Driver 8

I'm not a train guy per se. 

710 is. 

His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a conductor on the B&O. 710's license plate is the caboose number on his grandfather's train. 

I've been to a few roundhouses with him. And it's interesting and all, but I was always more of a plane guy. 

My father took me to observation decks at airports to watch planes land and take off. And it was at one of these outings, at the Detroit airport, where I excitedly ran through the parking lot and got hit by a car. A Pontiac Bonneville to be exact. A blue one. I was also really into knowing every car make and model. 

ANYWAY.............

A month or two ago I got some FB notification that 'the Big Boy' was coming through the 216. 

The Big Boy is the Union Pacific 4014 - the world’s largest and heaviest operating steam locomotive. Stretching 132 feet long and weighing 1.2 million pounds,  Of the 25 made, it is the only one operational. They were specifically made to be able to haul shit over the Wasatch range of the Rocky Mountains. 

....yeah, I never heard of Wasatch range either. 

The 4014 is making its way from Cheyenne to Philadelphia......and was coming through NE Ohio.

It must not be a common occurrence since not only are news and social media outlets touting it, but people along this trip are posting seeing it. I mean, how in the world were we not gonna go? 

Work and doggie daycare schedules were rearranged so we could get a sighting. And a sitting. 

Train travel in the U.S. is just doomed. There was a tracker on the train, and a schedule. Neither one worked optimally. 

The tracker tells tie in EDT, but what we didn't really know is that it was CDT/CST. The scheduled was allegedly EDT. Regardless of zone, neither was remotely the times that the frickin' beast should have been moving. 

If you look, 11:59 is the time the train should have been to site we scouted out. It was about eight miles away. And you can also see the train status:  STOPPED. It stopped a lot, but it's a heavy train route, so as other trains "barrel" down the tracks, another has to wait to use said track. 

We waited almost two hours (!!!!) in the upper 80 degree heat. Eventually, I just pulled my car around and turned on the ac and put Shep in the backseat so he wouldn't overheat. He was happier there. 

We had found a parking structure, as my first locale choice ironically had a train blocking the view. So we went up higher - and shaded. 

We were not close like a friend who sent me the title image and the one of the crew below. 

But he pretty much saw the training sitting and finally pulling out. We had it moving. 

You'll want to know this for the Big Bang Theory clip below, but the Big Boy has a 4-8-8-4 wheel configuration, which means they have four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels to guide the engine; eight drivers on the first engine; another set of eight drivers on the second engine; and four wheels trailing that support the rear of the locomotive. 

 

a two hour wait for 27 seconds.  Yeahhhh....that seems about right. 

The Big Boy makes a return trip though CLE in mid July. I have a feeling we will be seeing that as well.

Song by: R.E.M.