Union Pacific Railroad's Historic "Big Boy" 4014 Steam Locomotive Traveling Through the Area

Screenshot from the Union Pacific Railway website. Pictures from NWKS Radio in Salina, KS July 24th morning.

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The Union Pacific Railroad has announced the travel schedule for their historic "Big Boy" 4014 Steam Locomotive. This train will be making it's way through the area over the next few days, traveling through the likes of Wallace, Logan, and Gove County.

According to the official schedule, it will be located around Sharon Springs on Monday, July 27th, around 9 am Mountain Time. This stop has no public access however. Above, you can find the mapped route through the three surrounding counties.

What is so historic about the "Big Boy" 4014 Steam Locomotive? Below is an excerpt from the official Union Pacific Website.

"Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort, normally operating between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Big Boys are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds.

Due to their great length, the frames of the Big Boys are “hinged,” or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which means they have four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels to guide the engine; eight drivers on the first engine; another set of eight drivers on the second engine; and four wheels trailing that support the rear of the locomotive.

No. 4014 was retired in Dec. 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Union Pacific reacquired it from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013 and relocated it back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a multi-year restoration. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.

The seven other remaining Big Boys are on public display in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming."

For the full schedule of the locomotive and more information about its trip, you can visit their website HERE.