No. 4014 is slated to depart UP’s Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 26, the Class I railroad reported on April 11. It will travel through six states—California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming—making brief “whistle-stops” (see route map below; further details will be released in May). The 1.1 million-pound unit will also be on display in Sparks, Nev. (July 6); Roseville, Calif. (July 8-9); Portland, Ore. (July 15-16); and Boise, Idaho (July 21-22). These “display days” will also offer “Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car,” a multi-media walk-through exhibition providing “a glimpse at the past while telling the story of modern-day railroading,” and live Q&As with the UP Steam Crew. This is the second tour for the 81-year-old locomotive since UP restored it for 2019’s “Great Race” tours commemorating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion. The Class I railroad reacquired the unit in 2013 from the RailGiants Museum of Pomona, Calif, and set out on a five-year restoration at UP’s Steam Shop. (The locomotive had been in retirement for six decades previously). American Locomotive Company (ALCO) manufactured 25 Big Boys for UP. The first was delivered in 1941 to haul heavy trains over the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyo., on a 1.14% ruling grade; 19 others were delivered the same year and five in 1944. As the story goes, the 4000-class series originally was to have been designated the “Wasatch,” but an unidentified ALCO worker wrote “Big Boy” in chalk on the smokebox of one unit during construction, and that’s the nickname that stuck. The units saw service until their fires were dropped for the last time in 1961. Eight survived. No. 4014 is the only Big Boy in operation; the other seven are on display in Cheyenne; Denver, Colo.; Frisco, Tex.; Green Bay, Wis.; Omaha, Neb.; Scranton, Pa.; and St. Louis, Mo. “The Big Boy was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941 and helped carry the nation through World War II,” said Scott Moore, UP Senior Vice President-Corporate Relations and Chief Administrative Officer. “It now serves as a reminder of our history and how rail is the backbone of America. The tour last year brought out about 1.1 million people from the communities we serve, and we cannot wait to share Big Boy again this summer.” A steam-tracking map showing No. 4014’s location and route will be available at http://upsteam.com. A nine-page Railway Age article of Oct. 4, 1941 (download below) describes the Big Boy in full technical detail. Also for download: elevation and cross-section technical drawings. RailwayAge1941UPBigBoyDownload Railway_Age_1941_Union_Pacific_Big_Boy_Technical-DrawingDownload The post ‘Big Boy’ Readies for West Coast Steam Tour appeared first on Railway Age. Continue reading...
