Mt. Rushmore and a Challenger? locomotive

[BarryManilowFan4eva]

wtf??

[tprdfh51]

It is a GN Z6 - you can tell by the overhang at the rear of the cab roof and lack of cab doorway. GN Z7 & Z8's had a seperate doorway to enter/exit the cab and were not on the property until mid-1940's. GN Z6's 5100 - 5120 were ordered and delivered by ALCO from 1936 - 37 - which concides with the date this film was made.

[My64Firebird]

Plus Western Pacific RR had them 4-6-6-4's too!

[MailReverse]

Looks like a 'H-8 class 2-6-6-6 Allegheny'

[superzstuff]

These movies were taken in 1937 and the H-8's weren't built until 1941. Thanks for the comment.

[theludkas]

If you look there is no number or company name on its tender.

[SP4449Warbaby]

It looks like an SP&S Z-6 Challenger to me

[bigsteam5344]

Looks like a 2-6-6-2 with a oil tender

[stormrider62033]

By looking at that engine has to be a 2-6-6-4 with the single smoke stack ,Norfolk&Western had one of these operating for a while it was the 1218 another super power house

[DeltaPhi79]

You may want to ignore my last comment. The smoke pipe is only one sticking up. Didn't the Challengers have 2 that were really low?

[WhyAyeMann]

mmmnn...nope, thats a 4-6-6-6 alright. You can see it if you look closely next to the front of the drivers. Its hardly noticable, but its there.

[iamRAYZILLA]

I guess you meant 4-6-6-4? And to what you said, you don't have to see the wheel to tell - notice the piston rod on the front drive set is longer than it is on the rear set. Every Challenger had this feature (as well as the UP Big Boys).

Anyways, a Great Northern(?) Challenger locomotive in action and a view of Mt. Rushmore being constructed - two great pieces of American history.

[DeltaPhi79]

Challenger is Union Pacific.

[iamRAYZILLA]

All 4-6-6-4's are called Challengers, not just the ones on Union Pacific. The 3985 and 3977 are the only surviving Challengers, and both of which happen to be Union Pacific, if that's where you're coming from.

I'm sure there's more, but Clinchfield, Delaware & Hudson, Great Northern, and Rio Grande are the others I know of that owned Challengers.

[DeltaPhi79]

Hmm.....i thought only UP made them. Guess i was wrong. thanks.

[FGLK1702]

I think the NP had some Challengers also.

[formenotu]

Ok so there is no railroad in the Black Hills that can handle a challenger, and that is definetly a challenger! So why is Mount Rushmore even in this video? I can look out my window and see the mountain, there was never a challenger in the Black Hills!

[superzstuff]

I have no idea why it is on there but it was. It was probably a cross country trip and and the camera was only pulled out after many highway miles. There was a 1937 Buick sedan in some of the shots of different locations, so it looked like a long road trip.

[phelonyjones]

Is that Earl's Breakdown playing in the background?

[superzstuff]

My brother added the music, so I don't know the players. I know Doc Watson is on some of the other footage.

[nicholaswalz]

The locomotive is a Great Northern Z-6. One of only two aquired in 1937, I believe. Great Northern did not like them much and was rid of them by 1950. You can tell it's a Z-6 by the firebox. The Z-6 is the only articulate I know of, that Great Northern owned which did not have the Belpair firebox. Also, if you look closely at the wheel arrangment, you can see that it is a 4-6-6-4, the second set of front wheels are very close to the first set of driver wheels.

[zaku32888]

Well it ain't GN because it doesn't have the characteristic belpair firebox that most GN locomotives had.

[trainguy4449]

This is damn rare footage. Your brother got lucky with this find. How much did it cost him?

And its definitely a Great Norther mallet-type 2-6-6-4.

[Polybun]

Hah, wow,thats pretty priceless footage. I'm guessing shot on a Bolex, thus the good quality.

[lennyos]

It's a Z-6 but not only Gn had these.

NP and SP&S had them like this too.

[yankinga]

That's a GN Challenger. There were no other 2-6-6-4's besides those built for the SAL and P&WV and the ones that N&W builtfor themselves.

That is a 4-6-6-4 in the footage.

[BreakerDan86]

Most definitely a 2/6/6/4

[BigUnitBeef]

It's a 2-6-6-4....N&W called them A's

[Beaver456]

Could be a GN Z-6 or a GN R-2.

[ronthecyborg]

very nice collection of footage.

quick correction there: That's not a BigBoy locomotive, it's a Challenger (I think. I can't see the front wheels). But it's still a nice find.

[superzstuff]

Thanks, I had no idea.

[flare40x]

It's a Great Northern engine - could be a 2-8-8-2 or a 2-8-8-4, or even a 2-6-8-0.

[denisxx61]

Great posting. Nice piece of history and I love those seam locomotives. Thanks!