Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive passes through Illinois on coast-to-coast tour
Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 is traveling coast to coast to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, and the engine was rolling through Illinois on Tuesday.
A total of 25 Big Boy locomotives were commissioned for the Union Pacific Railroad, with the first delivered in 1941. They were intended to haul heavy equipment for the war effort during World War II, and operated primarily between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
No. 4014 was the 14th of 25 Big Boy locomotives ever built. There are eight remaining, and No. 4014 is the only one that still runs.
The Big Boys are 133 feet long, weigh 1.2 million pounds, and develops 7,000 horsepower just by burning oil and heating water.
No. 4014 was retired in December 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad Completion.
Currently, the Big Boy is on a journey across the country, from California to the Eastern Seaboard. It was set to arrive in West Chicago late Tueday and will spend the night there.
Rail fans gathered along the UP Main Line to see the locomotive and catch a glimpse of history late Tuesday afternoon. They stood on cars and bridges to see the sight.
The Big Boy will be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Union Pacific Training Center in West Chicago south and west of the Metra stop.
Admission to see the Big Boy in West Chicago is free. The Big Boy leaves West Chicago on Thursday morning.
