Good afternoon or evening, not sure!! Hope you've had a nice day.I had a pic pop up when scrolling last night 1 year ago on this, todays date or the 23rd, dont rememberp but had snowed & it was really coming down, so pretty..I didn't really mind the snow, just the ice, especially the black ice..Enough about me. Hope you have a blessed evening up there & many thanks for the lady!!! 👋😉🥰💥😎
Good afternoon, Carolyn; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I would really like to see snow here. A cold front blew thru here today with winds upwards of 50mph in gusts. It has eased off a bit now. we are slated to go below freezing overnight. This is the first freeze alert of the season. I've been spoiled by the abnormal temperatures and am unsure how to dress for the changeable weather. May have to put on my parka and mittens tomorrow morning. But I could deal with some snow. Not the black ice. Just the snow. I hope that you have a great evening down there. Please take care and stay safe! 🤠🥶👋👌🐧😂👍
Good Thursday morning Mike! A little extra dwell time with Joe this morning. I heard the conversation. I didn’t realize he was working over on the west side till I heard him say that. He’ll get his sleeping clock back in order eventually I hope!😃. Clear and sunny skies here at 10:01 AM. Should be 62 after while here. Storms are forecast overnight tonight and we need the rain! Have a great Thursday out your way Sir! I am enjoying today! Mark in Iowa.
Good morning, Mark; I thank you for dialing in and the comments. I didn't realize he was over there for so long. How time flies when one is having fun! LOL!! That just confirms what I suspected. The track work is completed for the year on this line. I almost overslept today and had to hustle a bit. Still there with time to spare though. The front is taking its time moving thru out here. It started while I was at the depot. The wind has picked up a bit and is a drying wind from the northwest. A few clouds coming thru as well. We are slated to drop below freezing overnight for the first time this season. I've been spoiled and have to learn to sleep with a window closed again. Anyway, have a great Thursday back there. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. Always something interesting and entertaining to help us make it through the day. Thanks again for yesterday's big boy video. Michael DeMarco's was also good. Have a great day out there, on the clear out.
Good morning, David; Thanks for dialing in and the comments. Hope you are doing ok. Yesterday's outing was fun for the most part. I'll do it again. Have a great day up there. Please take care and stay safe!
Yeah Mike a friend of mine down the alley from where I live talks about Big boi all the time. He also talks about 844. I think he's chased down Big Boy about two or three years ago when he came through. And he talks about 844 all the time. I think big boy was back in this area maybe a month ago or a month and a half ago? But he likes to go up North for the Soo line convention that's the convention held every middle of September in places like Duluth Minnesota or somewhere up in Wisconsin or the up in michigan. I think once it was held in Harvey North dakota. But he talks about it and he likes to photograph a lot of train engines at the Illinois railway museum. He's basically a big rail fan. So I'm going to share this video with him.
Good morning, Robert; Thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. You are correct in that the4014 was in the Chicago area about a month ago as part of the Heartland tour on the UP. Neither of the Union Pacific steam locomotives will diverge onto foreign railroads. It is amazing the planning that goes into the tours they make. Canadian Pacific has the "Holiday Train" that is run across the CPKC system every year. I would like to visit that train of an evening on its tour. I am fortunate to be at a reasonable driving distance to the UP mainline in Nebraska and the main from Cheyenne to Denver. Cheyenne is about 2 hour drive time from here if the state patrol goes for coffee. LOL! I have driven several fellow vets to the VA Hospital there over the past several years. IRM is another place I would like to visit to see the Shea in operation. It is just as busy as the 4014 when in operation. Have a great afternoon and evening back there. Please take care and stay safe!
Quite a few decades ago I rode behind the 844 between Denver and Cheyanne on the California Zephyer back when it was going up to the U.P. It went like the wind.
Good morning, Robert; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I have not been behind 844 but I did have a ride behind 3985 from Cheyenne to Laramie and back. I can only imagine what the ride was with 844. Have a great Friday, Please take care and stay safe!
Nice chat with Conductor Joe today Mike. I would like to see 844 again too. Caught your chase video of 4014 and it was pretty cool. Just FYI, I saw a video about a month ago of ex-UP challenger 3985 in her repair bay and restoration of her (I forget where) is coming along nicely. Hey, thanks for a great video(s). Have a great day.
Good afternoon Lou; I thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. I knew h was working elsewhere for a while but didn't know how long. It's nice to have him back on this section. 3985 is in the old RI Silvis Illinois shops for its restoration. They got an entire hospital tri from the Cheyenne roundhouse as a donation with the understanding that 3985 would be restored to operating conditions. The same outfit is in charge of operating #261 (#??) I knew them as NorthStar but that may be wrong too. Anyway that 4-8-4 is under the same roof in operable condition. The tender that was sent back with 3985 is actually the tender for 4014. A nice tidbit. Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening. Plese take care and stay safe!
Good morning and thanks for stopping by as well as the comments. I had a smile as I heard that. It also made me check my watch. I am sure the crew will chide Joe a bit. Hope that you have a great Thursday. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning, Mike. Got up and saw your message re: The Chase. Fantastic! Today's video was good. Glad to see Sam so conversational this morning. And he didn't say Goodnight!! You've got a cool day ahead of you. Stay safe and be careful. To keep your spirits up & warm up a bit, just listen to the Big Boy again. That whistle is so haunting that it gives me a chill when I hear it. Thanks for posting it. It was a thrill
Good morning, Jim; Thank you for dialing in and the comments. I think that Joe is happy to be back in this side of Denver. I'd get an overload of the scenery over there. The cold front was plowing thru as I took the video this morning. It has put a coolness in the air. Hopefully we will get thru the day without sending the rural fire department on a call. That steam whistle is a wonderful sounding instrument. They need more of them on the mainlines. Have a great Thursday. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning, Ken; Thanks for tuning in and the comments. Yep. The expedition is over, and we go back to the usual coverage. LOL! Have a great Thursday back there. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning, Norman; I thank you for dropping by and the comments. The Big Boy video will remain for at least a couple of years. I eventually will archive it with the others of 4014. Couldn't miss the Zephyr today. Had me hustling a bit to be there before they arrived. Anyway, have a great Thursday. Plese take care and stay safe!
Good morning, Kenny; Thank for tuning in and the comments. I agree with you. That engine is majestic. You got to see it with the passenger consist. I only get to see it out here with the freight consist used for braking. Oh well. It is still a mighty big engine. Have a great Thursday back there. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. Nice video this morning. You are speedy this morning, or I,m late. See your video before my 1st coffee. That was a nice video of big boy yesterday. Have a great day and be safe.😊😊😊😊😊
Good morning, Gerald; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. I thought I may be a bit late in posting this morning as I had a line in front of me at Peppy's Coffee drive thru. It all worked out and was up fairly quickly. Anyway, it all works out. Have a great Thursday down there. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike from 62 mid Tenn. Where is the change off of CZ from BNSF to UP tracks? Good horn music on departure, must be a strong breeze from the west. Glad you enjoyed your visit with " Big boy".
Good morning, Ben; I thank you for dialing in and the comments/question. The change happens at the throat of the Union Station in Denver. There used to be thru tracks along with the bypass around the station. The thru tracks were removed quite some time ago. It is controlled by a local yard dispatching tower not too far away from the north end of Union Station. The wind changed while I was at the depot this morning. It is still from the northwest bringing more dry and colder air into the region. Although it took 1 & 1/2 hours of highway time to reach Ault from FMG it is always worth the effort. BNSF is not going to allow steam to visit us out here on the Powder River District. Nor many other districts. I am fortunate to have access to the Union Pacific lines into Denver and the mainline from Cheyenne east thru North Platte reasonably close. Have a great afternoon and evening. Please take care and stay safe!
Hey Mike, a little different vantage point to catch the arrival of the #5 today. Better place to see the passenger activity. I guess backing up the clock by 1 hour will not provide much daylight for the Zephyr's arrival, unless they are running late. I appreciate your comments yesterday about people taking offense at what one has to say. Seems more common today. Well as they say you cannot please everyone ... but it does seem more difficult to respectfully disagree with some people these days. Pity I am not at all surprised by your experience, but it is disheartening. If we cannot talk openly with other Americans we are doomed. There are obviously lots of people I disagree with but I will listen respectfully and engage in conversation, but some people cannot tolerate any view point not aligned with their own. Sad I missed the Big Boy video, will have to search for it. Another good day. Best Ted
Good afternoon, Ted; Thanks for tuning in and the comments. Yep. They slid it by just a bit. But they had time to play. LOL! You are right about the daylight with the time change. We will see a bit of rosy color in the eastern sky for a few days then slide back into darkness. Then it starts getting a bit lighter in a month or so as we start shortening the darkness by a minute or two every day. I have used that line on the channel a few times. Some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time. But never all of the people all of the time. Then again, the CPOs were supposed to be that gruff. Or so many were led to believe. LOL! I only turned "A-hole" when safety was compromised, and a life was at stake. Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening out there. Please take care and stay safe, Doc!
I love the Big Boy, too. Saw it once with many photographers documenting it north of Marysville CA. You always say the number of the Zephyr locomotive and the car behind it -- is that the diesel fuel tank car?
Good evening, Barley150; Thak you for looking in and the comment/question. I can never grow tired of steam locomotives. I have seen the "big Boy" several times in person. It is always impressive. Union Pacific also has the 4-8-4 #844. Although I have seen it up close and personal a time or two, I would like to watch it again polish the system rails. The numbers you hear me say are the locomotive numbers leading the Zephyrs. It is a way for me to remember which ones I saw as I write up a description of the video. The next car behind the engines is a dedicated baggage car. It can be accessed by the conductor via a door on the ends of the car from the next car back known as a dorm/office/transition/sleeper. That car is used by the train staff (car attendants as sleeping quarters during the run). The conductors also do their paperwork there and several roomettes are available for paying passengers. I hope that answers your question. Please take care and stay safe!
Hey Mike, just a question not about the Zephyr but my son took pictures of 4014 going through Greeley yesterday question is why do they have box cars on the back of the train when I think when they started the excursion they primarily had all passenger cars with a couple of Dome cars on it. Appreciate if you would know the answer thanks.
Good afternoon, Geoffrey; I thank you for dialing in and the comments/ questions. The freight consist that 4014 was towing is for braking purposes. Or so I have been told n=by UP people in the know. The passenger cars were dropped in Kansas City and the freight cars replaced them there. Although the yard in Cheyenne is fairly large, the holding tracks are very limited. The cars that were seen yesterday belong to the steam team and are stored around the round house up there. The passenger consist is housed and cared for in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It makes more sense to drop the passenger equipment back there as no riders are taken as the 4014 returns to Cheyenne. The passenger style cars in that train are for the maintenance and caretakers of the steam locomotives as there aren't greases and all available elsewhere in the UP system. I hope that answers your question. I know it is disappointing not to see the passenger equipment our here. I would like to see them as well. Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. You did a great job with the big boy yesterday! Thank you.
Good morning, Mike; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I very much appreciate it. Have a great Thursday.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good afternoon or evening, not sure!! Hope you've had a nice day.I had a pic pop up when scrolling last night 1 year ago on this, todays date or the 23rd, dont rememberp but had snowed & it was really coming down, so pretty..I didn't really mind the snow, just the ice, especially the black ice..Enough about me. Hope you have a blessed evening up there & many thanks for the lady!!! 👋😉🥰💥😎
Good afternoon, Carolyn; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I would really like to see snow here. A cold front blew thru here today with winds upwards of 50mph in gusts. It has eased off a bit now. we are slated to go below freezing overnight. This is the first freeze alert of the season. I've been spoiled by the abnormal temperatures and am unsure how to dress for the changeable weather. May have to put on my parka and mittens tomorrow morning. But I could deal with some snow. Not the black ice. Just the snow.
