The legendary Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 still stands as the world’s largest operational steam locomotive.
This giant piece of railroad history will be visiting Soda Springs and Montpelier on Monday, July 22, as part of its summer tour.
In 1941, 25 Big Boys were exclusively built in Schenectady, New York, for Union Pacific Railroad. These trains are each 132 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds. The Big Boys were so big that they were specifically designed to “hinge,” allowing them to navigate sharp curves along the rails.
These massive steam engines in their prime were designed to operate specifically between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, to haul heavy freight over the Wasatch Mountains. Their initial name was meant to be Wasatch Locomotives since that is where the Union Pacific wanted and needed them to pull 3,600-ton freight trains over very steep terrain.
However, when a machinist for the American Locomotive Co. wrote “Big Boy” on one of the giant locomotives, the name stuck.
Eight Big Boys still exist today. No. 4014 is operational, while the other seven are on permanent display in various cities across the nation.
No. 4014 was retired in 1961 but came back into service in 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
Union Pacific reacquired the locomotive from a museum in Pomona, California, and spent years restoring and converting it from a coal-burning engine to oil-burning to make it possible for it to take to the rails for the 2019 celebration.
This summer No 4014 is again on the move, making 19 whistle-stops in five states as part of its 2024 Westward Bound Tour from Wyoming to California and back.
The Big Boy left its home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on June 30, traveled across Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California and is now headed back through those same states on its return trip but will make two stops in Southeast Idaho along the way.
On Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, you can visit No. 4014 at Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave. in Ogden, Utah, for an up close exhibit of the behemoth of a locomotive. The Big Boy will be on public display at Ogden Union Station from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Admission to the Big Boy while it’s on display in Ogden is free.
The Big Boy will leave Ogden on the morning of Monday, July 22, and then make a 15-minute stop at 9 a.m. at the Forest Street crossing in Brigham City, Utah, before arriving at Soda Springs’ Main Street crossing for a 15-minute stop around 3:15 p.m.
The next stop for No. 4014 on Monday, July 22, will be Montpelier, where it will stay the night before heading to Kemmerer, Wyoming, on the morning of Tuesday, July 23.
The gigantic steam engine won’t technically be open to visitors while it’s in Montpelier but people can still view and take photos of the big train.
The Big Boy is scheduled to arrive back home at the Cheyenne Depot in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 26.
Union Pacific representatives ask and sternly advise people to keep their distance from this huge steam engine as it approaches and stops.
“This engine is nothing like the traditional engines we see. It is massive in size and it is imperative for the safety of everyone coming to visit to stay a minimum of 25 feet back,” Union Pacific said.
For more information on the Big Boy’s summer tour visit https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm.
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