Image 3985, 4014 and 844 Triple Head. That would be historical.

Now I understand a little more on 3985s system and why it was failing, she wasn’t patched up right nor was she worked on. looking at those moments on her body. From the bubbling coming from the bolts the steam leaking from the pipes she was in bad shape but she went far and I’m proud of that she’s an engine that never gave up and now she’s getting another chance when she goes to Silvis with 5511. Once she’s completed in another decade or hopefully doesn’t take that long she will return and roar along the line once again. Long live steam, Long live the Giants And the survivors of the steam era

You can tell right away when Ed starts driving by that distinctive whistle pattern

I miss challenger 3985 she was my favourite and I wished I rode her on the Cheyenne frontier days and I wish she would return to service again

Even for 2010, it's amazing to see 3985 without a modern locomotive behind her.

Keep something in mind, for those saying 3985 will never run again, at the moment that might be true..but just for the moment..did you ever in your wildest dream think a big boy would be restored? If they can restore a big boy restoring 3985 to operation isn't a pipe dream, keep in mind things change overtime..the budget or man power may not exist at the moment to run 2 large engine's but being that UP is capable of restoring such a large engine also tells me having 2 large engines is not as far fetched as I t may sound..with all that's happening in the world right now with the virus it seems having 2 locomotives running ,even 1 is alot of work..but at some point I think UP is going to pull a rabbit out of a hat..and I do believe you'll see 3985 run beside her big brother.

It is so sad it is the last trip with the 3985 . I just love that locomotiv.

Hope whatever the UP has planned for 3985 in the future will either be display at a park or somewhere or maybe leased or donated to a museum. It'll be up to UP to decide 3985's future. That or they'll continue letting her sitting in the roundhouse with 838 and 5511. Along with the other diesels and train cars.

3985 came through Memphis and parked outside our shop for a day or two in November of 1992. It was my first time actually getting up close to such a huge steam locomotive. I have a pile of pictures I took and it was an experience I'll never forget.

3985 is coming back to life

Imagine how amazing it would've been if 3985 could double head with 4014

You could tell she was is rough shape. Just seeing the steam and bubbles making their way out from the washout plug at 6:45 hurts a little to watch.

Ol girl's past her prime, she isn't as proud as she used to be, time for her to get a good rest at last. Hopefully 4014 will be able to hold up her legacy.

3985 is a worn out tired engine! she deserves the retirement and the rest! we ty 3985 for the memories you have all brought us!

“Last Ride….” not anymore Just today, UP donated 3985 and a few other pieces of equipment (including DDA40X 6936 & 2-10-2 5511) to the RRHMA (Railroading Heritage of Midwest America). They are the same people who own and operate MILW 261. Later this year, all pieces of equipment UP is donating will be sent to RRHMA’s recently acquired locomotive complex in Silvis, IL where they will be restored to operating condition. In short, this is not the end for UP 3985. She will back up and running again sometime in the near future.

3985 was always my favorite steamer growing up. I don't care what anyone says the Challengers always looked better then the 4000's when they were actually moving. It kills me that there's only two Challengers left, but I'm grateful for their continued existence. I never got to see 3985 in person. Hope the UP brings her back, but with the way things are I don't see it happening. 4014 is great, but it will never fill that hole that 3985 left

No need to apologize, this has very good quality for 2010 and was a pleasure to watch. Good editing from great shots!!

Great video, Zach! Can’t wait to see 3985 back in circulation again. Really enjoyed your cab video.

Im gonna miss that thing...

UP: retires 3985 Me: welcome to the party

Even if 3985 never runs again in the foreseeable future, it still will have done something that 4014 never will, i.e., pulling the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus train.

