"Treat every trip as if it were the last. And if it should turn out to be that way, then we're not disappointed." Steve Lee

now seeing that picture makes me happy that 4014 is running again

Born and raised in Southwest Nebraska and I can still remember the sound of those whistles in the 50’s!! Thanks for the memories!

25:55 R.I.P. Reed Jackson (1954-2009)

I remember as a kid standing next to those big wheels! ... I'm not sure I was afraid or in awe! .. I was raised in Nebraska and it was a common sound in the darkness of our room at night.

I had the honor of working in a 1920s 185,000 HP stationary steam boiler,

Stive an Lynn man i remember watching the video on how to run the 3985 .....can be an evil thang it's not all ways nice to people..... great video

These steam engines will last millions years if up keeping. It's beautiful!

I grew up in Nebraska. As a young child I would run to the tracks to see the old steamers as they came by. This was in Grand Island and I later moved to Kearney. Now I'm in Del Mar, CA

I was privileged to work the 1996 Council Bluffs to Chicago excursion with Steve Lee, Lynn Nystrom, and Reed Jackson with the 844. I was stationed in Cheyenne in the late 1970s when the 3985 was sitting next to the depot, and she's now alive! Looking forward to seeing the 4014 now.

Thanks to the. UP for understanding the value of good PR,👍🏽

I took a fan trip pulled by a class j steam locomotive.I will never forget her whistle.So deep once you hear it you never forget it.Being born in the late 1960 I did not get to see the steam locomotive.Only in old movies.The first time I heard of 3985.Was one sunday morning my mother was going to church.She tolded me to turn to cbs sunday morning.They did a story on 3985 and there she was.Big huge her side rods where a blur her whistle blowing.They did a cool thing.She meet a freight train who blew its whistle and 3985 did the same.As they passed each other.Cool good times in my child hood.

My Grandparents and my aunt and uncle lived in Central city Nebraska. You could hear the trains run through. This was in the early 50s .

Steve Lee lost a TON of weight! Sad that he retired from steam crew. I hope he comes back at least once to run 4014. I have a older Pentrex dvd from the early 90s where he was explaining that it did not make economic sense to restore a Big Boy. I'm glad it can actually happen.

I was born before the end of steam & Liberty Bell trolley. You could feel the power of them, just standing near them. T1 Readings was common sight, while the GG1 was what I thought as the biggest hunk of iron, I had ever seen. The dirt they mention in this tube also ended up on us too. While in passenger coaches you needed to shield your hair & eyes from cinders & smoke.

34:53 little did it know 6 decades of sitting it would be back

I sincerely hope UP steam never dies

2:50 for the 4014 "at the headend of this train is a one-of-a-kind steam powered marvel called the Big Boy. The railroad that runs him; the Union Pacific, only takes him out for special occasions" I know the 3985 has been retired so they should do one of these videos for the 4014

Awesome movie! Keep it! Don't delete it!

I remember my dad recording this for me when it was on TV when I was like 5 or 6... It's still one of my favorites

When this movie was made the Union Pacific hadn't even started to think about how they were going to truly celebrate the 150th anniversary of the world's first transcontinental railroad in May 2019. Well, May 2019 has come and the UP has once again outdone themselves. Fifty years ago as a kid I was amazed at the biggest diesel EMD ever produced graced the rails in 1969 for the 100th year anniversary of the world's first transcontinental railroad, the 6900 class DDA40X, the Centennials. Today I'm in absolute awe as the UP Railroad rebuilt a Big Boy, the 4014, put a fire back into her belly and put her to work doing PR for the railroad.

Wait until Big Boy starts running. Triple the number at the stations waiting to see her but the roads next to her may be worse full of cars trying to see her.

34:57 And to think now that UP has restored 4014. Unbelievable. I bet that person who took that photo never had the thought it would run in 2019

Sadly Challenger has officially been retired from service. God speed 3985. I hope she earns a place of honor for years to come.

What amazes me your hot shot steam running in the west was built in the east.never ran them our neck of are woods but we built them.

