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The Union Pacific's Overland Route, the eastern portion of the Transcontinental Railroad, was built west from Omaha, across Nebraska and Wyoming, and on into Utah. The steepest grade was the eastbound climb on the Echo Canyon line through the Wahsatch Mountains just east of Ogden, Utah. Forty 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotives were acquired in 1936 and 1937 to move fast freight over the grades in Utah and Wyoming. They were rated at 4,290 tons across Wyoming, but were limited to 3,100 tons eastbound through Echo Canyon. Union Pacific wanted something that could make the same speeds as the Challengers but could carry the entire 4,290-ton train over the Wahsatch Mountains without a helper. The easiest solution was to scale up the successful Challenger design by adding another pair of drivers to each half of the locomotive thus making a 4-8-8-4. In 1941 UP placed an order for
twenty 4-8-8-4's, numbered 4000 through 4019, with the American Locomotive Works. Each engine cost $265,174. According to legend an unidentified machinist at the ALCO plant is responsible for the name "Big Boy", having scrawled the name in chalk on a partially completed locomotive.

The Big Boys were exactly what the railroad wanted. They were coal burners with 68-inch drivers, 135,375 pounds of tractive effort and 6,000 horsepower. They started service on the line from Ogden to Green River, Wyoming and their operating range soon increased to cover the line all the way to Cheyenne. Traffic during WWII resulted in five more Big Boys, numbered 4020 through 4024, being built in 1944. These versions were slightly heavier than the original order due to wartime materials restrictions. Despite the influx of diesel locomotives following WWII, the Big Boys and Challengers remained the prime power on the Overland Route. They also saw service as helpers, leading gas turbines and diesels over Sherman Hill. They remained active through the 1950's and weren't retired until the early 1960's. By then the first twenty units had been run well over one million miles. Eight of the twenty-five Big Boys have been preserved in the following locations:
#4004 in Cheyenne - Static Display in Town Park
#4005 in Denver - Static Display In Local Denver Museum.
#4006 in St. Louis - Static Display In Transportation Museum.
#4012 in Scranton - Static Display In Steamtown Museum
#4014 in Pamona - Moved to Cheyene in 2014 with the intention to make it run again.
#4017 in Green Bay - Static Display In Museum
#4018 in Dallas - Static Display In Train Museum
#4023 in Omaha - Static Display In Park at Town Entrance from Interstare Highway.

The 4-8-8-4 Big Boy includes a history book and instruction book for quick reference.

MODEL KEY FEATURES • Boiler backhead with full detailing
    Boiler backhead with full details and printed gauges
    Individually applied detail parts such as piping, valves, generators, etc.
    Blackened metal RP25 wheels
    Eccentric cranks operating on both sides in correct direction
    Front and rear engines (cylinders and coupled drive wheel sets), both pivot for 22" recommended minimum radius
    Pilot has open/closed positions
    Coupler pocket can be inserted to mount coupler
    Adjustable cab windows and opening doors
    Headlights and tender lighting feature directional light change; number boards are also lighted
    Five-pole, skewed armature motor with two flywheels for very smooth running
    Cab hatches can be either closed or open
    See-through running boards
    Ready for aftermarket smoke unit installation with no soldering needed
    Specifically designed to accept one or two Suethe #9 or #10 smoke generators
    Factory installed DCC sound board and speaker; the board and speaker are mounted in the tender
    DCC decoder automatically senses the power supply type (either DC or NMRA compliant DCC system)

Reservations Due By: February 26, 2015

Expected Release: December 2015

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