Moving Big Boy 4012

[SOO2719]

All this talk of 4014 and tight clearances reminded me of when they moved Big Boy 4012 from Bellows Falls, Vermont, when Steamtown USA moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Here are a few pics I found of that move, taken by railfan Carl Weber:


















The complete set can be found at: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=4326&Page=1
If they could get 4012 from Bellows Falls to Scranton dead in tow via routes not designed for Big Boys, running 4014 up through the Midwest should be a piece of cake.

[Fitz]

Interesting series, Tony. Bet that couldn't happen today.

[SOO2719]

Probably not, Fitz. Those were the days, no?

[Mark D]

Just remember that tracks that Big Boy has not travelled are tracks that can have unforeseen issues. Only after the show is over will we know.
Mark D.

[SOO2719]

Well, Mark, they got 4012 to Scranton without incident. In fact, they even posed her atop the grand viaduct the Lackawanna built in Scranton before moving 4012 down into town.



Who would have guessed a Big Boy would ever cross that bridge, even if her boiler was cold?

[Millhouse]

The source is long gone from the internet or I'd cite it here, but the move of the 4018 into the former Age of Steam in Dallas, TX (now Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco) involved a pretty tight curve and a section of split rail at least once. Specifically a section of rail started to turn on its side. I don't remember how they resolved it.