Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

World's largest steam engine to stop in Gurdon

Gurdon residents will have a chance to see the Challenger No. 3985, a steam engine used by the Union Pacific Railroad. The engine plans to be in Gurdon from 1-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.

According to Union Pacific media contact John Bromway, the stop is scheduled to give the engine a little tender loving care, in the form of oil and refueling.

The train is slated to depart from Longview, Texas, at 8 a.m. Thursday with a stop at Texarkana before arriving at Gurdon. Gurdon just happens to be a convenient distance from the first and last stops of the day.

Those interested in tracking the progress of the Challenger can do so online at the railroads Web site, http://www.uprr.com and following the media link to press releases and then to satellite technology helps track the worlds largest operating steam engine.

According to a Union Pacific press release, Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 was designed by Union Pacific and built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company. It is one of 105 Challengers built for Union Pacific between 1936 and 1943 and is the only operating engine of its class in the world today  the largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive.

No. 3985 last operated in regular train service in 1957. It was retired in 1962 and stored in the roundhouse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, until 1975, when it was placed on display near the Cheyenne depot. A group of Union Pacific employees volunteered their services to restore the locomotive to running condition in 1981.

The name Challenger was given to steam locomotives with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement. This means that they have four wheels in the leading pilot truck, which helps guide the locomotive into curves; two sets of six driving wheels, and finally, four trailing wheels, which support the rear of the engine and its massive firebox. Each set of driving wheels has its own steam cylinder. The result, in essence, is two engines under one boiler.

The frame of the locomotive is articulated, or hinged, to allow it to go through curves. When watching the approaching locomotive go through a curve, you can see the boiler swing out left or right independently of the lower half of the engine, as the rear half of the locomotive remains in a straight direction until its wheels and frame are halfway through the curve.

The Challengers were designed for fast freight service, but occasionally pulled passenger trains. No. 3985 originally burned coal and pulled a tender with a 32-ton capacity. In 1990, it was converted to use No. 5 oil. The top speed of No. 3985 is about 70 miles an hour.