While it's sad to see the 3985 go for seemingly good this time, I can honestly understand why they're doing it. It's easy to scream "restore it" from the sidelines. We aren't the ones who have to both invest countless hours into repairing and maintaining this thing as well as bear the costs. I'm part of a small regional railway fan organization here in Switzerland and it's incredible hard to maintain one small engine and a bunch of wooden cars, I can't even beginn to imagine the task of restoring and maintaining this beast of an egine. The 3985 hasn't been operational for nearly a decade now and from what I could gather it's in pretty bad shape. Unlike the 4014 it never got an overhaul from the scratch and the decades of operation have taken their toll. I heard figures of like 7-8 million $ needed to get it fully functional again, that's like a bunch of new Diesel engines. At the end of the day the UP Steam team is still mainly a PR tool for the general puplic in an environment that needs to cut costs as much as possible and with limited budget and manpower. How rational is it to maintain 3 large steam egines operational for about 2, 3 at max, tours per year? Ed Dickens loves these mighty engines more than any of us, I'm sure he didn't take this decision lightly. It's also important to appreciate what we do have instead of always imaging what could have been. For a long time the 3985 was all we had, getting displayed somwhere where she gets taken good care of is better than rotting hidden in the depot forever. And we have two functional legends now with the 844 and 4014 which is anything but given. I would have loved to see that triple header too, but it's just not rationally optainable at this point. Maybe it will be again someday, never say never, but for now, let the 3985 get some well deserved rest.

Great video, Zach. Thanks for posting.

People coming here after the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America announced that it will buy rolling stock and equipment from UPs steam team, including 3985, and planning to restore it, rejoice!

3985 will always be my favorite locomotive! Of course, I missed its final tour. I so wish that they could repair it and run it again.

Saddest railway video in history

Should've never retired. Steamers need to be brought back to the rails. Loco 3985 is a cool engine & very capable.

Be happy if they put her back on the rails. Love these old Engine’s

When I heard they were restoring UP 4014 I was delighted, hoping to see Big Boy share the rails with his " Little Sister" UP 3985! But alas it's not to be. I'll never see a Big Boy and a Challenger running the rails in my life time. my only joy is that Union Pacific chose to preserve this famous locomotive rather than scrap it. It's a shame, this locomotive should be restored to running if only to allow future generations the opportunity to witness history in the flesh.

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing!!!! It was great seeing a younger version of both Steve & Ed.

A wonderful video, Thanks for presentation, from Germany

Very nice video! Greetings from the Netherlands.

shame we don't know what 3985's future has in store since its been confirmed she's retired and might not again but I hope in the future once UP finishes work on 4014's tender to oil firing 3985 will get her old tender back and maybe get a cosmetic restoration and put on display somewhere who knows but that's what I hope happens

Excellent video!

I’ve been seeing a lot of comments on 3985 being brought back. When I think about that I think about this: As much as I would want 3985 back in operation, it’s not realistic. Keep in mind this program is for the general public, not rail fans. How many people would be able to tell the difference between 4014 and 3985, and more importantly: even care? Also, if 3985 was brought back, then there’s 3 steam engines for what was 3 tours this year, which is what can be expected at most, especially when the tours are so long. In conclusion, it’s just not logical for UP to invest the money for 3985. Heck, we haven’t even seen 844 out since May imagine the roster crunch with 3 steam engines and getting them out each year. We enjoyed 3985, now let’s be grateful and enjoy 4014.

First I want to say this was an amazing video. Keep up the great work. The 3985 Challenger for some reason is my favorite engine of the UP steam engines. I love the Challenger and I am so grateful that she is going to be restored to the magnificent queen that she was. I am disappointed in the Union Pacific treatment of the Challenger like she was disposable, second rate thing.

Very cool video.

Even though I never got to see 3985 in person, I believe that it had a great career, and that whatever happens to the engine in the future will be done with respect. Thank you for this document. And thanks for bringing back the comments after COPPA f*cked it up. EDIT: For those who want it restored, our dreams are finally coming true! The RRHMA will take on this.

Nice video!

Ed Dickens if you see this please make the restoration of this locomotive happen!

