For Long Islanders interested in trains, railroad history, or simply seeing one of the largest machines ever put on rails, this summer offers a rare opportunity.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, officially the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, is making a rare journey east of the Mississippi River as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. While the locomotive is not coming to Long Island itself, it will make several stops within driving distance of the region.
The closest public opportunities for Long Islanders to see the locomotive include:
- Buffalo, New York, June 10
- Owego, New York, June 12
- Scranton, Pennsylvania, June 15 through June 30
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 4 and July 5
For many Long Islanders, the Scranton and Philadelphia appearances may be the most practical options because the locomotive will remain on public display there for extended periods rather than making shorter whistle stops.
Built beginning in 1941 during World War II, the Big Boy locomotives were designed exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad to haul heavy freight and military materials through the mountains between Wyoming and Utah. The engines operated primarily between Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Ogden, Utah.
The scale of the locomotive is difficult to miss.
Big Boy No. 4014 measures 133 feet long and weighs roughly 1.2 million pounds. The locomotive uses an articulated, hinged frame that allows it to navigate curves despite its massive size. It is classified as a 4-8-8-4 locomotive, referring to its wheel arrangement.
Union Pacific originally acquired 25 Big Boy locomotives, beginning in 1941. Today, only eight remain in existence.
No. 4014 traveled more than 1 million miles before being retired in December 1961. Union Pacific reacquired the locomotive from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013 and transported it back to Cheyenne for a multi-year restoration project. The locomotive returned to active service in 2019 during celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Originally powered by coal, the locomotive has since been converted to operate using fuel oil. Union Pacific also carries a support car filled with machine tools during tours so crews can fabricate replacement parts if repairs are needed along the route.
According to Union Pacific steam operations manager Ed Dickens, many people hear the train before they see it.
“When people come, they’re going to hear that whistle long before they see it,” Dickens said during the launch of the eastbound trip from Cheyenne, Wyoming. “You’ll feel the ground rumbling.”
The locomotive began its eastbound trip on May 25 and will travel through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania before arriving in Philadelphia for Fourth of July events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Long Islanders considering the trip to Scranton may also find an additional connection there: another surviving Big Boy locomotive is permanently displayed at Steamtown National Historic Site.
Union Pacific officials expect more than a million people will have seen Big Boy No. 4014 in person by the end of the tour.
Photo: Morven, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
