Union Pacific is dropping new hints this week of a coast-to-coast journey for its historic locomotive nicknamed ‘Big Boy’ following its successful Heartland of America Tour in 2024.
Big Boy No. 4014 is one of 25 engines constructed in the World War II-era to haul heavy equipment in support of the ongoing war effort, according to Union Pacific’s website. Big Boy No. 4014 was retired in 1961 but was later reacquired by Union Pacific in 2013 for an extensive restoration project.
Big Boy No. 4014 and its brothers are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds, requiring a “hinged” frame to help it get around curves, Union Pacific explains.
Today, only eight Big Boys remain. No. 4014 is the only Big Boy to still travel the tracks.
It made its return to service in 2019 and embarked on an eight-week “Heartland of America Tour” in 2024 and a far more limited schedule in 2025. (You can track No. 4014’s location live; it appears to remain parked in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as of Wednesday.)
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