The steam train will run Houston to Bryan / College Station Friday with No. 4141 in the consist. The route is the same used last year when No. 4141 pulled the President’s funeral train. Indications are that No. 4141 will remain in the Big Boy train through the stop in Palestine, Texas, on Saturday.
No. 4141 toured the UP system following the funeral train late last year, and it is expected to be donated to the Bush Presidential Library in College Station. A feature story on the creation of the locomotive’s special paint scheme like that of Air Force One is in the 2019 edition of Locomotive Magazine, available on newsstands and from Kalmbachhobbystore.com.
No. 4014 is on the second half of its extensive two-month, 4,800-mile fall tour of the southwest and southern parts of the UP system in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. Coverage of that tour is in the January and February editions of Trains, on the Trains Facebook page, and video will go into a DVD available in January about the locomotive’s Midwestern, Southwestern, and Southern tours.
Sometimes there is something that extracts more in just pure brand promotional goodwill and amnity than can be accounted for in a “bottom line”. 4014 and 4141 are both one of such things and I applaud UP for recognizing that. They’re unique in America.
Boy I am sure glad with earnings down, 2700 engines stored, employee levels down 18 percent and more layoffs coming, we still have money for this giant PR tour for the railfans and public that puts nothing to the bottom line at a time when all the railroad talks about is the bottom line.
that is good I also heard First Responders and 1943 will also be down there along the route. I even heard they sent the Council Bluff down to Westfield to meet them. that is the car they used to transport President Bush’s coffin from Westfield to Collage Station.
Life for railfans just keeps getting better. We are so blessed these days
UP 4141 should have been UP 4014’s back up engine through it’s entire Southwest Journey. That would’ve been a great add on for all involved especially railfans that haven’t seen 4141 before and I’m sure even those lucky enough to ride the Railgiants excursion.
The day before the UP 4014’s Railgiants Excursion in SoCal, their was last minute talk that the crew was thinking about adding the UP 1995 C&NW Heritage Unit to the special as it was also in UP’s West Colton Yard at the same time but that apparently didn’t work out.
Bummer.