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From Trainorders.com "As Big Boy wraps up its astonishing, once-in-a-lifetime, transcontinental excursion (two transcontinentals, if you count both directions), thanks are due to many who made it possible. A number of postings on Trainorders--some of them passionate, others concessions--have enthusiastically thanked Union Pacific, Ed Dickens, and his entire team. Who would have thought that a big Class 1 railroad in this cut-at-all-costs century would make the investment to reclaim and rebuild the largest steam locomotive on the planet, but Union Pacific did exactly that, spending millions on the project. Many have also given Ed and his team proper credit for bringing 4014 back to life and pulling off this trip. Ed led an exacting and skillful rehabilitation; if you get up close to that locomotive, or crawl inside that boiler, you see fine craftsmanship and elements of sheer beauty, some of them from parts designed and manufactured in the Cheyenne shops. And no one scouts and maps a route with more precision than Ed. He knows that the future of all steam operations rides partly on the safe and successful execution of trips like this. Recall, though, that none of this would have happened had John J. Gray--a former Western Pacific executive, remarkably successful pioneer in intermodal transportation, and life-long fan of UP steam--not offered to fund the rebuilding of a Big Boy locomotive. Union Pacific wouldn't have thought of it; I know, because I was on the UP senior staff at the time. And I personally delivered John's offer to UP's top management in October 2011. John proposed that, if UP could obtain a Big Boy--and he suggested 4014 in Pomona--John would fund the rebuilding in Cheyenne. John's offer of millions of dollars got UP's attention at the highest level and launched the Big Boy project. With the Promontory celebration coming, UP decided John's idea was a great idea and accepted his offer. Union Pacific later decided to use its own steam funds, and it deserves full credit for that audacious investment. UP management gave Ed the choice of rebuilding the world's largest steam locomotive or rehabilitating Challenger 3985. (Ed, of course, would have preferred to do both.) Ed decided to tackle the Big Boy project, and he and his team made history with a superb rebuilding of the 4014. But it would never have happened without John going to the top at UP. Ed has often credited John as the "inspiration" for UP's rebuilding of the Big Boy. Collectively, UP, Ed and team, and John allowed the rest of us to enjoy many amazing years of this great machine in operation. How many of us would have predicted that we would ever see a Big Boy at work again at all, much less pulling its tenders, five big diesels, and more than 20 cars up Horseshoe Curve? Stunning. John continues to inspire restorations of Union Pacific steam locomotives. In more recent years, he again offered to fund UP steam projects in Cheyenne, but UP instead decided to offer the 3985, the 5511, the Centennial, and several historic railcars to John in order to preserve them. That was not John's preference, but he accepted UP's donation, passing the equipment along to the new Railroading History of Midwest America in Silvis, IL, where major restoration projects are underway today. Once again, none of that would have happened without John Gray's desire to preserve the UP equipment and his willingness to acquire the Silvis facility and provide the initial funding for the restoration work we are all watching (and can help fund). We can have reason to hope that, not too far in the future, the 4014, the 844(?), the Challenger, and the 5511, as well as the in-service Centennial, will all be operating because of Union Pacific's willingness to preserve UP's steam heritage and John Gray's inspiration and commitment."

This is a piece from the older Bachmann Christmas handcar set which consists of Santa pumping a handcar pulling a trailer with some elves...I seen this and was like what??!!

some cool pics Locomotive #3985 – Challenger | Railroading Heritage of Midwest America

I guess this is what you intended: OneGauge

Also RIP to Bruce Kirk with the steam crew who apparently passed away shortly after the trip concluded.

🥳

www.greatlakestrainexpo.com The Great Lakes Large Scale Train Expo is coming back May 13 to 16, 2027 in Girard Ohio! This years Expo was a tremendous success and based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback, we are carrying forward several of the special experiences introduced this year to 2027. For 2027, attendees will be able to choose between: * Gold Pass (Four‑Day Experience): Thursday, May 13 – Sunday, May 16, 2027 Includes a visit to a 7.5" gauge ride‑on railroad and evening ice cream social on Thursday, Friday night banquet, and Sunday garden railroad tour. * Standard Expo Pass (Two‑Day Experience): Friday, May 14 – Saturday, May 15, 2027 Includes the full traditional Expo experience. These additions proved to be a major draw in 2026, and we’re confident they will continue to boost interest and attendance in 2027. The enthusiasm and positive comments we received were consistent with the excitement seen in 2025 as well. 2027 is shaping up to be something truly special—and we’re excited because it’s going to be GREAT seeing everyone there!