I hope that you have a great evening down there. Please take care and stay safe! 🤠🥶👋👌🐧😂👍
Great job done Mike have a nice evening my friend
Good evening, James; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. I appreciate it.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good Thursday morning Mike! A little extra dwell time with Joe this morning. I heard the conversation. I didn’t realize he was working over on the west side till I heard him say that. He’ll get his sleeping clock back in order eventually I hope!😃. Clear and sunny skies here at 10:01 AM. Should be 62 after while here. Storms are forecast overnight tonight and we need the rain! Have a great Thursday out your way Sir! I am enjoying today! Mark in Iowa.
Good morning, Mark; I thank you for dialing in and the comments. I didn't realize he was over there for so long. How time flies when one is having fun! LOL!! That just confirms what I suspected. The track work is completed for the year on this line. I almost overslept today and had to hustle a bit. Still there with time to spare though. The front is taking its time moving thru out here. It started while I was at the depot. The wind has picked up a bit and is a drying wind from the northwest. A few clouds coming thru as well.
We are slated to drop below freezing overnight for the first time this season. I've been spoiled and have to learn to sleep with a window closed again.
Anyway, have a great Thursday back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Great Catch of Train #5 this morning. Have a great Thursday!!
Thank you, AJ. I appreciate it. Take care and stay safe!
Good day Mike, watching replay from Sth Australia 🇦🇺, all good mate as normal of the video
Good day, robo113603; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. Hava e great day down there!
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. Always something interesting and entertaining to help us make it through the day. Thanks again for yesterday's big boy video. Michael DeMarco's was also good. Have a great day out there, on the clear out.
Good morning, David; Thanks for dialing in and the comments. Hope you are doing ok. Yesterday's outing was fun for the most part. I'll do it again.
Have a great day up there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Yeah Mike a friend of mine down the alley from where I live talks about Big boi all the time. He also talks about 844. I think he's chased down Big Boy about two or three years ago when he came through. And he talks about 844 all the time. I think big boy was back in this area maybe a month ago or a month and a half ago? But he likes to go up North for the Soo line convention that's the convention held every middle of September in places like Duluth Minnesota or somewhere up in Wisconsin or the up in michigan. I think once it was held in Harvey North dakota. But he talks about it and he likes to photograph a lot of train engines at the Illinois railway museum. He's basically a big rail fan. So I'm going to share this video with him.
Good morning, Robert; Thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. You are correct in that the4014 was in the Chicago area about a month ago as part of the Heartland tour on the UP. Neither of the Union Pacific steam locomotives will diverge onto foreign railroads. It is amazing the planning that goes into the tours they make.
Canadian Pacific has the "Holiday Train" that is run across the CPKC system every year. I would like to visit that train of an evening on its tour.
I am fortunate to be at a reasonable driving distance to the UP mainline in Nebraska and the main from Cheyenne to Denver. Cheyenne is about 2 hour drive time from here if the state patrol goes for coffee. LOL! I have driven several fellow vets to the VA Hospital there over the past several years.
IRM is another place I would like to visit to see the Shea in operation. It is just as busy as the 4014 when in operation.
Have a great afternoon and evening back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Quite a few decades ago I rode behind the 844 between Denver and Cheyanne on the California Zephyer back when it was going up to the U.P. It went like the wind.
Good morning, Robert; I thank you for stopping by and the comments. I have not been behind 844 but I did have a ride behind 3985 from Cheyenne to Laramie and back. I can only imagine what the ride was with 844.
Have a great Friday,
Please take care and stay safe!
