Monday morning Maplewood residents gathered by the tracks in the Greenwood neighborhood to see the steam locomotive the Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 heading west. Maplewood resident Charles Hardy took these photos.
Big Boy chugs through Maplewood
Monday morning Maplewood residents gathered by the tracks in the Greenwood neighborhood to see the steam locomotive the Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 heading west. Maplewood resident Charles Hardy took these photos.
I grew up in Maplewood on Flora, block and a half from the MoPac depot. During the late 40s-early 50s in summer, I would be down on the platform every day watching MP steam trains. Dad was an engineer on the Frisco and entertained me with endless stories of running the steam engines.
In 1985 I participated in the restoration of Frisco 1522 at the Museum of Transportation and ended up as one of the three engineers on it. I ran it through Maplewood quite a few times from 1990-2002 until it was retired. Like old home week. Wish my Dad could have seen it. He worked on the Frisco from 1916-1964 when he died in an auto accident.
I could lie in bed with the windows open and hear the MP trains attacking Kirkwood Hill and the Frisco working up out of the yard at Lindenwood. Then the world fell apart and diesels took over.
1522 got a beautiful paint job from Mike Swederska and crew from Shur Way Auto Body on Greenwood back in the 90s.
It truly was an awesome experience. So loud! I should have had ear plugs.
Lots of folks related to the railroads moved to/lived in Maplewood and surrounding area. My parents transferred here from Kansas City in the very early 50’s so my dad could work in the Missouri Pacific central test lab on Chouteau, East of Grand. (Great bus service here then too!) These tracks were “owned” by MOPAC (now Union Pacific merged) and our house was/is a scant block away from the these tracks. My brother started with them, was educated in the computer side of things the lured to Texas to work for Burlington Northern. My mother used to say that she felt closer to my brother then when she would hear the train switching at night from the Frisco rail yard under Arsenal and just off of at the end of McCausland on Wabash (now lots of trucks). Clear to hear from the house that time of day.
Exciting to see 4014 go through here. The viewing points were packed!
Great photo.
Such a treat to see (and feel the weight) of this locomotive. These, and its smaller relatives, are what helped build America.
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