I apologize for what I’m about to say to anyone who is a fan of the BIG BOY, I personally had the honor of getting to see 4014 in person, and it was Awesome! however I will say this , before she was brought back to operation condition, there was only One One ☝️ Steam locomotive that was the largest and her number was 3985! Also I am a proud owner of a Ho scale model of 3985 and she is one of my favorites. I’m not criticizing anyone who adores the big boy but I’ll say this, BRING BACK 3985 !!! She deserves Respect! Rather than sitting in pieces inside Union Pacific’s steam shop. So I’ll SAY This UP ! when you get things squared away with 844 and 4014, Please start restoring 3985!!

It’s sad to see this locomotive be retired But hay we still have big boy and 844 that are not retired Especially 844 witch is planed to never be retired

Well she is 1 of 2 surviving UP Challengers. Her sister, 3977 is on public display in North Platte, NE in the Greyhound livery and smoke deflectors.

1:37-that diesel is probably jealous riding in the back while the steam locomotive is pulling the load

I am glad to hear that UP Challenger 3985 will receive a new home in Silvis, Illinois and will be rebuilt and possibly returned to active service in the future. Union Pacific rr has also donated locomotives 5511 and 6936 to be repaired & restored as well.

Jfc... Leaky boiler plugs, rod clank, and omfg I just noticed that whizzing noise is the injector .... No wonder Ed said it would cost more to rebuild 3985 than to restore the 4014. Lets be glad that they retired the worn out girl...

Hopefully we'll see the 3985 in service again someday....

We lived by the rail line and my father said you could tell who the engineer was by how he blew the whistle. I thought it was interesting that Ed has a very different hand than Steve. She's a such a beautiful old girl I hope the hope she gets her day to shine again. Somebody said they scavenged parts off the Challenger for the Big Boy on the other hand they made extra parts for the Big Boy which may be interchangeable. You would think that the Challenger remanufacture would go faster given what they have learned from the 844 and 4014. Freight rail traffic is down and so are UP's profits and share prices which may not be good for the Heritage Program. My hope is that they will come to the so far neglected NW section of UP next Summer and visit Portland and Seattle.

While I'm bummed out that I never got to see 3985 running, I think trading her for 4014 was a pretty good deal. After all, up until UP announced 4014's restoration very few people thought a Big Boy would ever run.

I was there. Rode in the train Topeka to KC.

Can’t wait to see 3985 operating soon

who else came here after the challenger donation

And notice...no diesel "assist" either. That was all steam!!!

Diesels pulling intermodal train it take 2 of us to do the job 78 year old 3985 Hold my beer

Now's the locomotive is officially retired.

its already been that long since her last excursion?!?! sheesh...where did 10 years go...?

Challenger 3985 was taken out of service in October 2010.

I’m still hoping that they can fix her someday...

Who’s here because of the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America deal that happened?

Historical locomotive

RRHMA: Hold my beer

Sad that Challenger 3985 is retired and we all want to see her run again along side Big Boy 4014 and Living Legend 844 but we must understand that her restoration is just in the UP's cards at the moment and cost more than 4014's. Even if UP had the money to get it up and running again, they decided it's best to run two steam locomotives moving forward but who knows I can't speak for everyone, according to Ed 3985 will remain in the roundhouse along side stable mates 838, 5511, 6936 and the E9's. Maybe in future UP will be able to run 3 steamers in the heritage fleet and will decide to bring back the Challenger to join 844 and 4014.

Please repair that beautifui locomotiv. Greetings from Denmark.

Now they need to restore the Texas Class.

The Nebraska bound Challenger will find its way home again

Also Why does the thumbnail look so realistic? (I love it!)

so I've read a lot of differing opinions on why the 3985 is sidelined. Is it boiler rebuild and recertification, or a complete running gear rebuild? I had read somewhere that the running gear was very loose and noisy, and that there was fear of a major catastrophe if anything let go at speed. Comments and factual feedback please. Thanks

16:15. Im glad you got 6387 before its damage and repaint

She needs to come back. Whether that endeavor is undertaken by UP or another force, I think she needs to come back. There's gotta be a way somehow.

