UP Steams up ‘Big Boy’ to Move Locomotive

Union Pacific steamed up its 4-6-6-4 “Big Boy” this week but it didn’t pull a train out on the mainline.

Railfan & Railroad magazine reported that the 4014 was used to move 2-10-2 No. 5511 out of a roundhouse in preparation for its move to Silvis, Illinois.

UP has donated the 5511 to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, which is based in a former Rock Island repair shop in Silvis.

Also slated to move to Silvis is 4-6-6-4 “Challenger” No. 3985. The Midwest America group plans to restore both locomotives.

Last Wednesday, the “Big Boy” moved the 5511 back and forth through the yard to test various systems.

UP Releases ‘Big Boy’ Schedule

Union Pacific has released the schedule for its “Big Boy” steam locomotive between Cheyene, Wyoming, and Denver next week.

The 4014 and its train will depart Cheyenne at 10 a.m. on July 28, make a 45-minute stop in Greeley, Colorado, and arrive in Denver at 4:30 p.m.

On July 29, the Big Boy will be on display at Denver Union Station from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It will lead the Union Pacific Museum Special from Denver at 7:10 a.m., making a stop in Greeley at 9:30 a.m. and arriving in Cheyenne at 11:45 a.m.

No further trips with the 4014 are expected to operate this year.

UP Big Boy to Visit Denver This Month

Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 may not be going on tour this year, but it will operate between Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver in late July.

As part of that event, the 4-8-8-4 will lead a public excursion back to Cheyenne where it is based.

The locomotive will travel from Cheyenne to Denver on July 28 and be on display in the mile high city on July 29.

The July 30 2022 Museum Special will benefit the Union Pacific Museum. Tickets will go on sale on July 1 for museum members and then to the public on July 5. They can be purchased at UPtraintix.com

UP had earlier announced a tour for the 4014 that would have taken it to the Pacific Northwest and California, but it was cancelled, the railroad said, due to persistent traffic congestion on its network.

UP 4014 to Go West of Cheyenne in June

If you want to see Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 in action, you’ll need to travel quite some distance.

The railroad said its “Big Boy” steam locomotive will begin a tour on June 26 that will take it to Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Idaho for about a month. 

UP said the tour will in part mark the railroad’s 160^th anniversary of operation.

The Big Boy will operate over Donner Pass in California and through the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon.

Although more details about the tour are expected to be announced later, the 4014 is expected to visit Sparks, Nevada, on July 6; Roseville, California, on July 8 and 9; Dunsmuir, California, on July 11; Portland, Oregon, on July 15 and 16; and Boise, Idaho, on July 21 and 22.

Union Pacific Releases ‘Big Boy” Tour Sked

Union Pacific has released a detailed schedule for the August tour of its “Big Boy” steam locomotive.

The 4014 is slated to depart its home in Cheyenne, Wyoming, today at 8 a.m. with its first stop on the tour set for Sidney, Nebraska.

The tour will continue toward Kansas City before heading south to Texas and then east to New Orleans.

From the Crescent City the “Big Boy will head north to St. Louis through Arkansas, before moving on to Denver for the Labor Day Weekend.

It will then return home to Cheyenne. The 4014 last operated in 2019. A 2020 tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information is available at https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2UWj4kihbbSkrVy7UilhWXRXc5b9F71I_7akX3jPusVEtBN1mpxys4ggs

Steamtown’s Big Boy Goes on Static Display

A Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive has returned to static display following a two-year cosmetic restoration at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The museum is home to 4-8-8-4 No. 4012 and has located it near the park entrance.

The display site highlights the engine’s articulation because it is on a section of curved track.

No. 4012 is one of 25 Big Boys built UP between 1941 and 1944 and used primarily in Wyoming and Utah.

Eight Big Boys has survived and are at museums throughout the Southwest, Midwest, and West. No. 4014 was restored by UP to operating condition in 2019.

The restoration of No. 4012 included replacement of rusted parts, remediation of hazardous materials, and repainting the locomotive to UP specifications.

There is a timer-controlled illumination of the headlight, numberboards, and marker lights.

In conjunction with National Train Day on May 8 Steamtown plans to display Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 759, Grand Trunk Western 4-8-2 No. 6039, and Groveton Paper Works 2-4-2T No. 7.

UP Won’t Run Steam in 2020

There will be no Big Boy steam operations this year but Union Pacific has vowed to return the 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive to the rails in 2021.

UP announced on Wednesday that it was cancelling all planned steam activities this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing rules.

“We saw last year how much America loves the Big Boy, and what it can do as the giant, rolling ambassador of the Union Pacific,” said UP Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Scott Moore.

No schedule for operating the Big Boy this year had yet been announced but there had been speculation that it would operate in the Pacific Northwest in late summer.

The Big Boy had made its inaugural trip last year to Utah for the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike to complete the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.

The National Park Service said this week that the annual commemoration at the Golden Spike National Historical Park, set for May 10, has been cancelled because of the pandemic.

Brandon Flint, incoming superintendent of the park, said in a news release that this year’s commemoration will be held “on a more individual and personal level.”

There are videos, stories, and photos on the park website and Facebook page. However, the park, its visitor center, and its bookstore remain closed.

RRE Banquet Set for April 4 in Berea

The Forest City Division of the Railroad Enthusiast has announced that Terry Kolenc will be the presenter at its annual banquet on April 4 in Berea.

The event will be held at Perk Cup Café, 561 Bagley Road. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $32 per person if purchased in advance or $37 if purchased at the door.

The ticket price includes a buffet style dinner, soft drinks and desert. There will be a cash bar plus door prizes.

Kolenc, who presented at the 2019 banquet will be showing images he made while chasing Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive 4014 and companion steam locomotive No. 844 last May as they made their way to Ogden, Utah, from their base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The deadline for reservations is March 27.

UP Estimates 1.1M Turned Out to See the Big Boy

Union Pacific has estimated that 1.1 million people turned out to see its Big Boy steam locomotive this year during its tours of the railroad’s system.

The Class 1 railroad said it counted 115,000 visitors who went through its “Experience the Union Pacific” exhibit car during layovers on the three tours that began on May 4 and ended on Nov. 26.

The tour of 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 marked the first time in 60 years that a Big Boy steam locomotive has operated under its own power.

UP restored the locomotive to help mark the150th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

The railroad has not announced any plans to operate No. 4014 in 2020, but Trains magazine has reported that some sources have said it may operate to the Pacific Northwest, California or St. Louis.

Steamtown to Cosmetically Restore its Big Boy

A former Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site has been removed for restoration, but don’t too excited.

The 4-8-8-4 will undergo a cosmetic restoration and will not be pulling trains in the East.

No. 4012 is one of eight Big Boys that have been preserved and the only one on display in the eastern United States.

Steamtown said park visitors will not have access to No. 4012 during its restoration process.

However, the National Park Service said it will provide occasional updates on the progress of the restoration on the park’s website and through social media outlets.

The restoration is expected to take several months and no completion date has been announced.