# I can die happy now, thank you Big Boy



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Drove to Owatonna today to see Big Boy up close. It was running late, but I didn’t care in the least. When I heard that whistle I was giddy as a school boy. Got to walk up and touch it and that fulfilled a boyhood dream of mine. Sometimes things like this make you remember the important things in life, and sometimes it’s the little things you will remember all your life. Took my boy with us and he absolutely loved it. Hope he remembers this as fondly as I do of my great-uncles taking me to see the Chicago Northwestern 1385 locomotive in about 1987. They are long gone and the locomotive is decommissioned, but it lives on in my minds eye.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Good looking machine. I have wondered more than once why they don't use those locomotives for touring trains across our countires. Would enjoy it.

Keep up the memory making.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Palmettokat said:


> Good looking machine. I have wondered more than once why they don't use those locomotives for touring trains across our countires. Would enjoy it.
> 
> Keep up the memory making.


That would be cool. Years ago when I was a kid, we took the Durango Silverton Narrow Gage Train. That was a great trip, I would love to do it again someday. I highly recommend it. If you are in the last car and it is an open car, gives you the best view. Also you can see the entire train as it goes around a corner.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Palmettokat said:


> Good looking machine. I have wondered more than once why they don't use those locomotives for touring trains across our countires. Would enjoy it.
> 
> Keep up the memory making.


Green weenies would have a cow about that, I'm pretty sure they probably are now.

Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has a pretty healthy locomotive on display as well as a really elaborate scale train setup. Enough interesting stuff in there the wife enjoys it as well, usually leave for Chicago a day ahead of when a flight leaves and spend half a day or better at the museum.


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## Aaroncboo (Sep 21, 2014)

Reading this made me look up the schedule for Big Boy as it turns out he's going to be in West Chicago for three days the end of the month. That's only about 20 minutes north of me so I'm definitely going to go take a look. And yes the science and industry has an amazing train model must be every bit 50 by a hundred feet in size. When I graduated high school in 07 our prom was at a banquet hall. I learned last years graduates rented out the Science and Industry for the night... So jealous.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

"Green weenies would have a cow about that, I'm pretty sure they probably are now."

It took me a few seconds to understand this. I thought what brand of hotdogs are green? Then wondered if a weed there? I am still chuckling at the term.

So would suggest use of COAL or Old Growth fire wood? Somehow solar cells on the cars just would be wrong.


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

I talked my girls into going to Altoona,WI today. We had lunch at the Norske Nook and had ice cream in the afternoon. I got to feel the heat radiating from the boiler. Almost felt the whistle too.


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