How many Big Boys still run?

Twenty-five Big Boy locomotives were built for Union Pacific to haul freight over the steep grade of the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah during World War II. Eight were preserved after the locomotive was retired six decades ago, but only Big Boy No. 4014 is still in operation.



People Also Ask

Today, eight Big Boys survive, with most on static display at museums across the United States. One of them, No. 4014, was re-acquired by Union Pacific, and between 2014 and 2019 was rebuilt to operating condition for the 150th anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad.

MORE DETAILS

Its girth requires a 4-8-8-4 wheel configuration to keep it rock-steady on the rails. With a puny 7,000 horsepower, Big Boys had a maximum tractive power of 135,375 pounds, all to pull huge loads of freight across steep grades in Utah's Wasatch Mountains and the Rockies.

MORE DETAILS

Jim Wrinn was quoted in USA Today as estimating the cost to restore the 4014 at roughly $4 million. If I remember correctly, Stephen Lee was the engineer on the 844 trip.

MORE DETAILS

2023 Schedule In 2023, Big Boy No. 4014 visited Omaha on the Home Run Express during June. To be notified of future steam schedule updates, join the Official Union Pacific Steam Club at http://up.com/SteamClub !

MORE DETAILS

Therefore I say it was and is the largest steam engine that was ever created... There was a machine called the Allegheny type which I think was a 4-6-6-6 which some believe was actually more powerfull and heavier than the Big Boy.

MORE DETAILS

The Big Boys were built for power. They did the work of three smaller engines, pulling 120-car, 3800 ton freight trains at forty miles per hour in the mountains of Utah and Wyoming. With power, though, comes weight - larger cylinders, pistons, drive rods, boiler and firebox.

MORE DETAILS

The Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive rolled out of a Union Pacific restoration shop in Cheyenne for a big debut after five years of restoration. It then headed toward Utah as part of a yearlong tour to commemorate the Transcontinental Railroad's 150th anniversary.

MORE DETAILS

Big Boy No. 4014 is the world's largest operating steam locomotive.

MORE DETAILS