The Ultimate Challenger

The last decades of the steam era in America produced many of the largest, best, and most extraordinary locomotives ever to grace steel rails – and among these landmark locomotives was Union Pacific’s magnificent, potent, and stylish 3900-class 4-6-6-4 “Challenger.”

And soon, from steam locomotive creator extraordinaire Smokebox, Union Pacific’s legendary “Heavy” Challenger is coming to Train Simulator Classic!
Smokebox locomotives are renowned for their ground-breaking quality, exquisite detail, authentic controls, and realism of performance – and the Union Pacific Challenger extends all those features to yet another level. Previous Smokebox releases have included its highly acclaimed Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4 and iconic Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy (which together with UP’s 3900s represented the railroad’s extraordinary trio of late-era steam locomotives).

Constructed by Alco (American Locomotive Works) between 1936 and 1945, Union Pacific’s roster of 4-6-6-4s, built in several evolutionary configurations, numbered 105 strong. The upcoming Challenger as developed by Smokebox meticulously re-creates the 45 Union Pacific 4-6-6-4s (known as groups 4664-3 and 4664-4) built during the World War II years of 1943 and 1944. Designed to burn coal and haul tonnage on Union Pacific’s demanding transcontinental route, but equally adept at hustling passenger trains, these superlative locomotives served the Union Pacific into the late 1950s, and one – Union Pacific 3985 – went on to contemporary fame as a member of Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet.

As Union Pacific’s heavy Challengers (which weighed in at over a million pounds with tender) rolled out of Alco’s Schenectady (New York) works during WWII, six virtually identical UP-design 4-6-6-4s were allocated by the War Production Board to work for the Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW), where the locomotives served capably until heading to the UP at the end of the war, then to the Clinchfield Railroad in 1947. And the upcoming Smokebox Challenger DLC includes the 4-6-6-4 in Rio Grande livery.
The Smokebox Challenger for Train Simulator Classic will deliver unmatched visual realism and the full, exhilarating experience of operating this massive locomotive, with the cab of the Challenger featuring nearly 90 working controls, gauges, or animations! The 4-6-6-4 offers a real-life engineer’s authentic railroading challenges, but it is also accessible and enjoyable whatever your level of expertise, featuring integrated complex or simple controls and with an auto-fireman and even an auto-engineer option.

The Challenger’s remarkable features will include a wide range of customizable details (which can be adjusted while in game). Among these are the addition of “wind wings“ (smoke deflectors), pilot door and front coupler open or closed, clamshell smoke stack hood open or closed, changing classification light colors, and even changes to the amount of lagging around the steam pipe arms and elbows. As with all Smokebox locomotives, the Challenger features superb sounds and realistic air braking, firing, water usage, sanding, and additional operating features, all of which are explained in an accompanying information-rich 72-page manual.
The Smokebox Challenger will be provided in four livery variations: Union Pacific steam-era clean and dirty; Union Pacific silver striping (as worn by famed UP 3985), and in D&RGW livery. And both HD (high detail) and SD (standard detail) variants will be included.

To put you right to work, the Challenger DLC will include a selection of period-appropriate refrigerator cars, a Union Pacific CA-4 caboose, and a selection of three career scenarios on the Train Simulator Classic Wasatch Grade route (as developed by Milepost Simulations and available on Steam as a separate DLC). The 4-6-6-4 will also be QD (Quick Drive) enabled.

Get ready to take the throttle of one of America’s greatest and most renowned steam locomotives and experience the ultimate glory days of “Big Steam” – with the upcoming and superlative Union Pacific “Heavy“ Challenger from Smokebox!