O Santa Fe Blue Goose Passenger Set/3.0

Just months before Pearl Harbor, the American Locomotive
Company delivered the first Big Boy to the Union Pacific Railroad at
Council Bluffs, Iowa September 4, 1941. Union Pacific’s love affair
with larger than life locomotives, allowed for the successful advent of
the Big Boy and Challenger, but also led to the failures of other gas
turbines such as the DD40AX “Centennial”. One of the UP’s earliest and
most successful big engines was the 9000-class 4-12-2, which boasted
the longest rigid wheelbase of any American steam locomotive. Designed
for fast freight service, the eighty-eight 9000-class engines were
built by Alco in 1926-30, during a period when low-speed “drag” freight
service – the norm on American railroads for decades – was being
largely supplanted by freight trains running at passenger speeds. The
9000s could haul a mile-long train at 50 mph, twice the speed of the
Mallet articulateds they replaced.

Designed specifically by UP’s Department of Research and
Mechanical Standards, the Big Boy pulled 3600-ton trains unassisted
over the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. While this locomotive is often
cited as the biggest steam locomotive ever built, in fact it is not.
The Norfolk & Western’s Y6 and A, the Duluth Missabe &
Iron Range’s Yellowstones, and the Chesapeake and Ohio’s Alleghenys
were all in the same league, and some exceeded the Big Boy’s weight and
power. Known as a “Union Pacific” type for their wheel arrangement
unique to the U.P., the 9000s were also the most successful
three-cylinder rod locomotives ever built. The third cylinder was
placed between the two outside cylinders and drove a rod connected to
the second axle, which was shaped like a crankshaft rather than a
straight axle. A pair of hinged rods driven off the outer cylinders,
and clearly visible on the pilot in front of the cylinders, operated
the third cylinder’s valve gear. The rest of the middle cylinder’s
machinery, however, was not so visible or accessible, and tended to
receive less than the optimal amount of attention from shop crews.
Despite the maintenance headaches of the third cylinder, however, the
4-12-2s proved versatile and dependable. When faster and more powerful
Challengers and Big Boys replaced them as the UP’s premier freight
engine, the 9000s became the principal freight power on the Nebraska
division, where they served until early 1956. Engine No. 9000 was saved
from the scrapper and resides today at the Los Angeles County Fairplex
in Pomona, CA.

New for 2010, the 9000-class joins the other unique and
massive UP power that has graced the Premier lineup. With smoother
operation than any other model of this unique engine, our 4-12-2 will
feature the wealth of added-on details you expect in a Premier
locomotive – including operating third-cylinder valve gear on the pilot
– and a correct six chuffs per driver revolution

This enduring symbol of American railroading returns to the
Premier line for 2010, complete with industry-leading speed control,
synchronized puffing smoke timed to driver revolutions, and a range of
accurate sounds that characterize all M.T.H. locomotives. Our model
features a Pittman motor and four traction tires for pulling power and
speed that rival the original Big Boy – as well as authentic
articulated chuffing sounds with the two engines drifting in and out of
sync.

Outfitted in two configurations, the 2010 Big Boy Special
Edition Sets includes your choice of a passenger consist or a freight
train with either locomotive programmed with station or freight yard
Proto-EffectsT. Each set is limited in quantity and will save you
$300.00 when compared to the individual price of each item.