Union Pacific Railroad announced recently that its famed Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive will stop in more than three dozen communities including Grand Mound, Iowa, during its fall tour across 10 states.
The tour will include stops in both Iowa and Illinois towns in the region.
The 2024 Heartland of America Tour kicks off Aug. 28, from Cheyenne, Wyoming. During the tour, Big Boy will pass through Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
The local stops on that tour will be on Friday, Sept. 6, in the Clinton County, Iowa city of Grand Mound, Iowa, and the Whiteside County of Sterling, Illinois, on the same day. The train is scheduled to be at the Smith Street crossing in Grand Mound from 11 to 11:15 a.m., and at the Sterling Marketplace, 111 W. 2nd St., Sterling, from 1:30-1:45 p.m.
The train’s other scheduled stops can be found here.
Still world’s largest
As part of the tour, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum will be auctioning off four cab rides on Big Boy No. 4014, with proceeds going to two causes: the Union Pacific Museum Association and Union Pacific’s Friend to Friend Network, a nonprofit that benefits railroad families in times of need, such as medical or natural disaster hardships. The auction started Monday, Aug. 12, and ends Monday, Aug. 19. Details can be found here.
Twenty-five Big Boys were built during World War II, but only eight survived. No. 4014 is the only one of the eight still in operation and remains the world’s largest operating steam locomotive.
The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were “hinged,” or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo.
There are seven Big Boys on public display in various cities around the country. They can be found in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Union Pacific reminds all rail fans to keep safety top of mind and stay 25-feet back from the tracks when taking a picture or viewing the colossal locomotive. That means never take a picture or video standing on the track or the ballast and never climb on the locomotive or equipment.
