Maker recreates UP Big Boy locomotive with ChatGPT: 76 revisions, 10 test prints
natesiggard · x · 2026-10-21
Unable to find a G-scale Union Pacific Big Boy after its tour this year, a model maker designed his own using ChatGPT — 76 revisions and 10 test prints later, he produced two timeless classics and exported them into a 3D simulator.
He draws an analogy to AI: the Transcontinental Railroad changed reality with incredible speed, reliability and safety, and was once feared much like AI is today — both connect and distribute resources to ambitious builders taking incredible risks to change the world. The 4-8-8-4 Big Boy burned 50,000 gallons of water a day, with water tenders enabling its long journeys.
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