Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 pauses overnight at Rawlins, Wyo., in May 2019. Big Boy’s bell is painted red to keep it looking clean and well-kept.
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Ryan Nicolay
Q: Why are the insides of the bells on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 and 4-8-4 No. 844 painted red? — Scott Zygutis, Antioch, Calif.
A: The color red is the same red that used on valve handles and other important items that are to be easily seen for visibility purposes. The inside of the bell tarnishes and generally was not polished so, as a means of preventing it from tarnishing and thereby looking unsightly when the bell was in operation, they painted them with a red Epoxy called Glyptal. Many of the internal components such as the airbrakes and roller bearing housings have the same heavy duty industrial Epoxy applied to them as well. — Ed Dickens, Senior Manager Heritage Operations Union Pacific
