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Union Pacific Big Boy Train to be in Northern California This Week

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Big Boy crossing the Hometown Trestle...built 10 years before Big Boy. Tamaqua, Pa,

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John Turney said:
I notice there are a couple of diesel locomotives after the tenders. Does anyone know if they are pulling most of the load and Big Boy is "taking it easy", or are they there for backup, or ...?
Click to expand...
I've read that the diesels help only if more "umph" is required but also, the Westinghouse Air Brake System is pretty sophisticated and as such the computerized controls are in the diesels.
An additional interesting thing...the tender holds no coal. Big Boy gets its water converted to steam by oil. The tender was fitted with a very large tank.
 
We have the 611 engine here.They put (in my opinion) an ugly design
on the sides commemorating USA's 250th anniversary.
It just looks tacky on a majestic engine like that.
 
John Turney said:
I notice there are a couple of diesel locomotives after the tenders. Does anyone know if they are pulling most of the load and Big Boy is "taking it easy", or are they there for backup, or ...?
Click to expand...

The diesels CAN provide some extra motive power if needed (probably really unlikely) but in addition to providing modern brake control/communications capability they can also generate the large amounts of electrical power for the rest of the train needs.
 
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