Editor’s note: The video above captured Big Boy No. 4014 in Illinois during a prior visit.
All-aboard: A one-million-pound train known as Big Boy No. 4014, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built, will soon roll into Illinois as part of its first-ever northeast tour.
“Union Pacific couldn’t be prouder to share this powerful piece of history with the nation and to be a part of America’s birthday celebration,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a release. “This tour celebrates our company’s rich 164-year history, our nation’s amazing story and the people who have helped build our great country and our railroad.”
According to the release, the eastern leg of the train’s tour started May 25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It will continue east, across the Mississippi River and into the Ohio Valley for the first time since it was built in Schenectady, New York.
“The route through the Ohio Valley, Pennsylvania and the Northeast reflects the historic role railroads played in shaping America’s economic heartland, connecting factories, ports and population centers and fueling the nation’s growth across generations,” the release said. “For nearly 200 years, Norfolk Southern and its predecessor railroads have served these corridors, helping move the people and goods that built the modern United States.”
The tour comes with eight major public display events, officials said. That includes a Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia and a June 3 stop in West Chicago.
What to know about Big Boy’s stops in Illinois
Big Boy will be on display at the Union Pacific Training Center, south of the West Chicago Metra stop, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 3, according to the schedule. Spectators are urged to ride Metra to the event, as parking won’t be available at the site.
Other public displays are planned in the following cities:
- May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska
- June 10 – Buffalo, New York
- June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
- July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
- July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
- July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri
Two “whistle stops,” where fans can catch the locomotive in action during roughly 15-to-30-minute visits, are planned in Illinois at the following dates and locations:
- June 2 – Sterling, Rochelle
- July 18 – Springfield, Girard
The complete list of stops can be found here.
Big Boy will be joined on the trip by several historical passenger cars from Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, along with two commemorative locomotives, according to the news release.
If Big Boy No. 4014 seems familiar, it likely is.
The classic train stopped in three Illinois communities in 2024 as part of a 10-state “Heartland of America” tour, drawing massive crowds.
Officials previously said Big Boy No. 4014 is one of 25 trains built in the 1940s to handle the steep grades in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain Range during World War II. It’s the only one that remains in operation today.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/GqFQNYa
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