Locomotive No. 4960 was built in 1923 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. It operated a freight- and coal-hauling service for the Midwestern Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) railroad until the late 1950s and made its first official run on the Grand Canyon line in 1996.
The Grand Canyon Railway commemorates the anniversary of its rebirth every September with a special roundtrip run to the Grand Canyon using steam locomotive No. 4960 fueled by recycled vegetable oil. The steam locomotive also makes several eight-mile trips on special days throughout the year with a single class of service in the train’s historic 1923 Harriman cars. Here are a few photos of the steamer warming up for its run to the canyon.

[usn ret]

Bob , you find the most interesting subjects to photograph. The last time I saw a steam engine at work was the summer of 1957 passing through Hereford Tx hauling freight. Steam is still an exciting feature of our history... Thanks for sharing......Cliff

[pickles]

Love my steam engines.....looks like quite a big one.
Do you have any shots of the full engine & tender, so I can get an idea of its size?
Cheers, Pickles.

[interested_observer]

Bob - Is that the engine that they now refer to as the "Giant French Fry"? I have been meaning to get up to Williams to see it run and take it to the Canyon... Great pictures!!!!

[Bob Harris]

Love my steam engines.....looks like quite a big one.
Do you have any shots of the full engine & tender, so I can get an idea of its size?
Cheers, Pickles.

Here are a couple of shots, not very good quality, but you should be able to get an idea.

[Bob Harris]

Bob - Is that the engine that they now refer to as the "Giant French Fry"? I have been meaning to get up to Williams to see it run and take it to the Canyon... Great pictures!!!!

Yes, this is the one, and when they start to accelerate you can smell the vegetable oil, a little different smell than the other steamers we have ridden on, but it is always exciting to ride or be pulled by one of these great machines. It doesn't run very often so check their schedule. Thanks for commenting. Bob
Now, my question for you is, Where is Tumbleweed, AZ., I assume this is a joke on your part, right?

[Bob Harris]

Bob , you find the most interesting subjects to photograph. The last time I saw a steam engine at work was the summer of 1957 passing through Hereford Tx hauling freight. Steam is still an exciting feature of our history... Thanks for sharing......Cliff

I love the steamers also, fortunate to ride a few on our travels. thanks for looking Bob

[loco]

Really impressive captures, Bob! Such a beautiful old machine, the black and white fits it just right. Though I do like the color shots, too!

[stormtech]

I like the rendering of the photos - I can just feel the massiveness of that machine!

[pickles]

Thanks, I know you have some fairly MASSIVE steam locos in the U.S., but even so, this looks like a fairly serious bit of machinery to me.
I grew up with steam engines, in the U.K.
Thanks, Pickles.

[Bob Harris]

Really impressive captures, Bob! Such a beautiful old machine, the black and white fits it just right. Though I do like the color shots, too!

thank you Lori, I think boys always love the trains and the b/w really brightened the images in this case. Thanks for the kind words, always appreciated. Bob

[rayallen]

Thanks for showing us those images, Bob. That loco looks to be in very good condition. Very impressive. It must have been fun to ride behind that one.

[interested_observer]

Now, my question for you is, Where is Tumbleweed, AZ., I assume this is a joke on your part, right?

Hi Bob - Gee you are the first one to ask, so it does look like I've been caught with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar. It is somewhat of a joke. If my neighbors found out, I would probably be drawn and quartered. I live in a little out of the way place they affectionately call the Town of Paradise Valley.

[Sailor]

Time Machine Pictures - great B&W conversions of this magnificent beast.

Jer

[Bob Harris]

I like the rendering of the photos - I can just feel the massiveness of that machine!

Thanks Stan for looking and commenting, I bet you have some fine examples of steamers up your way, there is a distinct sound they make that you never forget. Bob