This makes me swell up with pride! As a boy, I watched early diesels -- RS-1s and RS-2s, along with GP9s -- work the local yard. But boy -- every once in a while, an excursion train with a steamer at the head would roll by, and I would keep tryin' to see her, until she rolled outta sight. But I figure it like this: An old girl like 3985 is 'bout as temperamental as you can get -- just like an old, seaworthy Lady who still sails for the Navy, or even an old classic hot rod that still has life in her. You take care of her, listen to her, treat her right, and she'll ALWAYS get you home. But you don't do any of that, boy...she'll leave you stranded quicker than hornets come after their nest gets kicked. But I'll add one more thing: I'm hopin' to bring my niece to see either #3985, #844, or #4014, when she gets a bit older -- just to see the wonder and amazement of a steamer on the head of a train.

4:56 “people will come out and stand there for an hour just for thirty seconds of it going by” *I rode the 4014 Excursion in New Orleans, my son and husband waited at a crossing for us to come by, we were departing Audubon Butterfly Park, and the weather was a blistering 90+ degrees out, but it was my sons first time seeing and feeling a steamer operate in person. My son told me it was worth sweating and almost passing out for. He said when 4014 slowly rolled past him, the ground shook, the whistle made his bones shutter, and the steam from the steam chest drain cocks felt so amazing. He always says that was the best steam experience of his life. And I’m glad I took him to see 4014 when he/she visited New Orleans.*

30:38 To quote the late Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry in his book Enterprising Engines, where a certain GWR Pannier tank engine named after an aquatic bird is speaking to a BR Class 40, "... Call yourselves engines? If anything happens, you care nothing for your train. You just moan for a fitter. We bring it home, if only on one cylinder."

Nebraska public TV. Just is really good. I have always like steam trains and tractor but n.e.t.v. started me on big fan of u.p. steam trains

If ever there was a reason to preserve the Great Steam Locomotives, this story is it. A sad tale that those magnificent machines should be scrapper when they had many years more useful service life. The public was made to pay for the decision to go to diesel. The Railroads still had to pay for the engines they were scrapping. Then they paid for the new monsters. Rail rates went up to pay for it. This business of putting 3985 out to pasture on hauling passenger cars is silly. If you are going to operate it - put it into regular main line revenue service. It is capable of hauling heavy freight. You invested a lot of money to keep it alive. Get a return on investment in great order than specialty passenger trained once in a while. You have an ambassador - Put him to work, Let the mournful sound of the locomotive whistle be heard in the valleys and across the plains. Yes. Let the kids see the real thing - Engine that helped to make America Great. The nation owes recognition to these machines for what they did to help win a war. Veterans are honored but the engines that moved millions of tons of supplies to win the war were rewarded by the pain of the cutters torch.

Loved riding the 3985 from Elmhurst to Milwaukee had an awesome time.

Why are there 4 dislikes? This is a great video!!

What a Beautiful Engine. Thank you for publishing this wonderful and well done documentary about UP 3985.

I wish someone would develop a new challenger class locomotive, but with today's technology integration into the steam so its efficient at burning oil or gas hot, and putting out a crazy amount of tractive effort for one engine, like twice the amount of effort as a big boy.. thatd be pretty sweet to see a 2019 Challenger Class Steam Locomotive.

I love that analogy with the dinosaurs! That is awesome!

Now the old girl has now been retired since 2010 and now her brother big boy 4014 has took her place as of 2019.

LOVE THEM TRAINS

has anyone found the "Nebraska Bound Challenger Comin on Home Again" song?? would love to hear the whole thing. closest thing i found is the Big Boy Blues........

This is a great documentary!

I wished 3985 was back on the rails again like I wished challenger 3985 is back and running on Cheyenne Frontier days

American made, Made America UNION PACIFIC DOING IT BEST

I love this movie

WOW ! What a great video. I would have loved to work in that shop. I was a boiler tender in the Navy and was a millwright, for 31 years, at the Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, PA. We used massive two stage steam engines to run the rolling mill. Black smoke? Uh Oh ! If we smoked black aboard ship, someone from the bridge would be on the box yelling at the BT operating the boiler. That's a big no no! It also took us four hours to bring the boiler on line from a cold start. After 4 hours you were ready to go. There's a Challenger and a Big Boy in Steamtown (Scranton, PA) just north of here. I usually go to Steamtown once a year and always take another look at both locomotives. They are just amazing machines to look at. Barry G. Kery

I've got this one on DVD :D

Great music... good job.

Union Pacific Challenger 3985

Hear the Trains coming down the lines.

Be fun to see this remade now that the "Big Boy" is up and running.

