Boilermaker Special

This choice allowed the mascot to build on Purdue's engineering and railroading heritage, as well as represent the school's nickname "Boilermakers" in a meaningful way.

There had been rumors the university enrolled burly boilermakers from the Monon Railroad shops in Lafayette, Indiana as students/football players to help beef up the scrawny football team after a 44-0 victory over Wabash College in 1891.

Thus, the trains which carried Purdue's sporting teams and their fans to other cities for athletic contests were known as "Boilermaker Specials".

Due to the high placement of the single headlight and a minimal number of other exterior lights, Boilermaker Special I was not driven at night for safety reasons.

This was personally witnessed by Reamer Club member Roger Brunstrum so that no one could later claim it was purchased from the scrap yard.

Finally, since the front wheels were steered by the towing yoke, the trailer could not be pushed backwards by the Boilermaker Special.

A single rear axle with dual wheels and a manual-shift, two-speed differential rounded out the drive train.

The steam was actually carbon dioxide released by the driver from a fire extinguisher cylinder within the cab and plumbed to a nozzle just below the top of the smokestack.

With this equipment, the Boilermaker Special III was capable of day or night operation on most improved roads, including highways.

The original headlight from Boilermaker Special I was initially installed on the back of the coal tender as a rear-facing safety light.

This allowed the mascot to be displayed at indoor functions or on softer surfaces (i.e. a turf athletic field) where its massive gasoline-powered, and later diesel-powered big brother could never go.

The top of the smokestack could be removed to allow the X-tra Special to fit inside freight elevators and move through standard height, side-by-side walk-through doors.

The IV also featured a white block P on the front of the boiler directly below the headlight, just like the Boilermaker Special III.

The fiberglass body was formed by Dr. Ray Thompson and his aviation composite materials class at the Purdue Airport.

The paint was applied by West Coast Customs and donated by Valspar Corp. Pyramids Sign and Design completed all the detail paintwork.

The X-tra Special VI was dedicated Saturday October 19, 1996 at the homecoming game against Ohio State at the end of the half time show.

The last public appearance by the Boilermaker Special VI was on October 7, 2017 at the Minnesota-Purdue football game in West Lafayette Indiana.

The VI led the football team onto the field for the start of the game with its replacement, the Boilermaker Special VIII (see below).

In June 2011, the university confirmed the overhauled mascot would indeed be branded as Boilermaker Special VII, which is reflected by the number "7" displayed on the front of the train's boiler.

Much to the delight of many Reamer Club Alumni, the Special is outfitted with modern LED lighting on both its running boards as well as its cyclops.

Boilermaker Special VII was presented to the university on September 3, 2011 at halftime of the Middle Tennessee State-Purdue football game.

The VIII was assembled from a new, heavy-duty Caryall Turf 2 golf cart donated by Club Car and a new body designed and fabricated by the Wabash National corporation.

The smokestack on the VIII is shorter than those on the IV and VI so that it no longer needs to be disassembled to drive into freight elevators or pass through doorways.

The VIII led the football team onto the field, and was later featured in an announcement at the stadium during the third media time-out of the first quarter.

As with recent new Boilermaker Specials, Wabash National and Navistar International are expected to contribute to the design and construction.

The majority of their bodies and chassis were scrapped when they were retired, primarily to prevent any person or group from later claiming ownership of what was once the Boilermaker Special.

Finally, a heavy brass plaque, which was installed inside the cab above the windshield to commemorate the 1960 dedication of the Boilermaker Special III, was removed and archived.

Only men and women of the Reamer Club may serve as Pilots (engineers) or Co-pilots for the mascots after passing a rigorous training period.

The Boilermaker Special is frequently seen around the main campus, at athletic contests, and at local community events where it is used to promote the university.

During the football season, caps bearing the logos of defeated opponents are attached to the Boilermaker Special's cow-catcher.