Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, is making its way across the United States in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
For the first time in history, Big Boy will take the journey from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Philadelphia. The locomotive is stopping in cities along the way and hosting display events in eight cities, including a stop in Omaha on Saturday.
The locomotive is making “whistle” stops with some scheduled earlier this week in Kimball, Gothenburg, Kearney and Grand Island, with a Columbus stop scheduled for Friday.
In its final stop in Nebraska, Big Boy will sit overnight at the end of the week in Omaha near the Durham Museum at Ninth and Leavenworth streets.
It will be on display Saturday free to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional parking is available at the 555 Jones St. Garage.
“To understand the appeal of Big Boy, you have to go back to the 1940s,” said Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific spokeswoman. “When Union Pacific commissioned this machine, it was dubbed the Miracle of Union Pacific by newspapers. Along the way, it’s like a parade route as this machine rolls across America.”
The eastern leg of the tour is a partnership with Norfolk Southern, which is allowing Big Boy to operate on its rail network. The collaboration is a part of a much larger, historic move between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, which are currently seeking federal regulatory approval on a proposed merger.
Tysver said the tour attracts rail fans from around the globe, some who rent vehicles just to follow the train from city to city. Recent stops during the western leg of the journey have attracted thousands of people.
“I have been traveling with Big Boy for several years now, and it’s incredible the number of people who come out to see this locomotive, to hear this locomotive,” Tysver said. “You can hear that mournful whistle, you can literally feel it as it rolls into the station.”
Big Boy’s history dates back to the late 1930s when Union Pacific had too much traffic on its tracks. Their solution was building a massive steam locomotive that could haul more loads, creating longer trains, which resulted in less traffic on their rails.
Between 1941 and 1944 the Union Pacific Railroad commissioned 25 Big Boy locomotives, which helped to play a crucial role in hauling heavy equipment for World War II.
Measuring 135 feet long and weighing 1.2 million pounds, Big Boy produced 7,000 horsepower as it traveled through the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming.
In 1959, Union Pacific decided to retire the Big Boy locomotives because diesel electric locomotives were becoming popular due to their lower operating costs. In December 1961, No. 4014 was retired, having traveled 1,031,205 miles during its career.
Out of the 25 commissioned Big Boy locomotives, only eight exist today. In 2019, Union Pacific fully restored No. 4014, making it the only fully operational Big Boy in the world.
“Even back then, it was considered a budding legend,” Tysver said. “And among hardcore rail fans, they never really thought they would see Big Boy up and running again.”