20:00 you can see 4013, sucks it was scrapped

19:30 boy he sure called that one

With 4014 done, looks like you guys have a 3985 to rebuild! Almost a decade after it got parked.

The challenger sits awaiting its turn now to be remodeled 844 and Bigboy 4014 are about to leave and do there thing.

It is very enjoyable to older footage of the UP 3985 in excursion service action now that this engine has been retired from operation. The Challenger 3985 is being restored again now in Illinois and "big boy" 4014 has now returned to operation 3 years ago now serving as a member of the UP rr heritage steam fleet. Hopefully the UP 3985 will return to operation by 2030 or so, as steam locomotive maintenance takes a long period of time.

That's the problem with Australia all steam loco's are 100% volunteer and local funding so when something needs to be done it will get put on the back burner until it's needed to be fixed or some sort of funding for the loco.

How many watchin in 2021 just saw Big Boy 4014 pass thru this morning...

Locomotives not likely to ever run again, well, can't say that now.

34:52 Big Boy! little do these guys know that engine was going to be restored.

Ironically.. 3985 will no longer be pulling excursions.. Big Boy 4014 has taken over that duty.. but I still love 844 more than either one

10:04 Bill Kraftville: In the steam days, we had lots of trains, I mean one laterally every half hour in the rush season one every 15 to 30 minutes and being leavin' Council Bluffs and goin' Western.

Up 4014 entered the chat

33:55 I see UP #4466. She’s now at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento

No beta males need apply on the steam crew.

Wish I could find the song in this video

Too bad it’s firebox is toast now.(3985)

5:19 For a split second i thought that was challenger 3967 but its just 3985 with smoke deflecters

Oops, wrong channel. Was looking for Nebraska Co-eds.

24:04 it’s a good thing UP 3985 is in the process of being restored

now if you could preheat the water using solar power. filling it up with 30,000 gls of hot water it would go a lot further on one filling of fuel not to mention less wear and tear on the engine because of less expansion and contraction

UP 3985 has officially been retired, according to a Facebook post from UP steam shop manager Ed Dickens.

Pity they just discontinued this train. They actual locomotive and cars are still running as a part of the UP steam program, but the Denver Post has axed the sponsorship of the rodeo trip.

Awesome movie. Can anyone tell me what song is playing at the end of the movie? Thanks

1:27 ♪[Western Music Theme] ♪1:56 [Western Music Theme] 4:16 ♪[Western Music Theme]

I was wondering what the name of the songs used in this show was?

2:45 Union Pacific Railroad Mainline 2:51 Union Pacific Railroad Mainline 4:54 Union Pacific Railroad Crossing

Still here 2019.

Anyone know when the steam locomotives are on tour does the crew eat and sleep on the train?

What is the song at 9:48? It sounds 50's ish... But I love it.

#7! 🌹

I never met Lynn or stive but it's really upsetting me to watch this cause now I know for sure I'll never get to met or see them ......I was born in the wrong time damit...

20:08 can anyone use alexa and see if it can pick up who sang this and what the song was??? Much appreciated.

What what?!?! I was gonna say big boy is operational?!? But then the narrator said it’s the challenger, tbh I didn’t think either of the large engines challenger or big boy were in service, buy BOY was I wrong

20:09 whats the song?

Does anyone know the artist and the name of the song that is at the end of the video? From the 43:18 minute mark?

34:45 UP 4014!

Biggest? Not any more - Big Boy is coming

It’s a shame that UP is going to sideline the 3985

What year was this documentary made?

This challenger has 4-6-6-4-4-69 below the engine number. What does the 4-69 suffix designate??

34:54 UP 4014

What year did Art Lockman die?

😊

Anyone know the name of the song at 20:00?

U really wish union pacific would 844 pull amtrak cars from salt lake ut to los Angeles on june 30th 2019 so 844 can pull me to lis Angeles i meant it union pacific people that drive 844. Now days that whistle of 844 i hear it whwn not in utah ghostly whistle to me

Big Boy is bigger

Wait 3985 still lives? I thought the UP mothballed her good to see she still runs but I was kinda hoping that I would see the big boy tomorrow oh well Challenger is not a step down at all

Did they ever mention 4014

Wrong the big boy is lol

Okay, to use jimi's song in the title. But not play hear my train a comin at the beginning is a little distasteful.

4:52 So like a roller coaster.