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Again, the Big Boy was designed and used as a fast freight locomotive, essentially a Challenger on steroids. Besides the 25 Big Boys and 108 Challengers, UP's most forgotten articulateds were the 2-8-8-0's. These were originally built as compounds with starting TE ratings of between 121,000 and 128,000 pounds and had 57"drivers. 67 of these were rebuilt and simpled shortly before the war and remained in service well into the 50s. <br /> <br />Comparing a Y6b to a Big Boy or Allegheny is like comparing a 2-10-2 to a 4-8-4, in many cases the 2-10-2 will pull more but they're very different locos designed for very different jobs. Even N&W used it's very fine class A 2-6-6-4's for fast freight. These simple articulateds were essentially Challengers with a 2 wheel lead truck and 70" drivers. A more interesting Y6 comparison would be to other 2-8-8-2's and 2-8-8-4's designed to haul heavy trains at lower speeds and here I suspect the Y6 does just fine. <br /> <br />Many of the so-called misused steam locos were acquired during the war when diesels were unavailable and the railroads were short of power. Once diesels did become available, they ended up in service they weren't really designed for. When UP dieselized all of it's passenger trains, the nearly new 4-8-4's ended up pulling freight across Nebraska and fortunately one survived in service to this day. I really enjoyed seeing 3985 when it was in Chicago and if someone were to restore a Y6b, I'd be just as quick to see and hear it as well.
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