As can clearly be seen in the above profile view of the locomotive, BigBoy is BIG! Weighing in at close to 400 tons (772,000lbs), he developed a tractive effort of 135,375lbs. Each of his axles supported 67,500lbs. Due to BigBoy's main assignment- Sherman Hill, the designers wanted to make sure he had the power (and some to spare) while pulling a train up the Hill. In doing so, they created an engine that could easily run as fast as 80mph! However, BigBoy developed his best Horsepower at 30mph. Due to the lateral motion devices used on the engine, BigBoy was able to negotiate 20° curves.
Under full steam, the engine burned an average of 122,500lbs of water (12,500 gallons) and 22 tons (44,000lbs) of semi-bituminous coal per hour! However, it has been know to happen when pulling an extremely long train up Sherman Hill, BigBoy would burn 225,000lbs (25,000 gallons) of water an 28 tons (56,000lbs) of coal in a 27 mile period! He had a voracious appetite.
Overall length: 132 feet 9¼ inches (40.47 m)
Total weight locomotive & tender: 1,200,000 lb (540 t)
Loco Service Wt: 772,000 lbs
Tender Service Wt: 427,500 lbs
Tractive effort: 135,375 lbf (602.18 kN)
Top speed: 80 mph (130 km/h)