Railfan: North Platte/Cody Park, NE

M

mentor63

New Member
Jan 29, 2008
59
0
6
Colorado Springs, CO
I just returned from a trip to North Platte, NE, to see the new Golden Spike Tower and Bailey Yard, but I also spent some time at the nearby Cody Park in North Platte. It is a nice park for family get-togethers (barbeque, grass, baseball, trees, etc.), but for railfans the attraction is the UP area. They have both a Challenger and a DD40X on display and they are both beautifully restored and available to checkout and photograph up close. I will attach a few of the many photos I took and hope you enjoy them. The first 3 photos are of the Challenger 3977 (that firebox is huge!), the forth is the DD40X 6922, the 5th is a close up of a standpipe by the locos (I am always looking for details for my layout) and the 6th is of the Bailey Yard Inspection Pit and Sanding area.


Gary
 

Attachments

  • NorthPlatte Chall3977.jpg
    NorthPlatte Chall3977.jpg
    165.2 KB · Views: 10
  • NorthPlatte Cab3977.jpg
    NorthPlatte Cab3977.jpg
    181.3 KB · Views: 7
  • NorthPlatte 3977Firebox.jpg
    NorthPlatte 3977Firebox.jpg
    159.8 KB · Views: 7
  • NorthPlatte DD40X.jpg
    NorthPlatte DD40X.jpg
    160.3 KB · Views: 8
  • NorthPlatte WaterStandpipe.jpg
    NorthPlatte WaterStandpipe.jpg
    86.2 KB · Views: 6
  • NorthPlatte InspPitSand.jpg
    NorthPlatte InspPitSand.jpg
    197.8 KB · Views: 10
S

steamhead

Active Member
Apr 16, 2005
2,360
0
36
75
Brownsville, TX
Boy...!!! That's gotta be one of the most beautiful steamers ever..!!! Is it restored to working condition - or just for display..?? Is that a coal burner..? How did they ever keep that firebox "fed"...It's like a cavern in there..!!! :eek:

Great pictures...Thanks for sharing...:thumb:
 
S

ScratchyAngel

Member
Mar 25, 2008
187
0
16
Pullman, WA
Nice, but you might want to move these or any others to the right forum, since they aren't specific to scale, but are the real thing. So maybe Real Thing USA?
 
T

Triplex

Active Member
Aug 24, 2005
1,719
0
36
38
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Boy...!!! That's gotta be one of the most beautiful steamers ever..!!!
Click to expand...
And certainly one of the most impressive to find on a passenger train.
Is it restored to working condition - or just for display..??
Click to expand...
Only 3985 runs. IIRC, 3977 is the only other Challenger surviving; no non-UP Challengers remain.
Is that a coal burner..?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure. The Challengers were built coal-fired, but a number were converted to oil-firing. 3977 was one that was oil-fired, at least while it wore gray. Some Challengers were converted back to coal, though.
How did they ever keep that firebox "fed"...It's like a cavern in there..!!!
Click to expand...
They couldn't build steam that big until the mechanical stoker arrived.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom