Rajan Wilcox
The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944. It was operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in revenue service until 1962. The Big Boy consumed 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water an hour operating at full throttle, and its firebox burned coal at around 2,000 °F (1,093 °C). Big Boy No. 4014 was initially built to burn coal but was modified to burn No. 5 fuel oil in 2019. It consumes 20 to 25 gallons of oil per mile.
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What You'll Learn
Big Boy's fuel economy
The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944. The 25 Big Boy locomotives were built to haul freight over the Wasatch Range between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming. They were the only locomotives to use a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement.
Big Boy's prodigious need for fuel was so great that no regular fireman could keep up with it. A mechanical stoker auger transported coal from the supply in the tender to the engine's firebox. On test runs between Ogden and Evanston (76 miles), it was found that a Big Boy could consume 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water an hour operating at full throttle.
The Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) plans to rebuild Big Boy No. 4014's original tender, No. 25-C-116, to carry fuel oil instead of coal.
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Big Boy's fuel consumption
The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. It was one of the largest and heaviest steam locomotives ever built, weighing over 1,189,000 lb (539,000 kg) and producing 6,290 hp (4,690 kW). The Big Boy was designed for a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), with a maximum reported speed of 72 mph (116 km/h).
Big Boy's fuel economy is measured in gallons per mile, not miles per gallon. It originally burned coal, consuming 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water per hour at full throttle. However, during its restoration, it was converted to burn No. 5 fuel oil, with a consumption rate of 20 to 25 gallons of oil per mile, depending on load, grade, and conditions. This conversion allows for better fuel efficiency and cost savings, as well as being a preferred power source in tunnels.
The high fuel consumption of the Big Boy locomotive is due to its power and size. With a maximum power capacity of over 6,000 horsepower, it could haul a 3,600-ton train unassisted up the Wasatch Mountain grade. To meet this demand, a large mechanical stoker auger transported coal from the tender to the engine's firebox, as no regular fireman could keep up with its prodigious need for fuel.
The firebox, measuring 235 inches long and 96 inches wide, burned coal at around 2,000 °F (1,093 °C). Heat from the firebox flowed through the boiler via a series of tubes, each 22 feet long. The boiler pressure was critical to maintaining the engine's performance, as evidenced by the incident where a fireman had to shovel 27 tons of coal into the firebox when the mechanical stoker broke.
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Big Boy's fuel type
The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944. The 25 Big Boy locomotives were built to haul freight over the Wasatch Range between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming.
Big Boy No. 4014 is the world's largest operating steam locomotive. Of the eight remaining Big Boys in existence today, No. 4014 is the only one still in operation. Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment, normally operating between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Big Boy No. 4014 was originally built to burn coal but was modified to burn No. 5 fuel oil in 2019. The Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) plans to rebuild No. 4014's original tender, No. 25-C-116, to carry fuel oil instead of coal.
In April 1943, it was found that a Big Boy could consume 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water an hour operating at full throttle, producing 6,290 drawbar horsepower at 41.4 mph.
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Big Boy's fuel usage per mile
The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944. Twenty-five Big Boy locomotives were built to haul freight over the Wasatch Range between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming.
Big Boy's fuel economy is measured in gallons per mile, not miles per gallon. Big Boy No. 4014, which began life as a coal-burning locomotive, consumes 20 to 25 gallons of oil per mile, depending on load, grade, and conditions. During testing on the Evanston Subdivision from Ogden to Evanston (76 miles), it was found that a Big Boy could consume 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water an hour operating at full throttle, producing 6,290 drawbar horsepower at 41.4 mph.
The Big Boys were designed for a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), but the highest speed reported during testing was 72 mph (116 km/h). It is unlikely that the engine was ever operated in service much beyond 50 mph (80 km/h). When hauling the heaviest loads up steep grades, the engine's speed was reduced to around 12 mph (19 km/h).
Today, eight Big Boys survive, with most on static display at museums across the United States. One of them, No. 4014, was re-acquired by Union Pacific and rebuilt to operating condition between 2014 and 2019. It is now the largest and most powerful operational steam locomotive in the world.
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Big Boy's fuel usage during testing
The Union Pacific Big Boy was one of the largest and heaviest steam locomotives ever built, weighing over 1,189,000 lb (539,000 kg). The engine produced 6,290 hp (4,690 kW) and could pull over 100 tons. During testing, the Big Boy consumed 11 tons of coal and 12,000 gallons of water an hour operating at full throttle, producing 6,290 drawbar horsepower at 41.4 mph. The locomotive was designed for a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), but the highest speed attained during testing was 72 mph (116 km/h).
The Big Boy's fuel economy is measured in gallons per mile, not miles per gallon. During testing, the locomotive consumed 20 to 25 gallons of oil per mile, depending on load, grade, and conditions. The engine had a maximum power capacity of more than 6,000 horsepower and could haul a 3,600-ton train unassisted up the Wasatch Mountain grade. Pulling freight on a level track, it could achieve a speed of 70 mph (112 km/h).
The Big Boy's firebox was 235 inches (5.97 m) long and 96 inches (2.44 m) wide and burned coal at around 2,000 °F (1,093 °C). A large mechanical stoker auger transported coal from the supply tender to the engine's firebox, as no regular fireman could keep up with the locomotive's prodigious need for fuel. During one notable test, a fireman named Dillard Hill shoveled 27 tons of coal into the firebox when the mechanical stoker broke, demonstrating the immense fuel requirements of the Big Boy locomotive.
The Big Boy locomotives underwent several test runs on the Evanston Subdivision from Ogden to Evanston (76 miles). These tests demonstrated that the Big Boy could handle 4,200 tons, running at an average speed of 18 to 20 mph between the two division points. The locomotives were highly regarded by crews for their stability, user-friendliness, and capability, and their rated hauling tonnage was increased over time.
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Frequently asked questions
Big Boy consumes 20 to 25 gallons of oil per mile depending on load, grade, and conditions. It was initially built to burn coal but was modified to burn No. 5 fuel oil in 2019.
A Big Boy can consume 11 tons of coal an hour operating at full throttle.
Big Boy's fuel economy is measured in gallons to the mile, not miles to the gallon, which is a more economical option.
The Big Boy was designed to haul heavy freight over long distances, which requires a lot of power and fuel.
A large, mechanical stoker auger transports coal from the supply in the tender to the engine's firebox, which burns coal at around 2,000 °F (1,093 °C).
