Big Boy No. 4014 is the world's largest operating steam locomotive. Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort, normally operating between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. No. 4014 was retired in December 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Of the eight remaining Big Boys in existence today, this is the only one still in operation. It is 133' long and weighs 1.2 million pounds. It is making a cross country trek in honor of our nation's 250th birthday.
The exciting news is that it is making a 15 minute "whistle stop" here in Lorain. How wonderful that our humble city is part of this historic journey!!! You can read more about it here.
1 comment:
How cool it would be to see that Big Boy in commission. I'm also feeling more patriotic than normal this year because of that significant birthday!!! God Bless America.
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