Athearn UP 4-8-8-4 Big Boy Locomotive 4014
Model Information
Prototype Details
Availability
Model Information
Model Information
The official description provided by the manufacturer.
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION * Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power The Union Pacific's Overland Route, the eastern portion of the * Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, Transcontinental Railroad, was built west of Omaha, across Nebraska and field measurements, photographs, and more Wyoming, and on into Utah. The steepest grade was the eastbound climb on * Accurately-painted and -printed paint schemes the Echo Canyon line through the Wahsatch Mountains just east of Ogden, * Bidirectional constant LED lighting so headlight brightness remains Utah. Forty 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotives were acquired in 1936 and 1937 constant to move fast freight over the grades in Utah and Wyoming. They were rated * Minimum radius: 11" at 4,290 tons across Wyoming, but were limited to 3,100 tons eastbound through Echo Canyon. CA-11 CABOOSE FEATURES: * Better than brass detail(TM) including roadname and road number Union Pacific wanted something that could make the same speeds as the specific detail and laser-sharp painting and printing Challengers but could carry the entire 4,290-ton train over the Wahsatch * Detailed interior including conductor's desk, stove, sink, bath- Mountains without a helper. The easiest solution was to scale up the room, radio stand, and more successful Challenger design by adding another pair of drivers to each half of the locomotive, thus making a 4-8-8-4. * See-through end platforms and steps * Etched metal window screens on door and some side windows In 1941, UP placed an order for twenty 4-8-8-4's, numbered 4000 through * Wire-form grab irons 4019, with the American Locomotive Works. Each engine cost $265,174. * Axle generator details According to legend, an unidentified machinist at the ALCO plant is * Body-mounted McHenry(R) scale knuckle-spring couplers responsible for the name "Big Boy", having scrawled the name in chalk on a * Multiple road numbers partially completed locomotive. * Separate wireform grab irons, etched metal coupler platforms * Coupler lift bars, trainline hoses, brake hoses, and hardware The Big Boys were exactly what the railroad wanted. They were coal burners wiht 68-inch drivers, 135,375 pounds of tractive effort and 6,000 horsepower. * Full underframe detail: air brake reservoir, control valve, and They started service on the line from Ogden to Green River, Wyoming brake cylinder with plumbing and brake rod details and their operating range soon increased to cover the lne all the way to * Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular Cheyenne. brands of track * Weighted for trouble-free operation Traffic during WWII resulted in five more Big Boys, numbered 4020 through * Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box 2024. being built in 1944. These versions were slightly heavier than the * Accurately painted and printed for prototypical realism original order due to wartime materials restrictions. Despite the influx of * Highly-detailed, injection-molded body diesel locomotives following WWII, the Big Boys and Challengers remained the prime power on the Overland Route. They aslo say service as helpers, * Durable jewel case packaging leading gas turbines and diesels over Sherman Hill. They remained active * Minimum radius: 9 "" radius through the 1950s and weren't retired unti the early 1960s. By then, the first twenty units had been run well over one million miles. $599.99 w/o SOUND | $699.99 w/ SOUND PER SET These items are subject to Horizon's MAP policy VISIT Your Local Retailer Orders Due: 10.25.24 CLICK Athearn.com ETA: MARCH 2026 CALL 1.800.338.4639
Additional community-contributed notes or observations.
Initial Source: 03_GENN_Big_Boy_Snowbus_Caboose_092724 (1).pdf