Monday, May 4, 2026 |
Photo – Big Boy steam engine – Bigfoot99 file photo
The world’s largest operational steam locomotive will tour the east coast of the United States for the first time.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 locomotive will begin the eastern leg of its 2026 excursion tour next month. On May 25th, Big Boy will leave the Union Pacific Steamworks in Cheyenne and head east as part of its coast‑to‑coast America 250 tour, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Twenty-five Big Boy locomotives were built for the Union Pacific railroad between 1941 and 1944. 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. Each Big Boy was 133 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. The locomotives 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.
Big Boy 4014 is the only engine of its class restored to operating condition and is the largest functional steam locomotive in the world. In 2013, Union Pacific reacquired the locomotive from the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona, California. After six years of restoration work, 4014 was christened at the Cheyenne Depot Museum on May 4th, 2019. Since that time, the locomotive has typically gone on one or two excursion tours per year, mainly west to California, except in 2020 when the COVID‑19 pandemic canceled the tour schedule.
On March 29th, Big Boy 4014 began its 2026 west coast excursion, traveling from Cheyenne to Laramie and then to Medicine Bow, where it made a short scheduled stop. Ed Dickens, Union Pacific’s senior manager of Heritage Operations and the lead engineer for Big Boy 4014, told 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.
After roughly 30 minutes, Big Boy headed west, traveling through Hanna, before stopping overnight in Rawlins. The next morning, Dickens and the steam team continued their journey, stopping in Wamsutter, Rock Springs, and Green River before continuing into Utah, Nevada, and California.
On April 14th, Big Boy left Truckee, California, and made its way back to Cheyenne. After a month‑long repair and refit, Union Pacific will begin the eastbound leg of the 2026 excursion. Big Boy will leave Cheyenne on May 25th and make its first public stop in Kimball, Nebraska, before overnighting in Sidney.
Big Boy will spend the rest of May in Nebraska, with a public appearance in Ogallala and an overnight stay in North Platte on May 26th.
On Wednesday, May 27th, Union Pacific will hold a private employee event in North Platte. The next morning, Big Boy will visit Gothenburg, Overton, Kearney, and Grand Island.
After final stops in Columbus and Omaha, 4014 will leave Nebraska on May 31st, heading into Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio through June. In July, Big Boy will travel through Pennsylvania and New York state, spending Independence Day in Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, July 7th, 4014 will begin its return trip to Cheyenne, with appearances in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado along the way. With one final public appearance in Greeley, Colorado, on July 29th, Big Boy will return to the Wyoming state capital.
None of the overnight stops are open to the public.
As part of the tour, the nonprofit Union Pacific Museum will sell tickets for rides in vintage passenger cars pulled by Big Boy through the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania on June 14th. Tickets are available at www.UPtrainTix.org. The fundraiser will be the only passenger excursion offered on the 2026 eastern tour.
A link to the full Union Pacific Steam Schedule will be included in this story when it is posted to Bigfoot99.com.
Union Pacific Steam Schedule: Big Boy No. 4014’s Schedule | Union Pacific
