Union Pacific 4023

Union Pacific 4023
No. 4023 in its current display site in 2007
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company (Schenectady Works) Serial number 72780 Build date November 1944 Rebuild date 1957
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-8-4  • UIC (2′D)D2′ h4 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 36 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 68 in (1,727 mm) Trailing dia. 42 in (1,067 mm) Wheelbase Locomotive: 72 ft 5+1⁄2 in (22.09 m) Overall: 117 ft 7 in (35.84 m) Length Locomotive: 85 ft 3.4 in (25.99 m) Overall: 132 ft 9+1⁄4 in (40.47 m) Width 11 ft (3.4 m) Height 16 ft 2+1⁄2 in (4.94 m) Adhesive weight 545,200 lb (247,000 kg) Loco weight 772,250 lb (350,300 kg) Tender weight 436,500 lb (197,990 kg) Total weight 1,208,750 lb (548,300 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 28 short tons (25.4 t; 25.0 long tons) Water cap. 25,000 US gal (95,000 L; 21,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 150 sq ft (14 m^2) Boiler 95 in (2,400 mm) Boiler pressure 300 lbf/in^2 (2.1 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 720 sq ft (67 m^2)  • Tubes and flues 5,035 sq ft (468 m^2)  • Total surface 5,735 sq ft (533 m^2) Superheater: ​  • Type Type A  • Heating area 2,043 sq ft (190 m^2) Cylinders 4 Cylinder size 23.75 in × 32 in (603 mm × 813 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 80 mph (130 km/h) Power output 7,000 hp (5,200 kW) @ Cylinder Tractive effort 135,375 lbf (602.18 kN) Factor of adh. 4.02
Career Operators Union Pacific Railroad Class 4884-2 Numbers UP 4023 Last run 1959 Retired 1962 Preserved 1963 Restored 1974 (cosmetically) Current owner City of South Omaha, Nebraska Disposition On static display

Union Pacific 4023 is a 4884-2 class 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" type steam locomotive, preserved at Kenefick Park in South Omaha, Nebraska. Built in November 1944 by the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Locomotive Works, No. 4023 is one of eight surviving Big Boys and the only one that is part of the class' second group built in 1944, as all seven of the other survivors were part of the first group built in 1941.[1]

History

In the early 1940s, the Union Pacific Railroad designed the only simple articulated steam locomotive with a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which would be the largest steam locomotive in the world. The first of these Big Boys were built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York. No. 4023 is one of the last five built in November 1944, forming part of the second generation of the Big Boys which had more tractive effort than the first generation and produced 6,250 horsepower rather than the first generation's 7,000 hp.

No. 4023 was assigned for fast and heavy freight trains through the Wasatch Mountains and over Sherman Hill. It was given a class 3 overhaul in 1957.

After its last run took place in 1959, No. 4023 was stored in Union Pacific's scrapline with the other Big Boy locomotives. In 1963, No. 4023 was repainted to be put on display for that year's National Railway Historical Society Convention in Cheyenne, Wyoming alongside 4-6-6-4 "Challenger" No. 3985 and 4-8-4 "Northern" No. 844. After the convention, No. 4023 was stored along with No. 3985 in the Cheyenne roundhouse.[2]

In 1974, No. 4023 was cosmetically restored and towed to Omaha, Nebraska, for static display in front of the Union Pacific's locomotive shops. When the shops were closed in 1988, No. 4023 was moved to the original Kenefick Park on Abbott Drive, near the former Union Pacific shop site. After the park's land was taken for an arena and convention center, No. 4023 was temporarily housed outside of the Durham Museum in Downtown Omaha.[3]

In spring 2005, No. 4023 was moved by truck on a highway[4] to the new location of Kenefick Park,[5] where it was put on static display alongside EMD DDA40X No. 6900.[6] During one of its cosmetic restorations, several functional appliances were replaced with new, fake appliances, including the safety valves, whistle, lubricators, and a new boiler jacket.

As of 2025, No. 4023 is still on display at Kenefick Park, and it remains the only Big Boy known to have been moved by highway.

References

1. Wrinn, Jim (February 15, 2018). "Where to find Big Boy locomotives". TrainsMag.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
2. "UP No. 3985 - The Challenger".
3. "Union Pacific Announces Location of New Kenefick Park". www.uprr.com/. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
4. "Big Boy 4023 Omaha". www.uphs.org. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
5. "Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha Botanical Center". www.lauritzengardens.org. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
6. "Union Pacific Big Boy 4023 & Centennial 6900". www.asme.org. Retrieved 2020-04-27.