Union Pacific’s 133-foot “Big Boy” steam locomotive has begun a months-long journey east toward Philadelphia for America’s 250th anniversary, with public stops across multiple states and safety guidance for spectators as it returns to Cheyenne in late July.
Under wide blue skies in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the first hint of the journey wasn’t the size of the machine—it was the sound. Union Pacific’s “Big Boy,” the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, has begun heading east toward Philadelphia and the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.
The locomotive—133 feet long—will pull a small train of cars as it travels east of the Mississippi. a rare move for a train originally built to haul heavy materials across the Continental Divide between Wyoming and Utah. Its iconic steam whistle leads the way. followed by a schedule of multiple public stops timed for the July Fourth semiquincentennial ceremonies.
Ed Dickens. a locomotive engineer and Union Pacific’s senior manager of steam operations. watched the start of the trip with the kind of pride that comes from decades around the rails. “A steam locomotive is an amazing machine from a bygone era,” he said. “You don’t have to be a rail fan for it to capture your imagination.”.
The eastbound route runs through several states before the locomotive turns south to Philadelphia. The train is making stops or appearances in Nebraska. Iowa. Illinois (including West Chicago). Indiana. Ohio. Pennsylvania. and upstate New York. Union Pacific then expects Big Boy to head back west with stops in St. Louis and Kansas City, before returning to the Cheyenne yards in late July.
For people trying to catch a glimpse, Union Pacific recommends checking the Big Boy website for specific dates and times. The railroad also points viewers to a “steam tracker” to follow the locomotive’s historic journey as it moves.
This trek is part of a wider 250th celebration circuit already underway. Union Pacific officials say Big Boy traveled west to California earlier this year via Utah and Nevada. They also expect more than a million people will have viewed the train in person by the time it returns to the Cheyenne yards.
The draw has already been clear. People who came out for Big Boy’s May 25 departure from Cheyenne came from as far away as New Jersey, with enthusiasts also arriving from North Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska.
The meaning of the moment stretches beyond a single locomotive. President Abraham Lincoln created the Union Pacific railroad amid the Civil War. using the tracks to help tie the then-new state of California to the rest of the Union. Big Boy. formally known as 4014. is the last operating locomotive of a class of heavy engines built to haul military material between the coasts during World War II.
Keeping 4014 running has been, by Dickens’s account, a long labor of love. Union Pacific bought 21 of the Big Boy locomotives, with the first delivered in 1941. Unlike modern locomotives that use diesel engines to power electric motors. the Big Boy class was originally fueled with burning coal. which heated water to create steam that powered pistons connected to the wheels. Today. the last remaining Big Boy has been converted to burn fuel oil. although the railroad also uses waste engine oil from its traditional locomotives.
The locomotive’s working life covered more than 1 million miles before it was retired in 1961. Union Pacific later bought it back from a museum. and Dickens and his crew spent several years restoring it—often hand-crafting replacement parts that were no longer available. The result is a machine that travels with the tools to keep itself running: Big Boy hauls a special car filled with machine tools. including a drill press and lathe. along with a dorm car for the crew to sleep in.
There is also a physical warning built into the experience. Dickens asked that people who come to see the train during its eastern journey stay at least 25 feet back for safety. “If you get any closer. the immense heat coming from the steam boiler serves as a potent reminder of just how powerful the locomotive is.”.
When he describes what spectators should expect, Dickens doesn’t soften the details. “When (people) come. they’re going to hear that whistle. and chances are they’re going to hear that whistle long before they see it. You’ll feel the ground rumbling, feel the heat … emanating off this giant machine. This locomotive, it does not disappoint,” he said. “It runs like a Swiss watch.”.
For now, Big Boy is still at the start of its months-long circuit—chugging east toward July Fourth ceremonies and Philadelphia, with public stops across the Midwest and Northeast before the return west to Cheyenne in late July.
Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 steam locomotive America 250th Philadelphia Cheyenne Ed Dickens steam tracker July Fourth