The largest steam locomotive in the world is making a pit stop in a western suburbs this weekend while traveling from Wisconsin to Wyoming.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, which weighs approximately 1.2 million pounds and spans 133 feet, embarked on the journey to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion.
Union Pacific had 25 Big Boys commissioned in the 1940s to handle the tough terrain between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. No. 4014 is one of eight Big Boys still in existence, and the only on that still works.
From Friday to Monday, No. 4014 will pass through Wadsworth, Northbrook, Des Plaines, Elmhurst and Wheaton on the path to the Larry S. Provo Training Center in West Chicago, where it will be on display through Monday.
The train leaves West Chicago at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, passing through Geneva, Elburn, DeKalb and Rochelle en route to its next stop in Des Moines, Iowa, according to Daily Herald.
Anyone who wants to see the train should stay at least 25 feet away from the tracks, Union Pacific said.
Ed Dickens, the engineer on Big Boy #UP4014, wants to see you trackside, but needs you to stay 25 feet away from the tracks for everyone's safety.
— UP Steam (@UP_Steam) July 24, 2019
Please share this important safety message with your friends and family! pic.twitter.com/VXFFOOahKC
Want to keep up with Big Boy’s journey? Track the train here.
