Beloved ‘Big Boy’ locomotive rolls through St. Louis in September. When can you see it?

ST. LOUIS – Big Boy No. 4014, one of the most famous steam engines in the United States, will pass through the St. Louis region next month.

The Union Pacific Railroad Company is sending its Big Boy for a tour across ten states, including Missouri and Illinois.

Big Boy No. 4014 is the world’s largest operational steam locomotive and one of Union Pacific’s original engines. The locomotive rode the rails for 20 years from 1941 to 1961, clocking more than one million miles. It was retired for nearly six decades before a lengthy restoration process at Union Pacific’s steam shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Big Boy will begin its 2024 “Heartland of America” tour on Wednesday, Aug. 28, departing from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The tour’s current schedule calls for a visit in St. Louis from Sept. 10-12. According to the schedule, here won’t be public access to Big Boy on Sept. 11 due to a private Union Pacific employee event. Organizers did not disclose the planned stopping location in St. Louis, and viewing opportunities may be limited in the city otherwise.

That said, there are a few opportunities where you may be able to catch a glimpse of the locomotive in Illinois or Missouri.

The best opportunity will come on Sept. 9 in Rochelle, Illinois, when there will be a whistle stop and extended viewing and photo opportunities. Rochelle is nearly four hours north of St. Louis in the Rockford, Illinois metropolitan area.

Keep the following dates and stops in mind if you hope to see Big Boy in Illinois or Missouri, or possibly even in St. Louis.

Illinois

• Friday, Sept. 6
  • Sterling, IL at Sterling Marketplace at 111 West Second St.
    • Arrives – 1:30 p.m. CT.
    • Departs – 1:45 p.m. CT.
• Sunday, Sept. 8
  • Rochelle, IL on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Union Pacific Ike Evans Global III Terminal at 2701 Intermodal Dr.
• Monday, Sept. 9
  • Rochelle IL 8 a.m. departure to Villa Grove, IL.
  • Rochelle IL at Rochelle Railroad Park at 124 North Ninth Street.
    • Arrives – 8:45 a.m. CT.
    • Departs – 9 a.m. CT.
  • Watseka, IL at North Street Crossing.
    • Arrives – 5 p.m. CT.
    • Departs – 5:30 p.m. CT.
• Tuesday, Sept. 10
  • Villa Grove, IL 9 a.m. departure to St. Louis, MO
  • Nokomis, IL at Maple Street Crossing.
    • Arrives – 12:15 p.m. CT.
    • Departs – 12:45 p.m. CT.

St. Louis

• Tuesday, Sept. 10-Thursday, Sept. 12
  • Expected arrival on Sept. 10
  • Private event on Sept. 11
  • Expected departure on Sept. 12

Times and locations around the locomotive’s St. Louis leg of the tour have not been disclosed in Big Boy’s online tour schedule.

Missouri

• Thursday, Sept. 12
  • St. Louis, MO 8:30 a.m. departure to Poplar Bluff, MO.
  • De Soto, MO at Commercial Street Crossing.
    • Arrives – 11 a.m. CT.
    • Departs – 11:30 a.m. CT.
  • Arcadia – Ironton, MO at Arcadia Valley Amtrack Station at 13700 MO-21.
    • Arrives – 1:30 p.m. CT.
    • Departs – 2 p.m. CT.
• Friday, Sept. 13
  • Poplar Bluff, MO 9 a.m. departure to Jonesboro, AR.

Running times and scheduled stops are subject to change due to the nature of operations. For the latest schedule and updates, CLICK HERE .

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