Big Boy 4014 in Jefferson, Texas on 08/25/2021- TOMORROW!

 

 Blog time!

A bit of explaining is needed here.  This entry is being done for two reasons.  The first is that an entry is long overdue.  The second is because I need to get information on my scouting today to a friend who will be joining me in the morning.  It’s too much information to send in a text and he needs to see the pictures of the locations to help plan tomorrow.    So..  Here I go.

 

It’s Tuesday, August 24^th and I am on vacation.  Too many things have changed what I planned to do but, so far, the biggest thing I want to do is still on.  What is that?  Chasing a steam engine.  Specifically, Union Pacific 4014.  Big Boy!

The pandemic is hitting this area hard so I have altered plans a bit.  I had planned on catching it in Fort Worth and then chasing it to Houston.  New Orleans wasn’t a stop I had seriously considered but hadn’t been ruled out until infection rates started jumping back up.  Now?  It’s in Shreveport, LA right now and will be coming through Northeast Texas in the morning with stops in Jefferson and Atlanta.  I’m hoping to get some good pictures from a bit farther out than my previous train chasing outings.  I’m not getting in a crowd like before.  I’m not one of these people who are terrified of the prospect of getting sick but I do believe in behaving sensibly and not diving into a crowd and getting sick.

I viewed the 4014 when it was on display in Marshall, TX and took pictures and video when stopped in Atlanta in 2019.  This is a new opportunity for me because, since I became aware of UP’s steam program, none of the engines have stopped in Jefferson so I went to went there to scout the best place to shoot pictures this afternoon.  I was not impressed.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Jefferson.  It’s a great little town.  Plenty of antique stores.  Great places to eat.  Some good saloons (at least I’ve been told, but I don’t drink). Jefferson has a rich history with the railroad but does it have a good place for the biggest operating steam engine in the world to stop?  Nope!  I’ve included pictures to show what I found.

Big Boy will come into Jefferson from the south.  The first place the engine can be seen is the crossing on W. Broadway (State Hwy 49) which is a block west of Walcott St. (U.S. Hwy 59).  There is a McDonalds on S. Walcott that also has a drive that goes out to Broadway.  This drive borders the East side of the railroad property.  If you are standing on the West side of the drive the train will pass within about thirty feet of you.  The biggest problem there is that vegetation on the East side of the tracks blocks being able to see the train until it is less than a block from the property. 

Standing at edge of McDonalds' property and in the driveway

There is a parking lot for a strip shopping center on the North side of Broadway that would give a much better view but I can see a problem if the owners of the property object to anyone parking and waiting there.  The business aren’t the type where you would be going shopping to justify waiting there.  I would imagine there wouldn’t be much problem on the McDonalds property so long as you buy something every now and then so you aren’t “loitering.” As many people are there are likely to be I doubt they would appreciate you parking there and going across the road for a while.

I had thought there would be a good spot to wait at the intersection of Tuttle and Watson streets but that isn’t a good location.   There is a curve in the tracks just South of the intersection and the weeds are high enough to block the view of the tracks for more than about a hundred feet.  There is, however, a crossing on Watson a half block from the intersection and there is a clear area East of it where pictures are possible but they will be close up rather than ones where you can see the train approaching.  A freight train I observed at the crossing today was only going about 25 or 30 MPH and I imagine the 4014 will be moving much slower since it will be stopping just a few blocks away. 

Taken from the East/North side of the crossing on Watson St.

The location for the stop, which is only thirty minutes, is on N. Alley Street.  There are two separate guarded crossings that are about a block apart with a total of six tracks, including sidings that only go a short distance.  All but the two for the main line are in very poor condition.  Poor enough that in the passes I made through the area I observed people in small cars were weaving back and forth to try and keep from hitting the rough areas.

There isn’t a lot of parking area around this that is not railroad property and given UP’s policies for anyone getting on their property I’m wondering how close we are going to be able to get to the engine.  The area outside of the UP right of way is not really the friendliest for people to be tramping around.  Granted, this is a quick stop.  There’s no time for display where we would be able to go through the museum car or walk all around the train taking pictures or just generally looking at it from whatever angle we want. 

These pictures show the approach to the crossing from the North.  There are several pieces of equipment for working on the tracks scattered around.  I wonder if they'll be moved before morning.

One of type of pictures of steam engines most people like the most are then ones where the engine is taking off and producing clouds of steam.  I don’t see a good location to get ahead of the train to take pictures of this.  There is no spot past Alley St. where you can see the train.  There are no more crossings in Jefferson and the tracks turn into an area that can’t be seen from the roadway after this.  Yes, there are surely roads the tracks cross between Jefferson and Atlanta but by the time the 4014 gets to them it will most likely be moving at full steam and will be past you in about twenty seconds or so.

Am I going to let this stop me?  No.  I’m going to make the best of the opportunity and get the best pictures I can. 

ps.  Please forgive the quality of the pictures.  I had planned on texting them to my friend and wasn't worried about a dirty windshield and such.  The editing was also done in a hurry with a cheap editor.