City Of Fort Worth: Union Pacific's Big Boy Stops In Fort Worth On Saturday

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

August 12, 2021

Big Boy No. 4014, the famed Union Pacific steam locomotive built in the 1940s to conquer mountains while carrying equipment in support of World War II, has embarked on a 10-state tour and will arrive Friday, Aug. 13 and be on public display Aug. 14 in Fort Worth.

Train enthusiasts of all ages will get a chance to talk to the steam crew, tour the Experience the Union Pacific rail car – a railroad museum on wheels – and take a selfie with the world’s largest steam locomotive, one of 25 of its kind built and the only one still in operation.

The locomotive will be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, near downtown Fort Worth, about one block east of 825 E. Ninth St. Admission is free.

Event highlights:

This is the first time Big Boy has gone on tour since its post-restoration debut in 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion. It is returning in 2021 with a tour that includes whistle-stops in more than 90 communities and one-day public display events in five major cities: Fort Worth, Houston, New Orleans, St. Louis and Denver.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December of 1941. This powerful machine was built to cross the Wasatch Mountain Range east of Ogden, Utah. It was retired in 1961 after traveling a little over a million miles, reacquired by Union Pacific in 2013 and restored to service in 2019.

Photo: Big Boy No. 4014 returned to service after a 58-year retirement and three-year restoration project, regaining the title as the world's largest operating steam locomotive.

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This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.