Today we heard the "woo-woo-woo" of a steam whistle going through our busy little rural train town. Usually, every 15 minutes the Union Pacific is hauling through our town with grain, coal, and transportation of goods, but today it was the "Challenger" No. 3985. This was part of the 2008 tour. It will be on display in Boone, Iowa on Sept. 24 from 9:00-6:00pm if you want a up close and personal look at this vintage gem. Union Pacific Railroad's "Challenger" No. 3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will be on a five-state, 1,750-mile tour from Cheyenne, Wyo., to St. Paul, Minn., to celebrate railroad heritage.Union Pacific's No. 3985, an articulated locomotive with a "hinged" frame to allow it to negotiate curves, is 122 feet long. It weighs more than one million pounds, has six-foot diameter drive wheels and can reach a top speed of 70 miles per hour. No. 3985 was built in 1943 for fast freight service and was retired in 1959. In 1981, it was restored to running condition by UP employee volunteers for special service. The Challenger is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This information was compliments of site: http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/heritage_and_steam/2008/0912_railfest.shtml
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