Union Pacific Railroad is undertaking the movement and restoration of one of the world’s largest steam locomotives – the Big Boy No. 4014.
The Big Boy has called the RailGiants Train Museum at the L.A. County Fairgrounds home for the past 50 years. However, during the past few weeks the locomotive has been inching its way across the Fairgrounds parking lot to meet the tracks that will eventually take it to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where it will undergo restoration.
The above video shows the Big Boy’s slow move through the parking lot. Rail fans will have a chance to see the locomotive on working train tracks at the Metrolink Covina Station on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Categories: Transportation News
Manufactured in my hometown- Schenectady, NY, “The city that (once) hauls and lights the world.
[…] La locomotora Big Boy 4014 de Union Pacific empieza su viaje hasta Wyoming el domingo por la mañana. Si quiere una foto de la locomotora, vaya a la estación Covina de Metrolink entre las 7 y 8 a.m. […]
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
ANOTHER PIECE OF RAILROAD HISTORY….GONNA COME TO LIFE.
Can someone confirm for me, is this Engine going to be fired up and running or just hauled to Wyoming?
Hi Lu,
The Big Boy is not active. It will be towed to Wyoming where it will be restored into running condition, which will take 3 – 5 years. But this move is the first time in 50 years to see a Big Boy locomotive moving on train tracks, though it won’t be under its own power at this time.
Anna Chen
Writer, The Source
Thank you, Anna I plan to be there.
The 25 UP Big Boys were, at the end of the steam era, the largest in terms of length at about133 feet — locomotive & tender. The heaviest were the Chesapeake & Ohio’s 60 Allegheny Class (389 tons, engine only), the highest horsepower were the 25 Pennsylvania Q2 Class, while the greatest tractive effort (pulling force) was attributed to the Norfolk & Western Y6b Class with 170,000 lbs.
When you are talking about a “Big Boy” it’s really length that matters!
Bob’s should set-up a mobile hamburger stand and give away or sell Big Boy Burgers.
I’d like to see Power 106 radio personality Big Boy make an appearance at the Metrolink station event.
At over 1 million pounds, and over 132 feet in length, This locomotive is no little “choo choo”.Awesome to see that a Big Boy will shake the ground and operate again. For more info on the Big Boy engines
see the excellent dvd’s by Pentrex.
Tom, if you look on Wikipedia for the list of “largest locomotives” you can find that the UP “Big Boy” isn’t exclusively the biggest steamer. There is another called the “Allegheny” class, built by the Lima Locomotive Works that are listed as slightly more powerful ( 7500hp versus 6290 hp). The Big Boys are heavier and I believe faster, although the Horsepower for the Allegheney may not be completely accurate at the time.
The Big Boy
4014 is NOT just “one of the world’s biggest” steamers, IT IS the world’s biggest steamer. It does has some inoperative brothers in parks and museums around the country. But they are all of the “Big Boy” class of the biggest steamers ever built.
Tom,
I took that description word for word from UP’s website. So there’s that.
Anna Chen
Writer, The Source