Union Pacific’s ‘Big Boy’ set to return to Ogden in April
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- The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the largest steam engine built, chugs across the rail causeway heading east toward Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024.
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- The old and the new are on display as a FrontRunner train glides past Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 during its visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- Union Pacific’s Big Boy takes its place near Union Station in Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024, ready for the weekend’s display.
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- People view Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 during its visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- Members of Union Pacific’s steam team maintain Big Boy No. 4014 during a visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 sits on display at Union Station in Ogden as part of its Westward bound Tour on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- The world’s only operating Big Boy steam locomotive, No. 4014, along with Living Legend No. 844, arrive in Ogden on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, just days before the 150th anniversary celebration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
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- Steam locomotive Big Boy No. 4014 meets head to head with Living Legend No. 844 during the ceremonial reenactment of the wedding of the rails on Thursday, May 9, 2019, just south of Union Station as part of the Ogden Heritage Festival to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
Brian Nicholson, Special to the Standard-Examiner
The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the largest steam engine built, chugs across the rail causeway heading east toward Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024.
OGDEN — Big things are on the horizon for Ogden this spring in terms of railroading.
In a press release Monday, the Union Pacific Railroad announced additional details on this year’s plans for a coast-to-coast tour for the Big Boy No. 4014, including that it will make a special two-day display stop in Ogden on April 18-19. The coast-to-coast tour is being done in commemoration of the 250th birthday of the United States.
According to the release, the Big Boy will also be accompanied by the Union Pacific’s newest heritage locomotive No. 1776 — America250.
“This new commemorative locomotive pays tribute to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of this nation,” the release said. “The locomotive will feature the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
The release adds that the first leg of the coast-to-coast trip will begin March 29 in California and wrap up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 24.
Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner
The old and the new are on display as a FrontRunner train glides past Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 during its visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
In addition to Ogden, Roseville, California, will also host a special two-day display of the locomotive April 10-11. A schedule of shorter stops along the route will be released at a later date.
Jill Micek, manager of communications with Corporate Relations at Union Pacific, told the Standard-Examiner that planning is still very much under way, but it was important to include Ogden in the coast-to-coast journey.
“We’re excited for Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest steam locomotive, to visit Ogden April 18-19 and celebrate the region’s rich railroad history, from the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit to the Big Boy steam locomotives designed during World War II to haul heavy freight over the steep Wasatch Mountains,” she said.
This isn’t the first time the Big Boy has made appearances in Ogden since its restoration in the 2010s. In 2019, the locomotive visited along with Union Pacific No. 844 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Big Boy’s most recent visit to Ogden came in 2024 as part of its Westward Bound Tour.
“We are very excited that the Big Boy is coming back,” said Hope Eggett, museum administrator for the Museums at Union Station. “We’ve been working with Union Pacific for a few months now trying to coordinate dates and times.”
Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner
Union Pacific's Big Boy takes its place near Union Station in Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024, ready for the weekend's display.
She said the Museums at Union Station will be open and free to guests during the days the Big Boy is visiting.
“We expect a huge turnout,” she said. “(In 2024), we had 16,000 people move through the indoor portion of our building, and a lot more outside.”
Eggett noted its important to remember No. 4014 and the other Big Boys have a major connection to the Ogden area.
“It was invented specifically for railroading between Ogden and Cheyenne, Wyoming,” she said. “We’re going to be rolling out the red carpet for the Big Boy. We are going to be providing a great experience indoors for people to learn even more about what the Big Boy means to Ogden. We’ll have some educational opportunities for kids.”
According to the release, the eastern portion of the coast-to-coast tour is expected to take place later in the spring.
Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner
People view Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 during its visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
For more information and to see the trip schedule when it becomes available, visit https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam.
Members of Union Pacific's steam team maintain Big Boy No. 4014 during a visit to Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 sits on display at Union Station in Ogden as part of its Westward bound Tour on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
The world's only operating Big Boy steam locomotive, No. 4014, along with Living Legend No. 844, arrive in Ogden on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, just days before the 150th anniversary celebration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
Steam locomotive Big Boy No. 4014 meets head to head with Living Legend No. 844 during the ceremonial reenactment of the wedding of the rails on Thursday, May 9, 2019, just south of Union Station as part of the Ogden Heritage Festival to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
