World's largest operating steam locomotive to visit
By Nick Hytrek, Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2008
Corey Vondrak and his son Ian, 6, play with Ian’s train set Saturday. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
SIOUX CITY -- In August, Corey Vondrak bought his 6-year-old son, Ian, a train set, complete with Union Pacific locomotive No. 3985.
This week, Ian, a train fanatic, will get to see the real No. 3985, all 1 million pounds of it.
"Challenger," the world's largest operating steam locomotive, is scheduled to pull into Sioux City's Union Pacific yard Wednesday afternoon. It will be on public display from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Union Pacific yard office at 18th Street and Floyd Boulevard.
For a 6-year-old who's really into trains, waiting for Challenger is like waiting for Christmas, Vondrak said of his son.
"He's got a train calendar in the kitchen, and he's counting down the days," Vondrak said.
Stories like that are nothing new to Union Pacific officials, who periodically send their historically significant steam locomotives on tour. They typically draw large crowds, said Gene Hinkle, a Union Pacific spokesman.
"People just love steam locomotives. It's part of a bygone era. It's a piece of Americana," Hinkle said.
The Sioux City stop is part of the final leg of Challenger's 1,750-mile, 23-day tour from Cheyenne, Wyo., where the locomotive is based, to St. Paul, Minn.
Visitors checking out the locomotive are likely to be impressed by the sheer size of No. 3985. The locomotive is 122 feet long with a hinged frame that allows it to negotiate curves. It was built in 1943 for fast freight service and can reach a top speed of 70 mph. Challenger was retired in 1959 and restored in 1981 by Union Pacific employee volunteers.
Challenger is due to steam into Sioux City at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. It is scheduled to leave Sioux City at 8 a.m. Friday for Council Bluffs, where it will be on display for four days before heading home to Cheyenne.
The locomotive has been fitted with a Global Positioning Satellite transmitter, and those interested in checking its progress toward Sioux City can log onto the Union Pacific Web site at www.up.com. Enter the word "steam" in the search box on the home page for a shortcut to the map.
If you go
Union Pacific Railroad's "Challenger" No. 3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will be on public display from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Union Pacific yard office at 18th Street and Floyd Boulevard. Souvenirs and information about the locomotive will be available, and visitors can look through a window into the cab.
The locomotive is scheduled to arrive in Sioux City at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday and depart at 8 a.m. Friday.
This week, Ian, a train fanatic, will get to see the real No. 3985, all 1 million pounds of it.
"Challenger," the world's largest operating steam locomotive, is scheduled to pull into Sioux City's Union Pacific yard Wednesday afternoon. It will be on public display from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Union Pacific yard office at 18th Street and Floyd Boulevard.
For a 6-year-old who's really into trains, waiting for Challenger is like waiting for Christmas, Vondrak said of his son.
"He's got a train calendar in the kitchen, and he's counting down the days," Vondrak said.
Stories like that are nothing new to Union Pacific officials, who periodically send their historically significant steam locomotives on tour. They typically draw large crowds, said Gene Hinkle, a Union Pacific spokesman.
"People just love steam locomotives. It's part of a bygone era. It's a piece of Americana," Hinkle said.
The Sioux City stop is part of the final leg of Challenger's 1,750-mile, 23-day tour from Cheyenne, Wyo., where the locomotive is based, to St. Paul, Minn.
Visitors checking out the locomotive are likely to be impressed by the sheer size of No. 3985. The locomotive is 122 feet long with a hinged frame that allows it to negotiate curves. It was built in 1943 for fast freight service and can reach a top speed of 70 mph. Challenger was retired in 1959 and restored in 1981 by Union Pacific employee volunteers.
Challenger is due to steam into Sioux City at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. It is scheduled to leave Sioux City at 8 a.m. Friday for Council Bluffs, where it will be on display for four days before heading home to Cheyenne.
The locomotive has been fitted with a Global Positioning Satellite transmitter, and those interested in checking its progress toward Sioux City can log onto the Union Pacific Web site at www.up.com. Enter the word "steam" in the search box on the home page for a shortcut to the map.
If you go
Union Pacific Railroad's "Challenger" No. 3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will be on public display from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Union Pacific yard office at 18th Street and Floyd Boulevard. Souvenirs and information about the locomotive will be available, and visitors can look through a window into the cab.
The locomotive is scheduled to arrive in Sioux City at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday and depart at 8 a.m. Friday.
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