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Big Boy name

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Saturday, February 16, 2019 10:05 AM

And how did a C&NW H-class 4-8-4 come to be called a "Zeppelin of the Rails"?  It was a little bit heavier than air.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by wjstix on Friday, February 15, 2019 2:01 PM

Flintlock76

It wasn't unusual for railroaders back in the steam days to call the BIG freight locomotives "Big Boys," in addition to "Hogs" or "Battleships."

In a scene in the 1930 railroad-themed movie "Danger Lights", Louis Wolheim's character refers to a Milwaukee Road 2-8-2 as "the big boy".

Stix
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 2:57 PM

Jones1945

 

 Oh, I wouldn't say one's any better than the other, they're both good!
 Just different, that's all.
Flintlock76

Mr. Jones, the way I look at it is as long as there's steam freaks there's going to be these kinds of discussions.  As long as it's all in fun there shouldn't be a problem.

I will say there's some out there who take this stuff WAY too seriously!  

 

 

Exactly, Wayne. Some people just take it WAY too seriously and made conservation like an investigation. There was no perfect steam locomotive in my book. 

 

 
CSSHEGEWISCH

And I will argue that a Chicago hot dog is infinitely better than a New York hot dog on any day.

Same goes for Chicago pizzaYeah

 

 

I will skip the arguing part and put them all into my mouth! CoffeeDinner

 

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Posted by Jones1945 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:02 AM

Flintlock76

Mr. Jones, the way I look at it is as long as there's steam freaks there's going to be these kinds of discussions.  As long as it's all in fun there shouldn't be a problem.

I will say there's some out there who take this stuff WAY too seriously!  

Exactly, Wayne. Some people just take it WAY too seriously and made conservation like an investigation. There was no perfect steam locomotive in my book. 

CSSHEGEWISCH

And I will argue that a Chicago hot dog is infinitely better than a New York hot dog on any day.

Same goes for Chicago pizzaYeah

I will skip the arguing part and put them all into my mouth! CoffeeDinner

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 10:16 AM

And I will argue that a Chicago hot dog is infinitely better than a New York hot dog on any day.

Same goes for Chicago pizzaYeah

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9:28 AM

Mr. Jones, the way I look at it is as long as there's steam freaks there's going to be these kinds of discussions.  As long as it's all in fun there shouldn't be a problem.

I will say there's some out there who take this stuff WAY too seriously!  

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Posted by Jones1945 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 5:23 AM

Speaking of the UP Big Boy, I once thought this is the engine type that can bring people together instead of endless arguing. I notice some younger UP fan and C&O H-8 "Allegheny" fan still arguing about which engine is bigger, heavier and more powerful on different platforms. Such argument or "discussion" encourages people to analysis things scientifically and based on fact but not feeling or imagination. But flogging the dead horse generation after generation, What's the good of it? Coffee

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Friday, February 8, 2019 4:52 PM

It wasn't unusual for railroaders back in the steam days to call the BIG freight locomotives "Big Boys," in addition to "Hogs" or "Battleships."

In the case of the UP Big Boy, an unknown shopman at ALCO chalked the name on the smokebox, and in this case it stuck to that particular class of locomotive.  

Why?  Who knows why?  It just did.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, February 8, 2019 2:12 PM

Bob's Big Boy was founded in 1936 in Glendale CA.  Unlikely to be the origin of the Big Boy name chalked onto the boiler of one of UP's 4-8-8-4s at Alco's plant in Schenectady NY in 1941.

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Big Boy name
Posted by SPer on Friday, February 8, 2019 1:27 PM

Which came first, the Big Boy hamburger mascot or the UP steam locomotive.

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