I guess it is not too shocking that I have a love of steam trains. Pictured above is the Essex steam train. I would always beg my grandparents to take me for a train ride. I can't tell you how many times we actually went, but I can tell you they really loved me because I have so many memories of being on the train with them.
It’s only fitting that I have a photo of us on that train. Grandpa had an old Santa Fe train set in a box that lived near the washer and dryer for years. I don’t remember the entire backstory. Something about a PT boat event and someone winning it, but they never picked it up. I remember finding out that he had been holding onto it for years. That is how I talked myself into my first train set.
It was a simple HO set, and I had it set up on the floor in the corner of the living room. It was a simple oval track and I loved it. I remember waking up early one morning and going downstairs to play with it. This upset my sister, who was sleeping on the couch, and she threw her blanket at it before storming upstairs. That was the end of my first train set, and I was devastated. It was never meant to survive blanket warfare. Later that year my parents got me a Lionel train set. I’m pretty sure they still have it.
My love of trains is something I never really outgrew. That was Dad and I at Steamtown in Pennsylvania. It was during one of the bigger family vacations that we visited Steamtown. They did a special longer ride to a military base once a year for an open-base day. Somehow I talked my parents into planning that into the vacation.
Steamtown was where I first got to see a UP Big Boy locomotive in person. I remember reading about them and being sad that they were all retired. Something about such a massive train being sidelined just did not seem right to me. Twenty-five of these giants were made. We needed a powerful locomotive to get wartime freight over the mountain passes, and the Big Boy was the answer to that problem.
Of the 25 engines made, only eight remain. Of those eight, only one has been restored and put back on the rails. UP 4014 is a massive fire-breathing dragon and truly a sight to behold. I had known about its restoration for a few years, but I had never had a chance to see it in person.
It was April 2nd and I was sitting at work looking at the local news during a lull. 4014 was coming to Salt Lake Central Station in just a few hours. It was going to be chugging down the tracks just minutes from work and my house. Suddenly I was 12 again.
“Thor, this is the most autistic thing I will probably ask you, but can I leave early to go see the train pull in?”
I was a few minutes behind schedule and they were a few minutes early. Parking was a nightmare. The crowd was massive! I expected a decent turnout, but I was surprised how many people came out on a weekday afternoon to see 4014. As I was finding parking I heard the steam whistle. I don’t care what anyone says—a steam whistle has a soul. Nothing else sounds like it.
It was worth it. It was so freaking worth it to leave work early and see this massive machine in person. I felt like a big kid again. I couldn’t believe I finally got to see a living, breathing Big Boy! My inner child was so happy. I truly never thought I would get to see one of these massive beasts living and breathing again.
Shelby was somewhat bothered that I took this adventure solo, but I had a limited opportunity and I took it. However, I think I made it up to them.
On April 18th, 4014 made a two-day stop in Ogden. So Shelby, Scot, Monkey, and I took the FrontRunner up to Ogden to see Big Boy. That train was packed and so was Ogden Station.
.heic)
The weekend crowd that turned out was simply massive. We ended up taking a detour and going to a coffee shop just down the road to give things some time to settle.
I think that was probably the best plan. Every 30 minutes Big Boy would blow the whistle. Hearing the soul of that train in downtown Ogden, Utah was like taking a step back in time. Ogden was a massive rail hub and I can only imagine what it sounded like back in the 1940s.
We were going to visit the museums, but everything was so crowded. We spent a few hours enjoying the sights and sounds of 4014. We took in the outside exhibits at the museum and eventually boarded the FrontRunner for our trip home.
It was amazing getting to see 4014 twice. Sharing it the second time with my kiddo, partner, and future father-in-law was a great experience. Monkey has actually asked to go back and see the museum. At the end of the month I have a long weekend coming up, and I think it just might be time to make another trip to Ogden and check out the museum.
As stupid as it might sound, this little day trip was so good for my mental health. I’ve been reading more, studying things that bring me joy, and stopping just a little more often to take in the views and enjoy the ride of being alive.
Bishop :(:
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