul more weight more than anyting of its time. was orriginally weighted for 400 short tons but was later used to haul 5 to 6
tavis5500 3 months ago
@tavis5500 Wrong. Check out the GN R-2 articulated. UP's challenger is a pup next to that.
htc6600 3 months ago
@htc6600 ...Um...the Big Boy was a 4-8-8-4...the R-2 is a 2-8-8-2...pretty sure the big boy ain't no pup...
vettelover2009 1 month ago
@tavis5500 600 tons isn't that much... also, the Big Boys were bigger/more powerful weren't they?
edj66 1 month ago
@tavis5500 I should clarify, not that much compared to what they can pull - even UK steam engines can do 600 fairly easily, and they're tiny by comparison to these. Even the 9Fs or Duchess's
edj66 1 month ago
At top speed?! Mechanical top speed or top permitted speed? The railway track owners usually set conservative speed restrictions on steam locos because of damage to the track from the hammer effect of the heavy con rods pounding up and down. My guess is that this one was doing about 80kph (51mph) at the most.
peteacher52 4 months ago 2
@peteacher52 it is alowed to go 70 or 80. so..yah.
trainmanauxl1 4 months ago
If she would hit 88 Miles per Hour, surely she should show up on all the torn away tracks down Mainstreet here in Gainesville, Florida. reference to Back to the Future about the speed capability. "Well, I suppose if you had a straight stretch of track with a level grade, and you weren't haulin' no cars behind you, and if you can get the fire hot enough, and I'm talkin' about hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself... then yes, it might be possible to get her up that fast. "
=^.^=
alectricfoxx 5 months ago
She definetly can hit 70mph with no problem.
CWEX73 5 months ago 2
and built by the best locomotive works around :D
shininghappyperson7 5 months ago 2
O_O AWESOME!!!!
kmdjones1 6 months ago
Not that fast compared to other locomotives, but this train officially defies the laws of physics.
bbowen85 6 months ago
Nice shot What year?
sgtredbluered 1 year ago
The N&W 1218 could go faster
Bassfanatic94 1 year ago
@Bassfanatic94 Many steamers could go faster. 3985 was built for power, not speed.
Gunny761 9 months ago
@Gunny761 She was built for power and speed
Msts196 6 months ago 2
@Gunny761 That is not entirely true. The Challlengers of the Union Pacific were built with speed in mind. They were meant for fast freight and occasional passenger service. However they were also effective in drag freight service too.
IllinoisTrains1 4 months ago
@Bassfanatic94: Oh Yeah? My Dad's Toyota Crayola can go faster!
paullubliner 5 months ago
@paullubliner Crayola? I didn't know Toyota was making cars out of crayons now...
OV099Challenger 4 months ago 5
@paullubliner Your dad should buy domestic and his Jap scrap can't pull a couple thousand tons at any speed.
jay600katana 2 months ago
@jay600katana I think you missed the point, I didn't mean that literally.
paullubliner 1 month ago
WOW! THAT'S FAST! =D
GranTurismo360 2 years ago