The challenger was the first articulated engine so it is like the father of the big boy

I'm not an experienced railfan; but I do enjoy the historical aspect of this. Question: when do they have to blow the horn? When they come to a crossing? Do the number of 'toots' mean anything?

It's a shame that we won't see 3985 operate with the 4014 anytime soon. As much I would really want to see the two operate together since the big boy and the challenger locomotives closed an era of steam giants, but at least the 844 is still in operation with the 4014. 844 has a good story behind it as well including having the title as the only steamer to never be retired from a class 1 railroad, so 844 is a legendary locomotive. So are the 3985 and 4014, but since the 3985 is not in service, just hope that the UP doesn't scrap the 3985. The UP can get her running again, but it's not in the plans right now since the 4014 is the UP's big money maker right now plus 4014 is using the tender from 3985 right now as well, so if 3985 would be rebuilt, they will either take the tender off 4014 and use it for 3985, or convert the other tender from big boy and use that for 3985. What ever the reason, the UP can do it. They proved a lot of people wrong of a big boy never operating again, so if they can do that, they can get 3985 working again. Be nice to see it when I'm still on this earth, but I doubt it. So my bucket list for 3985 is moved from seeing it operate to just seeing it on display. 3985 will be even interesting to see on display since it's a legendary locomotive. I just hope the UP can bring it back to operation for future generations of steam train fans to enjoy.

LONG LIVE 3985! the smol big boy that held us over until 4014’s return Not to mention besides this hauling the circus train, it also hauled by itself 143 container cars loaded over Sherman hill without diesel helpers, Ed isn’t sure and can’t trust 4014 to do that yet, as much I like the challenger and sad to see it go, 4014 is my favorite, but hey 3985 had a long and varied career, and now has 2 retired times of its life, don’t you think she deserves a rest, she won’t be stripped, scrapped and or replaced, she has no good restoration since she was first restored to be alongside 844, so time took toll on her many parts, so she deserves to be long retired, she still is part of the up steam program, just she won’t run ever again, well at least not under her own power, she might be moved to places during special events and fake steamed up to show up’s once mighty steam roster, I think they should display her at Ogden Utah, and for the next transcon anniversary put a fake fire in her and use a fake headlight to make it look like she’s in steam, and have 4014 and 844 there as well, but I agree in my head, 3985 and 4014 and 844, all triple head a lengthened frontier days excursion, I’m just excited to someday see 4014 pull freight, and the frontier day excursion, so just take this as a memory and remember, the challengers will live on in our steam loving hearts.

Will challenger run again in the future

WHAT they are taking it out of service . I wanted a big boy and challenger double header so bad

I believe 3985 should run again, and all hope is not lost. It’s in operating condition, but it’s not under use😣

What’s that whistle signal mean at 11:48?

6:45 is that a leaking flexi stay cap or washout plug? Either way, you’re braver than I am. I wouldn’t stand within a mile of an engine that I knew leaked like that. Scary shit

the 3985 was used for parts for the 4014

It's stupid for UP to take the 3985 out of service.

Where is 3985 being stored currently?

So what did they do with 3985???

Was Ed Dickens the engineer yet or was the still the Steve Lee era?

Maybe UP will swap 3985 for 3977

I was hoping 3985 would be restored to operating condition

It is easy to maintain all three steam locomotives......just run one for a short time then run another one for a short time then run the last one for a while....keep everyone guessing which one it will be.

Did the Challenger and Big Boy ever run together?

Why did they stop running 3985?

Why did the UP take 3985 out of service?!

2:59

What. I admire the challenger class equally as the big boy, but The Union Pacific couldn’t afford to keep 3985 in service with 4014. Why?

Is steve still with the program?

who the hell came up with hot water and fire in a giant propane tank on wheels, on a railway

Will 3985 run again?

Here's the guy at 9:02. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p52mosp9mLKwaIU.html

IT GOT RESTORED!!!!!

She looks a lot like the bigboy..

3985 retired？

so the point is THEY WILL RESTORE IT OUR NOT???

Why last ride ?????