The legendary Big Boy No. 4014 steamed through the Chicago area Friday morning on its way home to Wyoming, giving rail fans a second chance to witness the world’s largest operating steam locomotive in just over a month.
The massive Union Pacific engine, which completed the eastern leg of its coast-to-coast bicentennial tour in Philadelphia, rolled through Bridgeview, Bedford Park, Summit, and Willow Springs during late morning, drawing enthusiasts to trackside along the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad near Archer Road and 63rd Street.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Summit Trustee Sam Dardovski, watching the locomotive slowly move through town, letting off steam and sounding its bellowing horn. “We got lucky here.”
Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez also witnessed the passing. “This is great, and we got to see it twice,” he said. “It’s a piece of American History riding right through Summit last month and again today.”
The locomotive, which left South Holland on Friday morning, drew spectators from across the region. One Westmont resident said he had seen it in La Grange the previous month and returned to Summit for another viewing. Another from Buffalo Grove chose the Summit location as the train was going to veer south on its way to other parts of the state.
Musician Nathan Gardner played “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” on trumpet for about 15 minutes before the train’s arrival, adding to the patriotic atmosphere.
Rail fans tracked the locomotive’s progress using the Big Boy tracker on Union Pacific’s website.
Big Boy rounds the curve near 63rd Place in Summit Friday morning Credit: Carol McGowan / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Big Boy letting out steam as it heads to the Archer-63rd Street overpass in Summit Friday morning Credit: Carol McGowan / Southwest Regional Publishing 
A crowd gathered in the area and waited over two hours in the heat to see the iconic locomotive Credit: Carol McGowan / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez was among those gathered waiting to see the train Credit: Carol McGowan / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Nathan Gardner played patriotic songs while folks were anxiously awaiting the arrival Credit: Nathan Gardner
Absolutely beautiful I love the big boy and musicians against multiple sclerosis is gonna set up a fundraising event with you
When will the big boy come back to north east Ohio