Nice chat with Conductor Joe today Mike. I would like to see 844 again too. Caught your chase video of 4014 and it was pretty cool. Just FYI, I saw a video about a month ago of ex-UP challenger 3985 in her repair bay and restoration of her (I forget where) is coming along nicely. Hey, thanks for a great video(s). Have a great day.
Good afternoon Lou; I thank you for dialing in as well as the comments. I knew h was working elsewhere for a while but didn't know how long. It's nice to have him back on this section.
3985 is in the old RI Silvis Illinois shops for its restoration. They got an entire hospital tri from the Cheyenne roundhouse as a donation with the understanding that 3985 would be restored to operating conditions. The same outfit is in charge of operating #261 (#??) I knew them as NorthStar but that may be wrong too. Anyway that 4-8-4 is under the same roof in operable condition. The tender that was sent back with 3985 is actually the tender for 4014. A nice tidbit.
Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening. Plese take care and stay safe!
Morning Mike I got a kick out of the early Highball the standard reply from the headend is usually On the advertised 🤣🤣
Good morning and thanks for stopping by as well as the comments. I had a smile as I heard that. It also made me check my watch. I am sure the crew will chide Joe a bit.
Hope that you have a great Thursday.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning, Mike. Got up and saw your message re: The Chase. Fantastic!
Today's video was good. Glad to see Sam so conversational this morning. And he didn't say Goodnight!! You've got a cool day ahead of you. Stay safe and be careful. To keep your spirits up & warm up a bit, just listen to the Big Boy again. That whistle is so haunting that it gives me a chill when I hear it.
Thanks for posting it. It was a thrill
Good morning, Jim; Thank you for dialing in and the comments. I think that Joe is happy to be back in this side of Denver. I'd get an overload of the scenery over there.
The cold front was plowing thru as I took the video this morning. It has put a coolness in the air. Hopefully we will get thru the day without sending the rural fire department on a call.
That steam whistle is a wonderful sounding instrument. They need more of them on the mainlines.
Have a great Thursday.
Please take care and stay safe!
good morning Mike thanks for the catch of #5 today. have a great day and a safe one.
Good morning, Ken; Thanks for tuning in and the comments. Yep. The expedition is over, and we go back to the usual coverage. LOL!
Have a great Thursday back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
I missed your video of the Big Boy; but I am glad to see the California Zephyr this morning 1
Good morning, Norman; I thank you for dropping by and the comments. The Big Boy video will remain for at least a couple of years. I eventually will archive it with the others of 4014.
Couldn't miss the Zephyr today. Had me hustling a bit to be there before they arrived.
Anyway, have a great Thursday.
Plese take care and stay safe!
Good Morning Mike. I seen the Big Boy in Illinois about 35 miles before it got to St. Louis it is something to see. Have a great day Mike.
Good morning, Kenny; Thank for tuning in and the comments. I agree with you. That engine is majestic. You got to see it with the passenger consist. I only get to see it out here with the freight consist used for braking. Oh well. It is still a mighty big engine.
Have a great Thursday back there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike. Nice video this morning. You are speedy this morning, or I,m late. See your video before my 1st coffee. That was a nice video of big boy yesterday. Have a great day and be safe.😊😊😊😊😊
Good morning, Gerald; Thank you for stopping by and the comments. I thought I may be a bit late in posting this morning as I had a line in front of me at Peppy's Coffee drive thru. It all worked out and was up fairly quickly. Anyway, it all works out. Have a great Thursday down there.
Please take care and stay safe!
Good morning Mike from 62 mid Tenn. Where is the change off of CZ from BNSF to UP tracks? Good horn music on departure, must be a strong breeze from the west. Glad you enjoyed your visit with " Big boy".
Good morning, Ben; I thank you for dialing in and the comments/question. The change happens at the throat of the Union Station in Denver. There used to be thru tracks along with the bypass around the station. The thru tracks were removed quite some time ago. It is controlled by a local yard dispatching tower not too far away from the north end of Union Station.
The wind changed while I was at the depot this morning. It is still from the northwest bringing more dry and colder air into the region.
Although it took 1 & 1/2 hours of highway time to reach Ault from FMG it is always worth the effort. BNSF is not going to allow steam to visit us out here on the Powder River District. Nor many other districts. I am fortunate to have access to the Union Pacific lines into Denver and the mainline from Cheyenne east thru North Platte reasonably close.
Have a great afternoon and evening.
Please take care and stay safe!
Hey Mike, a little different vantage point to catch the arrival of the #5 today. Better place to see the passenger activity. I guess backing up the clock by 1 hour will not provide much daylight for the Zephyr's arrival, unless they are running late.
I appreciate your comments yesterday about people taking offense at what one has to say. Seems more common today. Well as they say you cannot please everyone ... but it does seem more difficult to respectfully disagree with some people these days. Pity
I am not at all surprised by your experience, but it is disheartening. If we cannot talk openly with other Americans we are doomed. There are obviously lots of people I disagree with but I will listen respectfully and engage in conversation, but some people cannot tolerate any view point not aligned with their own. Sad
I missed the Big Boy video, will have to search for it.
Another good day.
Best
Ted
Good afternoon, Ted; Thanks for tuning in and the comments. Yep. They slid it by just a bit. But they had time to play. LOL!
You are right about the daylight with the time change. We will see a bit of rosy color in the eastern sky for a few days then slide back into darkness. Then it starts getting a bit lighter in a month or so as we start shortening the darkness by a minute or two every day.
I have used that line on the channel a few times. Some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time. But never all of the people all of the time. Then again, the CPOs were supposed to be that gruff. Or so many were led to believe. LOL! I only turned "A-hole" when safety was compromised, and a life was at stake.
Anyway, have a great afternoon and evening out there.
Please take care and stay safe, Doc!
I love the Big Boy, too. Saw it once with many photographers documenting it north of Marysville CA. You always say the number of the Zephyr locomotive and the car behind it -- is that the diesel fuel tank car?
Good evening, Barley150; Thak you for looking in and the comment/question. I can never grow tired of steam locomotives. I have seen the "big Boy" several times in person. It is always impressive. Union Pacific also has the 4-8-4 #844. Although I have seen it up close and personal a time or two, I would like to watch it again polish the system rails.
The numbers you hear me say are the locomotive numbers leading the Zephyrs. It is a way for me to remember which ones I saw as I write up a description of the video. The next car behind the engines is a dedicated baggage car. It can be accessed by the conductor via a door on the ends of the car from the next car back known as a dorm/office/transition/sleeper. That car is used by the train staff (car attendants as sleeping quarters during the run). The conductors also do their paperwork there and several roomettes are available for paying passengers.
I hope that answers your question.
Please take care and stay safe!
Hey Mike, just a question not about the Zephyr but my son took pictures of 4014 going through Greeley yesterday question is why do they have box cars on the back of the train when I think when they started the excursion they primarily had all passenger cars with a couple of Dome cars on it. Appreciate if you would know the answer thanks.
Good afternoon, Geoffrey; I thank you for dialing in and the comments/ questions. The freight consist that 4014 was towing is for braking purposes. Or so I have been told n=by UP people in the know. The passenger cars were dropped in Kansas City and the freight cars replaced them there. Although the yard in Cheyenne is fairly large, the holding tracks are very limited. The cars that were seen yesterday belong to the steam team and are stored around the round house up there. The passenger consist is housed and cared for in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It makes more sense to drop the passenger equipment back there as no riders are taken as the 4014 returns to Cheyenne. The passenger style cars in that train are for the maintenance and caretakers of the steam locomotives as there aren't greases and all available elsewhere in the UP system.
I hope that answers your question. I know it is disappointing not to see the passenger equipment our here. I would like to see them as well.
Please take care and stay safe!
Thanks Mike always in the know
Perhaps Joe had a hot date waiting in Denver and was in a hurry to get there?
🤣🤣