The Big Boy No. 4014 is headed back out on the Union Pacific system beginning July 8 for a tour, taking it through Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Called the “Great Race Across the Midwest,” the tour will include displays at the following locations:
- July 13-14: Omaha, Neb. (paid admission required through Railroad Days)
- July 18: St. Paul, Minn.
- July 20: Duluth, Minn.
- July 23: Altoona, Wis.
- July 27-29: Chicago, Ill.
- Aug. 1: Des Moines, Iowa
- Aug. 3: Omaha, Neb.
- Aug. 6: North Platte, Neb.
Built in 1941 and retired in 1961, the locomotive was one of seven placed on display at museums around the country. The railroad reacquired 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, Calif., in 2013, and embarked on a multi-year rebuild and restoration that culminated in a special ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10 in Ogden, Utah. Currently the largest operating steam locomotive in the world, the complete summer tour schedule can be found on Union Pacific’s website.
—Railfan & Railroad, via press release
