Monday, March 30, 2026 |
Photo – Engineer for Big Boy, Ed Dickens – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
The world’s largest operational steam locomotive began its westward excursion yesterday.
Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 rolled into Medicine Bow yesterday afternoon for its second whistle stop of the 2026 westward excursion. After leaving the Steam Shop in Cheyenne Sunday morning, the restored 4‑8‑8‑4 made a brief stop in Laramie before heading to Medicine Bow and an overnight stop in Rawlins.
The Union Pacific Big Boy is 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds, roughly three times heavier than a modern diesel‑electric locomotive, making it worthy of the name Big Boy.
Ed Dickens is Union Pacific’s senior manager of Heritage Operations and the lead engineer for Big Boy 4014. Dickens explained to Bigfoot99 that the brief stops not only give the public a chance to see the train up close but also allow maintenance crews to oil the running gear, a requirement unique to steam locomotives.
Dickens added that in the days of steam, railroads maintained service stations roughly every 100 miles due to the need to lubricate the locomotives’ running gear.
Unit 4014 is the only Big Boy restored to operating condition. Originally built in the early 1940s for the Union Pacific Railroad, the Big Boy class of locomotives were designed specifically to haul freight over the steep grades of the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming.
After 20 years of service, all 25 Big Boys were retired, with most decommissioned and placed on static display in museums across the country, including Steam Shortline Park in Cheyenne. In 2013, Union Pacific reacquired unit 4014 from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California with the goal of putting the massive engine back on the rails. After six years of restoration work, Big Boy 4014 was officially christened at the Cheyenne Depot Museum on May 4th, 2019.
Big Boy engineer Ed Dickens said that even after 80 years, the steam locomotive continues to be a dependable workhorse.
Despite their reliability, Dickens said the fact that steam locomotives were eventually replaced by diesel‑electric power is proof that they are less efficient than their modern counterparts. Most steam locomotives operating today are used primarily for public relations. Dickens said Big Boy 4014 was restored specifically with that purpose in mind.
Train enthusiasts say the Big Boy class locomotives could reach 80 miles per hour. Dickens disputed that claim, saying its top speed is a theoretical 70, though Union Pacific reduces it to protect the track.
After leaving Medicine Bow yesterday afternoon, Big Boy 4014 spent the night in Rawlins before continuing to Wamsutter, Rock Springs, Green River, and eventually California. The five‑member steam crew stays overnight in the locomotive and relights the firebox each morning, a process that can take several hours. Dickens said pressurizing the boiler for the first time took a few days.
With the continuing dry and windy conditions in our area, Engineer Dickens assured Bigfoot99 that Big Boy, as an oil‑burning locomotive, is unlikely to start a wildfire.
From California, Big Boy will return to Cheyenne, with another stop in Medicine Bow on April 24th. Dickens said afterwards, Union Pacific will schedule an East Coast run for the locomotive, though details are still being finalized.
Today, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m., Big Boy 4014 will be stopped in Wamsutter. On March 31st, the excursion will continue to Rock Springs, with another stop scheduled on April 1st in Green River. The Big Boy will then continue west before returning to Cheyenne on April 24th.
