Big Boy Locomotive moves to Houston
A marvel of engineering is rolling into Houston. The Big Boy, the largest steam locomotive, draws crowds downtown.
Fox – 26 Houston
The world’s largest steam locomotive is heading east up the Mississippi River to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The train, officially known as Big Boy 4014, will begin swinging through 10 states in late May. The locomotive was delivered to Union Pacific in 1941 and was one of 25 built to transport cargo across the Continental Divide in Wyoming and Utah during the war. The Big Boy was last in service and was converted to burn oil instead of coal in the 1960s.
“Union Pacific could not be more proud to share this powerful piece of history with the nation and join America in celebrating its birthday,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a statement. “This tour celebrates our rich 164-year history, our country’s amazing stories, and the people who helped build our great country and railroad.”
The ground-shaking locomotive has already circled west through California from its home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. According to railway officials, the train will depart eastbound again on May 25. According to railroad officials, this will be the first time the train has crossed the Mississippi River since 1941, when it was sent west.
Big Boy is 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds. During its active service, it traveled more than 1 million miles, transporting cargo between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah. The train usually attracts many train enthusiasts, and it’s common to see superfans with cameras chasing the train in their cars.
The Union Pacific Railroad has close ties to President Abraham Lincoln, who founded the railroad in 1862 during the Civil War as a way to connect California with the rest of the United States. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 changed the way people moved across the United States. Within 20 years, they had moved west across the Mississippi River, primarily on the Oregon Trail.
Big Boy will visit the stops below, but Union Pacific’s website also lists other public viewing opportunities. UP also provides a real-time location tracker.
- May 30th – Omaha, Nebraska (Headquarters of Union Pacific headquarters)
- June 3rd – West Chicago, Illinois
- June 10th – buffalo new york
- June 15th-16th – Scranton, Pennsylvania
- July 4th-5th – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 9th-10th – Altoona, Pennsylvania
- July 14th – Fostoria, Ohio
- July 19th – St. Louis, Missouri
