May 10, 2024 |
Photo – Big Boy #4014 – Bigfoot99 file photo
Union Pacific Railroad’s legendary Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, will make 19 whistle-stops in five states this summer during its 2024 Westward Bound Tour from Wyoming to California.
Big Boy was built to conquer the mountains of Wyoming and Utah on its way to California.
Twenty-five Big Boy locomotives were built for Union Pacific to haul freight over the steep grade of the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah during World War II. Eight were preserved after the locomotives were retired six decades ago. Only one Big Boy No. 4014 remains in operation today, and the big, bustling engine remains a crowd pleaser for the young and old alike.
The locomotive will roll out of Laramie one Sunday, June 30. Scheduled stops include Wamsutter on Monday, July 1. Big Boy has a planned half-hour stop there at Broadway and Boyd near the water tower between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m.
You may also catch a glimpse of No. 4014 before it rolls out of Rawlins on that Monday morning.
On the return trip, Big Boy will make a 45-minute stop at Point of Rocks, the Black Buttes Road Crossing, around 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, July 25 on its way home.
The locomotive will make an overnight stay that night in Rawlins before making the final leg home to Cheyenne.
The crew will make a 30-minute stop at Medicine Bow on Friday morning from 11 to 11:30 on Friday, July 26.
U.P. reminds railroads enthusiasts to enjoy the impressive sight but to stand back at least 25-feet from the track.
You heard two voices in that clip from 2019 when Big Boy was brought back to life for the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. First was the Chairman, President and CEO of UP, Lance Fritz. The second, of course, was Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
Big Boy is at home in Wyoming if only because it burns coal—56,000 pounds of coal fire the boiler for the steam that runs the engine.
Impressive in size—No. 4014 is 133-feet long and stands 16-feet, 4-inches high. It’s a monumental machine that draws enthusiastic crowds wherever it makes an appearance.
The last time it came through, scores of railroad enthusiasts drove the highways along side it to experience the view and the power of the machine.
Union Pacific took delivery of Big Boy in December 1941. The locomotive was retired 20 years later in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its two decades of service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the Rail Giants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it in Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process.
Ed Dickens, manager of Heritage Operations for UP, recorded an important reminder for Big Boy fans. Please keep your enthusiasm in check.
Big Boy will steam out of Laramie on Sunday, June 30th with as scheduled stop in Wamsutter on Monday, July 1. It will make a 30-minute stop in Medicine Bow on its return trip on Friday, July 26 at 11 a.m.
