In another historic first, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 will take to the rails this November for a limited holiday tour in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Nov. 21 in the Denver, area, it's first-ever holiday tour (thank you George!)

The public is being offered a rare chance to purchase tickets for the holiday tour and ride in vintage passenger cars pulled by Big Boy as it travels from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Denver. 

 The trip will support the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and include a donation from Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program. 

\ Ticket sales for patrons of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum will begin Oct. 16. Any remaining tickets will be available to the general public Oct. 19.

https://www.up.com/press-releases/heritage-steam/big-boy-holiday-tour-260917

a theory on why diesel and gas are so expensive

Between 2020 and 2026, 11 major U.S. oil refineries permanently closed or stopped refining crude oil. Not temporarily shut down. Permanently gone. The combined capacity lost is approximately 1.72 million barrels per day gross, roughly 900,000 barrels per day net after accounting for some expansions at remaining facilities.

These were not small operations. Philadelphia Energy Solutions in Pennsylvania, 335,000 barrels per day. Shell Convent in Louisiana, 211,146 barrels per day. Phillips 66 Alliance in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, 255,000 barrels per day. Marathon Petroleum in Martinez, California, 161,000 barrels per day. LyondellBasell in Houston, 263,776 barrels per day. Phillips 66 in Los Angeles, 138,700 barrels per day. Valero in Benicia, California, 145,000 barrels per day. And several more.

U.S. refining capacity went from a record high of 18.98 million barrels per day at the start of 2020 to approximately 17.9 million by early 2022. The lowest level since 2014. It has continued declining since. Marathon Petroleum, Valero Energy, and Phillips 66 collectively earned $12.6 billion in the second quarter of 2026 alone. Their highest combined quarterly result since 2022. Their stock prices are surging. Forbes reported in July that refining stocks are soaring as crack spreads hit record highs.

Marathon is the company that permanently closed its Martinez, California and Gallup, New Mexico refineries during COVID.

Phillips 66 is the company that closed its Alliance refinery in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida, closed its Rodeo and Santa Maria facilities in California, and closed its Los Angeles refinery in October 2025.

Valero is the company that ceased operations at its Benicia, California refinery in early 2026.

The same companies that removed the capacity are the same companies posting record profits from the scarcity that removal created.

And here is where it becomes something more than just a market story.

Before COVID, the oil and gas industry spent roughly $55 to $68 million per election cycle on political contributions to federal candidates and parties. That was the steady state for a decade. $56 million in 2018. $63 million in 2020.

In the 2024 election cycle, the oil and gas industry spent $219 million to influence the election. $67 million directly to candidates. $151 million in outside spending through PACs and super PACs. 88% of it went to Republicans.

From $63 million in 2020 to $219 million in 2024. A 247% increase in a single cycle.

Annual lobbying went from $112 million in 2020 to $154 million in 2024. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, the trade group that specifically represents refining companies, doubled its own lobbying budget from a $3.4 million annual average to $6.9 million starting in 2023, the same year its members were posting record profits from constrained supply.

The refiners' trade group doubled its lobbying the same year the refiners posted their highest profits from the capacity they deliberately destroyed.

Valero tripled its political contributions from the 2022 cycle to the 2024 cycle. $1.78 million to $5.66 million. This is the same company that closed its Benicia refinery in early 2026, removing another 145,000 barrels per day, and posted billions in quarterly profits. And what are those politicians doing with all that money and all that influence? that influence?

They are not investigating why diesel is at $6 when crude does not justify it. They are not holding hearings on refining margins. They are not asking why companies that permanently removed capacity are posting record profits from the scarcity they created. They are not proposing legislation to incentivize new refining capacity or to regulate crack spreads that are running 3 to 5 times their historical average.

Then those profits get recycled into political spending. $219 million in the 2024 cycle. $154 million in lobbying in a single year. That money buys silence. It buys inaction. It buys the absence of hearings, the absence of investigations, the absence of regulation. And the cycle repeats.

Close the refineries. Tighten the supply. Wait for the next crisis. Harvest the margins. Post record profits. Spend record amounts on politicians. Protect the arrangement. Let the American consumer absorb the cost.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/157118851129581/?multi_permalinks=3531931883648244&hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen

McKeen Paperweights were sent to the execs of the railroads that bought McKeens, the nicer ones to the left were sent to the execs of the bigger railroads

First from left was found in Omaha, Nebraska at an antique store 20 30 years ago or so

 Second found in Orangevale, CA, just miles from Sacramento, HQ of the Southern Pacific. {It seems the nicer models were ...} 

Third from right had no history and was purchased around Urbana, Illinois. 

Fourth was found around Smyrna, South Carolina, and I can only guess it's from the Southern Railway or Norfolk & Southern.

History of the 5th unknown

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4564388543817579&set=a.1513811688875295

clever design for a forklift dumper

see the video at minute 2:38

this is a one man operation, a fulfillment of a childhood obsession with cool trains

The Mt Washington cog railway! 

the CMU Buggy race is one of Carnegie Mellon's longest held traditions, began in 1920 as a variation of Soap Box Derby mixed with Bobsled .... and I've never heard of it til just now

It is the quintessential interdisciplinary sport and it's one of Carnegie Mellon University's longest held traditions. This annual student-led relay race, officially known as "Sweepstakes," partners designers, engineers, mechanics and athletes. Together, these brilliant, quirky, creative minds produce a buggy — an aerodynamic vehicle with no engine. It's powered by brains and brawn alone.

In just over two minutes, teams of power-pushing men and women race around a .84 mile track with buggy and driver leading the way around Schenley Park's Flagstaff Hill, with speeds up to 40 mph.

the two-man teams that once changed places halfway through a race and rode in everything from rain barrels with bicycle wheels to three-wheeled ash cans 99 years ago.

https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2019/april/spring-carnival-buggy.html

This year Fringe is planning to roll four different vehicles, built and maintained in the Fringe workshop in the basement of the East Campus Garage, known as the "Froom."

"We're used to saying everything with 'fr' in front of it but when we say something in front of other people, it gets them confused," said Fringe head mechanic Dave Singh, who will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering.

Fringe vehicles often are named with the letter "B," like Boson, Blueshift, Bissa and Bumper. Other teams, such as Apex, often use names that connotate fire, while the SDC (Student Dormitory Committee) team, uses names such as Vice, Bane, Avarice and Malice.

Drivers, have the closest connection to the vehicles, aside from the mechanics who spent countless hours building and maintaining individual buggies. While races are brief, each driver must log a number of practice runs to qualify to race. Teams practice nights and weekends throughout the fall and spring semesters as weather permits. Buggies are often built around drivers, so the fit can be snug, and drivers are often less than 5 feet, 3 inches in height. Most — but not all — are women.

Tishya Girdhar, a junior in neuroscience, is social chair for Fringe. She came to CMU wanting to drive, but first she had to get over being claustrophobic. She started as a mechanic and got behind the wheel for last year's Sweepstakes.

"Our team's philosophy is to teach everyone how to do everything," Girdhar said. "But I came to CMU wanting to drive. I wanted to drive so badly."

https://www.cmu.edu/buggy/

https://cmubuggy.org/about/

at first I thought they were racing to push a streamlined floor jack

https://plan-pack-go.com/carnegie-mellons-spring-carnival-traditions-mobot-booth-and-buggy/

https://cmubuggy.org/news/2020/05/100-years-of-buggy-history-recap-and-2020/

https://cmubuggy.smugmug.com/1980s