Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” No. 4014 and Reading Company 4-8-4 No. 2102 will lead simultaneous excursions on the Reading & Northern Railroad in June in what is being billed as the “most fantastic railfan event of the 21st century.”

UP 4014 will be in Pennsylvania in June as part of the locomotive’s East Coast tour to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. So far, UP has not offered a detailed schedule, except that the engine will visit Chicago, Buffalo, New York, and Scranton, Pa., before arriving in Philadelphia for Independence Day. On June 14, the locomotive will lead a one-way trip over the R&N from Nesquehoning to Pittston, Pa., as part of a fundraiser for the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.

That same day, Reading 2102 will lead another excursion from the Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station to Pittston and return via Lehigh Gorge. That excursion, plus additional ones on June 14, July 1 and July 2, are all expected to meet or pass UP 4014. The July 2 excursion will be led by R&N’s diesels, which are painted to celebrate the semiquincentennial.

“The most fantastic railfan event of the 21st century will occur on the Reading & Northern,” said owner and CEO Andy Muller Jr. “All are invited to join us for this event to either ride or safely follow the train. People will be required to stay a minimum of 25 feet away from all railroad tracks, which will be strictly enforced. One hundred percent safety is a must; 99 percent is not enough.”

The East Coast tour is expected to conclude on July 29.

—Justin Franz