Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive rolling into Philadelphia over Fourth of July weekend
Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, is playing host to thousands of visitors and a number of events as the country celebrates 250 years over the Fourth of July weekend.
Add to the list of attractions coming to the City of Brotherly Love: the world's largest operating steam locomotive.
The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, which has been on a coast-to-coast tour of America for months, will roll onto the tracks near the Navy Yard and be on public display on July Fourth and July 5.
Admission to see the Big Boy is free and tickets aren't required, but visitors should be aware that a limited number of parking spaces are available near the viewing site and due to anticipated crowd sizes, you might have to wait in line.
The locomotive will be on display Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., and from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday, off of League Island Boulevard. Parking is available in three lots near the tracks.
On the Fourth of July, Union Pacific will also host an America250 Block Party at the event site from 9:30 a.m. until 10 a.m.
There is no public access outside of the posted hours.
Due to the forecasted extreme heat, organizers are urging spectators to bring and drink lots of water, wear lightweight clothes and be prepared to stand for extended periods of time if crowds are large.
Big Boy will depart from Philadelphia on Monday, July 6, and head to King of Prussia and Lebanon before continuing to stops in Central Pennsylvania.
The nationwide tour marks the first time the locomotive has made stops in Pennsylvania, and thousands of people showed up in Pittsburgh earlier this month when the feat of engineering arrived at the Lake Shore Railway Museum in Erie County.
One of the seven remaining Big Boys is currently on display in Scranton.
Twenty-five Big Boys were originally commissioned for Union Pacific in the first half of the 20th Century, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were used to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort and often traveled between Utah and Wyoming.
Big Boy No. 4014 was retired in 1961 after traveling more than 1 million miles and was put back into service in 2019 after a multi-year restoration in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
