‘The Big Boy’ Lives Up to His Name
Trending
ALTOONA, Pa. - There is something magical happening across the United States during the country's 250th anniversary. And it all can be attributed to a 1941 steam engine called the Big Boy Union Pacific Locomotive No. 4014.
Recently, I had the opportunity to view the Big Boy up close in Altoona, Pa., and again in Fostoria, Ohio. These were two of the many eastern cross country stops the Big Boy is making before it heads back to its Wyoming home.
The Big Boy is an incredible look at the past when steam engines were the norm across the United States. What makes this train so amazing is that it is the largest and most powerful steam engine in the world. A total of 25 of these heavy haulers were built to bring tons of freight to even the steepest of locations.
However, No. 4014 is one of only eight surviving Big Boys that is operational today.
Built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company, this Big Boy lives up to its name, weighing in at 1.2 million pounds. It is 133 feet long. Once powered by coal, the Big Boy 4014 was switched to fuel oil for its trip across the U.S.
Since May, the Big Boy has been making its way across the country, stopping in various locations where the public can take a closer look at this beast of a train. For a country that is consumed with fast cars and planes, the number of train lovers that has flocked to the rails to see the Big Boy has surpassed anyone's expectations.
Thousands of followers have waited in long traffic lines and stood in the rain or scorching heat at trackside to await the train's arrival. Only at certain venues is the train parked and available for visitors to see. Some of those visits were cut short due to the extreme heat. I was fortunate to catch up with it in Altoona and Fostoria where trains are a common occurrence every day. Tents and free water were offered at the stopped sites as the crowds grew into the thousands.
Young and old alike gathered at trackside where visitors clamored to have pictures taken in front of the locomotive. A talk with a few of the train fans indicated that they just wanted to see this living peace of history before it, too, is gone.
A woman from Columbus, Ohio said she and her husband enjoy taking train trips but seeing the Boy Boy was an even bigger thrill. "It's just so amazing when you think about it. It's hard to even imagine how they built it," she commented.
The Big Boy 4014 rarely carries passengers. Mostly seats are sold as charity fundraisers with prices ranging between $400 and over $1,200, according to the Union Pacific website.
Two weeks ago, thousands of Pennsylvanians gathered at rail tracks near Pittsburgh where they could watch the train pass over some of the area's iconic train bridges.
Today, the Big Boy is in Hays, Kansas, with stops planned in Colorado. A complete list of the Big Boy's travels and stops on its way home can be found on the Big Boy No. 4014 website. The train expects to be back in its home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming on July 29.