UP Centipede Tenders

[kenotrainnut]

In the special magazine on the Big Boy put out a few years ago by TRAINS, there was a discussion of the fact that several extant 4000s do not have their original tender because UP would occasionaly swap them between engines. I'm curious whether the design of the Centipede tenders was consistent across the 4000, 3900, and 800 class engines that used the design; and whether, to save time on the 4014 rebuild, could the Steam Crew swap 4014's current tender with, say, 3985, which has been converted to oil already? Or are there enough design differences between the different engine types that would prevent them from doing this?

I'm not suggesting UP would actually do this, just curious.

[thomas81z]

kenotrainnut

In the special magazine on the Big Boy put out a few years ago by TRAINS, there was a discussion of the fact that several extant 4000s do not have their original tender because UP would occasionaly swap them between engines. I'm curious whether the design of the Centipede tenders was consistent across the 4000, 3900, and 800 class engines that used the design; and whether, to save time on the 4014 rebuild, could the Steam Crew swap 4014's current tender with, say, 3985, which has been converted to oil already? Or are there enough design differences between the different engine types that would prevent them from doing this?

I'm not suggesting UP would actually do this, just curious.

 

thier is no reason they couldnt in a pinch

[kgbw49]

Oil firing would make that more easily accomplished. No need to line up a stoker screw. Just connect the drawbar and the water and oil hoses, assuming the deck heights of the cab are the same or close.

If memory serves me correctly, some of the FEF-1 units that were reactivated during the waning years of steam in the late 1950s received Centipede tenders rather than keeping their original 6-wheel-trucked tenders.

Here is FEF-1 814 in operation with a Centipede tender in 1957.

http://www.railarchive.net/bigboys/up814.htm

Also, when you get on that site, use the forward and back buttons. There are some amazing pictures of UP steam in full-blown revenue service in the 1950s. Really great stuff!