In the decade they were operated, Union Pacific's 8500-series Gas Turbine Electric Locomotives earned two nicknames: UP dubbed them the "Super Fleet" for obvious reasons as they were the largest, most powerful locomotives ever employed by the railroad. More often the Turbines were referred to as "Big Blows" due to the deafening roar of their engines. Thirty of these GE-built giants were delivered to the UP between 1958 and 1961. Used primarily between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming, where the tough grades of the Wasatch Mountains required UP's sturdiest power, these monsters could log up to 10,000 miles a month hauling heavy mixed freight and coal trains. The 8500 series were permanently coupled six-axle units running on C-C trucks, and their prime mover was the most powerful ever used in a locomotive. The operating weight for the A and B units combined was close to 850,000 pounds, yet they could attain speeds of up to 70 mph!
A "scenic picture from a hobo's point of view".
No matter what your age you'll love watching this impressive and comprehensive story of the developm...
Just as the original hobos of the early 20th century were scorned the mainstream of society, so too ...
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - t...
Tracing the eastern banks of the upper Mississippi River is BNSF’s St. Croix Subdivision, a mostly d...
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - t...
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - t...
Experience the power of the mighty Union Pacific as it conquers its toughest run, the Blue Mountains...
See the Union Pacific fight and win as it takes on the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon - the toughe...
Experience the power of the mighty Union Pacific on its toughest run, the Blue Mountains of Eastern ...
Donner Pass – the name evokes daunting obstacles with good reason. Steep grades and seven months a y...
Esteemed for its scenic beauty and respected for the difficulty of its terrain, Tennessee Pass has b...
Savor images of Conrail action across the Pittsburgh Line, the very soul of this once mighty transpo...
Pentrex takes you back in time to the late 1950s and 1960s for a close-up look at the waning years o...
Union Pacific has always been on the cutting edge of locomotive technology. In the 1950s, it became ...
Flanking the western shore of the upper Mississippi River runs Canadian Pacific's River Subdivision,...
The mighty 4449 was painted black with BNSF decals to head up a BNSF Employee Appreciation Special i...
From headwaters in Canada, the Columbia River flows over twelve hundred miles to the Pacific Ocean a...
Climbing gently from the tidewater ports near Portland, Oregon is the Columbia River Gorge'a wide, f...
With just six days remaining before Santa Fe was to be merged with the Burlington Northern, Pentrex ...