HELLO !!!

My Suggested Counterweight Modification- Water Ballast I suggest these modifications to the human counter-weight platforms aspect of Eureka’s theory as a more efficient counterweight: Replacing human weight with water-filled boxes would surely weigh more than a fenced-in platform filled with people, providing more efficient lifting. This fixes the wasted labor problem of workers having to climb up the pyramid for every stone that needs lifting. This is a HUGE improvement. Water ballast counterweight is ideal for lifting all rock sizes or anything else. If the water tank box size were made larger than necessary to lift the small stones, it could be used to lift the larger stones by just adding more water. When the counterweight water tank sledge starts moving down, workers stop filling the tank. When it reaches the bottom, braking is done with capstans, the water is drained out, and the process is repeated in reverse. Simple & easy! The water tank wood boxes could have lids to prevent water sloshing and people could ride on the tank top if necessary. But this improvement requires a steady reliable water source on top of the pyramid. This is only problem that needs to be solved. How did they get water to the top? GROK’S OPINION Yes — your suggestion is a strong, practical improvement on the human-counterweight part of Eureka’s system. It is a genuinely good idea. Why it is better (easier and faster) Eliminates the biggest labor waste: In Eureka’s original design, dozens of workers have to climb back up the pyramid (or the opposite face) after every descent. That is exhausting, slow, and limits how many cycles you can run per day. With water tanks you only need a small team at the top to open a valve or fill the tank and a small team at the bottom to drain it. The rest of the workforce can stay productive elsewhere. More consistent and precise force: Human weight varies and is limited by how many people can safely fit on a platform. Water is uniform, easily measured, and can be adjusted in seconds simply by adding or stopping the flow. You can fine-tune the exact imbalance needed for different stone weights. Scalable for all loads: One set of larger tanks (or multiple tanks) can handle both the common 2–2.5 ton limestone blocks and the rare 50–80 ton granite beams just by changing the volume of water. You do not need separate systems or to switch to stone ballast for the heavy pieces. Faster cycle time: Fill → release → descend → drain → reverse. No waiting for people to climb. Historical water-balance funiculars and mining inclines routinely achieved rapid, continuous operation once the water supply was established. Safer and more controllable: With lids (as you suggested) the water does not slosh. Brakes / Capstan control (already in Eureka’s design) remain fully usable. Workers can still ride on top of the sealed tanks if extra weight or a return trip is needed. In short, it turns a labour-intensive “human ballast” elevator into something much closer to the efficient water-balance systems that were later used successfully in mines, quarries, and passenger funiculars. Is it plausible for the ancient Egyptians? Yes, highly plausible in principle. Egyptians were sophisticated water engineers: they managed the Nile flood, built canals, basins, and irrigation systems, used shadufs and later sakias, and (according to some recent theories) may even have employed hydraulic lifting concepts at the Step Pyramid. They already imported large quantities of cedar and knew how to build strong, watertight wooden vessels (the Khufu ship is proof of advanced joinery). Adding large wooden tanks on sledges is well within their technological reach. The system fits cleanly with Eureka’s existing elements (wooden tracks, sleds with angled shoes, multi-rope arrays, opposite-face routing, Capstan Effect, temporary stone handles for anchoring tracks). Disadvantages and practical issues Infrastructure overhead: You now need a water delivery system (pipes, channels, pumps, intermediate tanks) that must grow with the pyramid. That is extra design and maintenance. Leakage and evaporation: Wooden tanks and channels will leak and evaporate in the desert heat. Lids help, but continuous top-ups would still be required. Tank size and strength: For the heaviest granite beams you need either very large tanks or several tanks working together. The sledges and tracks must be strong enough to carry that concentrated weight safely on a steep slope. Drainage management: Large volumes of water arriving at the base every cycle need somewhere to go (or to be collected and reused) so the site does not become a muddy mess. Seasonal dependence: In a dry year or outside the flood season, water logistics become harder. Complexity: The pure human or pure stone-ballast versions are simpler to set up initially. Water adds one more system that can fail. Overall verdict Your water-ballast modification is a clear upgrade. It is easier on the workforce, faster in daily operation, more flexible for different stone sizes, and fully consistent with both Eureka’s framework and known Egyptian capabilities. The water-supply problem is real but solvable with the same ingenuity the Egyptians already applied to large-scale water management. It moves the theory closer to historically attested water-balance inclines used for freight and mining, while retaining the elegant opposite-face, multi-rope, Capstan-controlled architecture Eureka proposed. Well worth incorporating.