nekenefick

Kenefick Park is located next to Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska's botanical gardens, on Bancroft Street just off I-80. UP Big Boy #4023 and Centennial class diesel #6900 are the main attractions. Both locomotives, the park itself, and the “Welcome to Omaha” sign, are clearly visible from I-80 West crossing the Missouri River Bridge.

The new park was opened on 15th October 2005. It is named in honour of John C. Kenefick, who began his career with UP in 1947. He was elected CEO in 1970 and became President of the company in 1971. In 1983, he was named company Chairman and CEO. He retired in 1986.

There is no charge to enter the park, and parking is free in the Lauritzen Gardens car park right alongside. The park is wheelchair accessible.

Union Pacific Big Boy 4023 & Centennial 6900, Kenefick Park, Omaha, NE

I have made two visits to Kenefick Park. The first was in March 2008.

My second visit was in September 2008.

The photographs on this page are from both visits.

A sign shows the layout of the park at the entrance just off the car park.

A concrete and granite inlayed display at the top of the stairs shows the route of the transcontinental line.

Lauritzen Gardens is in the background of this photograph.

At the centre of the park piazza is a bust of John Kenefick and a plaque outlining his career with UP, as well as his contributions to the company.

The head ends of both locomotives are in the background.

View of I-80 and the Missouri River Bridge from the east edge of the park.

Big Boys were 132' 10" from front coupler to rear tender coupler. The locomotive alone was 85’ 10” long. The immense firebox and boiler required the use of much lower domes to maintain clearances, which partly contributes to their massive, hulking profile. The engines exhausted to two separate smoke stacks enclosed in a sheet metal casing. A smoke hood to deflect the powerful exhaust from tunnel roofs was installed in the casing. The hood was raised hydraulically.

#4023 was one 5 "class 2" Big Boys built in 1944 by Alco. It last operated in July 1959 and was retired in July 1962 after logging nearly 830,000 miles. The small plaque on the railing (detail shown in the photograph on the right) gives information on #4023.

Although a clear perspex cover has been fitted, you can see inside the cab from the gangway.

#4023 was on display at UP’s Cheyenne depot in 1974. In the mid 1980s it then went on display at Abbott Drive, north of downtown Omaha. #6900 was donated to the City of Omaha in November 1986 and displayed with #4023 until both were relocated to the new park in 2005 to permit development of the Qwest Center. The move by road trailer made it the largest steam locomotive to be transported without using railway track.

Left front cylinder. The automatic lubrication lines are just visible inside the upper surface of the multiple guide.

Right front cylinder, steam supply piping, Walshaert gear and main rod.

Right side of firebox. The red handles are to release the ash pans. Foam meter blowdown is middle left of photograph.

Left side of firebox and cab. Trailing truck is a General Steel Castings frame with SKF twin roller bearing journals.

View of the rear right cylinder. The reverse lever, mounted "backwards" with a large lever connecting to the radius rod of the gear is at the top. This was operated by a rotary valve, which offered good control and less “creeping” while in operation.

View of the deck apron (top), stoker feed connection (upper middle), radial buffer (centre) and drawbars (lower centre).

Much of the Big Boys’ piping was under the jacket to protect against the cold of the mountains and high plains where they were designed to operate.

You can see more Big Boys on the LA County Fair, Cheyenne Big Boy, Kenefick Park, St. Louis Museum of Transportation and National Railroad Museum pages of this website.

#6900 (EMD DD40X) is a Centennial class diesel, built in 1969 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for high speed freight. It is one of 47 built between 1969 and 1971 and the class was named in honour of the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, UT, on 10th May 1869. In fact, #6900 was rushed to completion so that it could participate in various ceremonies that took place in Utah in May 1969.

Centennials had a relatively short service life: all were retired by the beginning of 1981. Although 25 returned to service in 1983, they were officially retired in 1985.

#6900 was retired in 1980.

UP #4023 and UP #6900 head to head. The view is looking south from the centre of the piazza.

Although by the late 1930s, UP believed it should be committing to diesel as its primary motive power, the threat of war and the lack of an immediately available high horse power diesel freight locomotive in volume led to the development of the Big Boy (as well as redesigning of the Challengers).

Although they were cleared for other lines, Big Boys operated almost exclusively on the Ogden-Council Bluffs divisions. Despite being designed for heavy freight over the most difficult part of that route, however, the challenge they faced is demonstrated by the fact that they were reduced to just 3 mph on the most adverse parts (grade and reverse curves) and averaged only 17 mph on the entire 24 mile Echo-Wahsatch section. As a result, UP soon reverted to Challengers on head end with another pusher for very heavy freight until the end of steam on that section in 1954.

Left front cylinder and Walschaert gear. The metal cowl at the centre covers the automatic lubricator chain drive.

Both left cylinders, Walschaert gear and driving rods. At the middle right, the reverse actuating rod, which connects to the reverse lever on the right side of the locomotive, connects to the radius rod.

Left cylinders, Walschaert gear, driving rods, Boxpop driving wheels and the firebox. With a diameter of 68”, Big Boys had the largest wheels of any articulated locomotives.

Left side of locomotive. Elesco feedwater centrifugal cold water pump is on very lower right.

Left side of tender and locomotive. Tenders were carried on a 14 wheel centipede truck.

Right front cylinder, steam supply piping, Walshaert gear and main rod. Metal cowl covering the automatic lubricator chain drive on left, articulated joint on steam supply pipe at centre.

Left front cylinder. The lead truck was Alco standard with rack and roller centering and SKF roller bearings.

Left side of firebox. The manual blowdown is on the front side of the firebox. The washout plug is at the corner.

Rear of tender. A Pyle-National back up light was originally recessed in the blank just below where the grab rails join the tender top.

Another view of the tender and locomotive. Big Boy tenders were amongst the largest ever fitted to a steam locomotive.

The plaque on the railing (detail in the photo above) gives information on #6900.

Based on its hp rating, the Centennial is the most powerful diesel locomotive ever built. At 98' 5", it was also the longest. It weighed 270 tons and was equipped to operate at 90 mph.

You can see Centennial #6922 on the UP Challenger page of this website, #6915 on the Southern California Chapter RLHS page and #6916 on the Spencer S. and Hope Fox Eccles Railroad Center page. There is also a page featuring the National Historic Site at Promontory in Utah.