Editor’s note: The video above captured Big Boy No. 4014 in Illinois during a prior visit.
A one-million-pound train known as Big Boy No. 4014, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built, will roll into the Chicago area in the coming weeks, drawing train enthusiasts and spectators from near and far.
Union Pacific on Monday revealed the details of the northeast leg of a nationwide tour following a western portion that began in downtown Sacramento. The eastern leg starts May 25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with the locomotive trekking east as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.
The journey will mark the first time Big Boy has steamed across the Mississippi River and into the Ohio Valley since it was built in Schenectady, New York, according to a news release.
During the tour, Big Boy will appear at eight major public displays, including a Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia and a June 3 stop in West Chicago. Big Boy will be on display at the Union Pacific Training Center, south of the West Chicago Metra stop, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Spectators are urged to ride Metra to the event, as parking won’t be available at the site.
Other public displays are planned in the following cities:
- May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska
- June 10 – Buffalo, New York
- June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
- July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
- July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
- July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri
Two “whistle stops,” where fans can catch the locomotive in action during roughly 15-to-30-minute visits, are planned in Illinois at the following dates and locations:
- June 2 – Sterling, Rochelle
- July 18 – Springfield, Girard
The complete list of stops can be found here.
Big Boy will be joined on the trip by several historical passenger cars from Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, along with two commemorative locomotives, according to the news release.
If Big Boy No. 4014 seems familiar, it likely is.
The classic train stopped in three Illinois communities in 2024 as part of a 10-state “Heartland of America” tour, drawing massive crowds.
Officials previously said Big Boy No. 4014 is one of 25 trains built in the 1940s to handle the steep grades in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain Range during World War II. It’s the only one that remains in operation today.
