By Andrea Arens
If you had the chance to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 as it rolled throught the Southland, it was quite the sight. Hundreds, if not thousands, lined the railroad tracks in towns, such as Beecher, Sollitt, Crete, and Watseka, to see Union Pacific’s only operational Big Boy.
During World War II, 25 Big Boy steam locomotive engines were built only for Union Pacific, with the first arriving in 1941 according to the Union Pacific website. The Big Boys were 132 feet long and 1.2 million pounds. Because they were so long, they were hinged, which allowed them to navigate curves. They had four wheels on the pilot wheels that guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels that supported the rear of the locomotive. They operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
There’s only seven Big Boys left on public display around the U.S.
Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941 and retired in December 1961 traveling more than one million miles upon its retirement. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from a rail museum in California in 2013 and began a multi-year restoration process. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion.
The Big Boy stopped for 30 minutes in Watseka after leaving Rochelle, and then continued on to Nokomis, followed by St. Louis. It will eventually end its tour in Denver, Colorado.
