In Search of Steam - Volume 3
The Best of 2019
In 2019 the Union Pacific Railroad completed a multi-year restoration on 'Big Boy' locomotive #4014, and the inaugural run - The Great Race to Ogden - was undoubtedly the steam event of year. But apart from the Union Pacific steam program, there was little mainline action in 2019. Nevertheless, plenty of locomotives both big and small were still operating, and we traveled across the country once more "In Search of Steam" in order to film seven of them in action. This program begins in January with Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1225 on a 2-day photo charter at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan. While there was no snow on the ground it was below freezing the entire time, perfect conditions for some truly impressive plumes of condensing steam.
In March we visited Garibaldi, Oregon to see recently restored 2-4-4-2 locomotive 'Skookum' on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad during a Trains Magazine photo charter. After a long restoration this rare mallet locomotive was returned to steam towards the end of 2018. You'll see it running in the Pacific Northwest for the first time since 1955 when it was abandoned in the woods after a derailment. Later in the spring we traveled to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 #4014 doubleheading with 4-8-4 #844 in May during "The Great Race to Ogden." In this program we'll look at the most anticipated portion of the trip as the 2 locomotives departed Ogden, Utah and climbed the legendary Wasatch grade on way back to Cheyenne. This is an excerpt from UP 4014 - Year of the Big Boy - Vol. 1, which features comprehensive coverage of this trip.
In August we visited the narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, where K-36 2-8-2 #488 pulled a sunset dinner train from Chama, New Mexico to the summit of 10,015 Cumbres Pass in southern Colorado. Then in September we caught a rare doubleheader on the Grand Canyon Railway with 2-8-0 #29 and 2-8-2 #4960. Both locomotives teamed up in order to pull the regular train from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - the first time this had happened in over 3 years. This program concludes with another look at 'Big Boy' #4014, this time running solo on "The Great Race Across the Southwest" in October. We'll begin in Las Vegas, Nevada and follow #4014 into southern California - the first time the 'Big Boy' returned to the Golden State since being towed to Cheyenne in 2014 in order to be restored to operation. This footage is also on UP 4014 - Year of the Big Boy - Vol. 3, which features more in-depth coverage of this trip.
From one of the smallest articulated locomotives to one of the largest, this video showcases some of the best action in 2019. Filmed entirely in HD, it features beautiful scenery, impressive action, and some great stack talk. This program has minimal narration (with the option to turn it on or off) and no distracting music. It's available on standard definition widescreen DVD, High Definition Blu-ray disc, and for rental or purchase through Vimeo's On Demand streaming service.
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