Tuesday, March 3, 2026 |
Photo – UPRR’s Big Boy engine – Bigfoot99 file photo
The world’s largest operational steam locomotive will embark on a tour of the western United States later this month.
That’s the sound of unit 4014, the last operational Big Boy locomotive, as it pulled into Medicine Bow in July 2024. After heading south last year, the world’s largest operational steam locomotive is scheduled to return to Carbon County once again later this month. Big Boy 4014 will leave the Union Pacific Steam Shop in Cheyenne at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 29th, stopping in Laramie at 11:15 and again in Medicine Bow at 1:30 in the afternoon. After half an hour, the locomotive will continue to Rawlins for an overnight layover that is not open to the public. The following morning, Big Boy 4014 will head westward, with stops in Wamsutter, Rock Springs, and Green River before continuing into Utah, Nevada, California, and back.
Between 1941 and 1944, the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York built 25 Big Boy locomotives for Union Pacific Railroad. The 4‑8‑8‑4 units, a reference to their wheel arrangement, were specifically designed to haul freight on the steep grades of the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming. Big Boys operated for 20 years, with most of the fleet retiring by 1962. Of the original 25 units, only eight survive today. Most are on static display in museums across the country, including Steam Shortline Park in Cheyenne.
Unit 4014 is the only Big Boy locomotive currently restored to operating condition. In 2013, Union Pacific reacquired unit 4014 from the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona, California, for restoration. After an 11‑day, 1,260‑mile trek, Big Boy arrived at the Union Pacific Steam Works in Cheyenne with the aid of several diesel locomotives. On May 8th, 2014, then‑Cheyenne Mayor Richard Kaysen greeted the newly arrived train in a video provided by Union Pacific.
For two years, Union Pacific crews upgraded the Steam Shop to accommodate the 133‑foot, 600‑ton locomotive, and in August of 2016, restoration work officially began. Unit 4014 was completely disassembled, and its driving wheels were sent to Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania for specialized repairs. As the locomotives had been out of service for over 50 years, many parts had to be made by hand. The engine was also converted from coal to fuel oil.
After four years of work, Big Boy 4014 was officially christened at the Cheyenne Depot Museum on May 4th, 2019. Since that time, the locomotive has typically gone on one or two major tours per year, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Big Boy’s 2026 tour kicks off on Sunday, March 29th, in Cheyenne. After a 30-minute stop in Medicine Bow, the locomotive will continue westward, before returning to Medicine Bow at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 24th.
Click the below link to watch Big Boy in real time:
