Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam locomotive returns to Ogden as part of Westward Bound Tour
No. 4014's return comes amid growing interest in restoration of historic steam locomotives
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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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- 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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- Originally intended to be named the “Wasatch” after the mountain range it was intended to tackle, the locomotive class took on the name Big Boy after an unknown worker scrawled the phrase on one of the boilers as it was being constructed. Shown here is No. 4014 during its stop in Ogden on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- Like a scene from another era, people walk the platforms of Union Station in Ogden alongside passenger cars accompanying the Union Pacific’s Big Boy during its Westward Bound Tour on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
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- Train enthusiasts wait in West Weber for the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the largest steam engine built, as it chugs across the rail causeway heading east toward Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024.
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- The Union Pacific steam locomotive Big Boy No. 4014 is seen Friday, July 19, 2024, in far western Weber County near Little Mountain on its way into Ogden. Hundreds of train enthusiasts staked out spots along Union Pacific tracks throughout the western part of the county to catch a glimpse of what Union Pacific calls the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. The 4014 was on display at Union Station in Ogden on Saturday and Sunday. It also will make a “whistle stop” at Forest Street Crossing in Brigham City at approximately 9 a.m. Monday, July 22, 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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- 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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- People view 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 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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- 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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- Rail fans wait to catch their first glimpse of the Big Boy at Union Station in Ogden on Friday, July 19, 2024.
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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.
OGDEN — A legendary locomotive made its return to Ogden this weekend.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 made a weekend stop that drew thousands of visitors of all ages to Union Station from its arrival Friday evening until its departure Monday morning. The occasion marked the first time since 2019 that the restored locomotive has visited Ogden, which had been a frequent stop for No. 4014 and its sisters in the 1940s and ’50s.
Ed Dickens, manager of heritage operations with the Union Pacific railroad, has been with the UP steam program for 20 years. This includes the entirety of No. 4014’s second lease on life, from being re-acquired by Union Pacific in 2013 to its restoration and return to the rails May 2, 2019.
Dickens told the Standard-Examiner that the locomotive’s Westward Bound Tour, which is entering its waning days, has been a rousing success.
“The Westward Tour has been just a delight,” he said. “The funnest part of our job … is we see America turning out for the locomotive. They can really relate to steam locomotives because they’re a machine of a different era. The Big Boy represents the biggest that was ever built, the most powerful, the world’s largest steam locomotive. And I think when they read that in the newspaper, they see it online, in social media, YouTube, they’re like, ‘I’ve got to see that thing.'”
He said the opportunity to see one in action is a special experience.
“The whistle is iconic,” he said. “You can hear it coming from miles. The ground trembles as it’s coming by you.”
Rolling logistics and experience
The Big Boy is, indeed, a machine of a different era.
When No. 4014 was constructed in November 1941 by American Locomotive Works, or Alco, in Schenectady, New York, and all the way through its final run in 1959, it and its fleet mates had dedicated infrastructure they could rely on for servicing, from taking on water to heavy maintenance, along with a manufacturer that could provide spare parts as needed — all overseen by workers with years of experience maintaining steam trains.
“Most cities — large cities, small cities — have a connection to the railroad in some way,” Dickens said. “That connection was usually the logistics — fuel, water and servicing. The steam locomotive — they were obsolete in the 1950s — the Union Pacific discontinued steam operations in 1959, with the exception of one locomotive, the 844.”
Today is different. Engine shops that remain are almost exclusively set up to maintain Union Pacific’s modern diesel fleet. The men who spent their lives servicing revenue-service steam engines have long since aged out of the workforce. Alco’s Schenectady factory that produced the 25 Big Boys has given way to office buildings and a casino.
Dickens said the steam team at Union Pacific, based at the UP Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, consists of six full-time employees and balloons to around 12 during outings such as the ongoing Westward Bound Tour.
“We’re doing the routine maintenance, we’re inspecting the locomotive,” he said. “All of that would’ve occurred at a facility known as a roundhouse — and that was either a very large facility, depending on the needs of the railroad, or a smaller facility.”
He said that as a result of the diminished infrastructure, much of that ability to keep No. 4014 moving is carried right along with them.
“The logistics of this locomotive are still 1940s,” he said. “We carry all of our logistics with us. All of the support cars you see right here — the extra fuel, the water, all of that — that’s what made the steam locomotive work back then; that hasn’t changed. That’s what makes it work today.”
Union Pacific’s steam team has had plenty of experience keeping these machines working in an age when technologically left them behind.
The railroad’s heritage program has maintained the No. 844 ever since the railroad abandoned steam operations in 1959 and restored and maintained one of the Big Boy’s predecessors — Challenger No. 3985 — in excursion service for several years.
Dickens said the steam team has applied several lessons from these locomotives to restoring and maintaining No. 4014, including an important lesson regarding one of the base elements that makes steam travel possible.
“It’s just perfecting details,” he said. “For example — water treatment. For many years, there was virtually no water treatment and that, of course, over time, is very damaging to the boiler. … That’s one of the biggest things we’ve done. In 2011, we completely revamped that and changed the water treatment protocols. Fuel — make sure you’ve got good, consistent fuel quality. Good lubricants, routine servicing — we lubricate the locomotive far more than they did back in the 1940s. We do that because we take very good care of it and we want to ensure that nothing is wearing unnecessarily. We love on it, we clean on it and we grease it a lot.”
Steam resurgence
No. 4014 is hardly the only steam locomotive to be brought back to service, and may have even inspired a few.
Across America, several projects are underway by museums, tourist railroads, volunteer groups and other entities to bring long-retired steam locomotives back to life. Recent examples include the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which brought the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway H-6 Class No. 1309 back into service, and the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, which is restoring several locomotives and pieces of rolling stock including the Union Pacific No. 3985. In some instances, brand-new steam engines are being built, including the T1 Trust, which is building a Pennsylvania Railroad T1 from the ground up with hopes of beating the world speed record for a steam locomotive. While in Great Britain, efforts are underway to build examples of Clan Class and Sandringham Class locomotives side by side.
Dickens said a resurgence in locomotive restoration can be traced back to No. 4014.
“When we announced we were restoring the Big Boy, that seemed to create inspiration for others to do the same thing,” he said. “Many groups, oftentimes, possess the knowledge and it’s kind of a ‘go your own way, forge your own process’ that groups follow. From time to time, we do get a few little inquiries, but the steam locomotive is a very special machine. It takes talented people and, of course, the resources to make it happen.”
Dickens said these projects point to a growing awareness within the public of the importance of transportation to our shared history.
“It’s a resurgence in the history of our country,” he said. “The history of our country, the importance of what transportation means, the efficiency of the railroad and the efficiency of the steam locomotive.”
He said the steam locomotive is ultimately one of the best ways to convey our past.
“This is the connection to our past — the heritage of the country, the heritage of the Union Pacific and the steam locomotive,” Dickens said. “The steam locomotive is one of the best ambassadors to deliver that message of history and how it was done prior to the modern era. That is really what connects people, brings people together. It unites people. You look at the crowds out there and the enthusiastic young people, the older generations — it’s a fabulous way to connect people with our heritage.”
What’s next?
Dickens said that, while there are no current plans for the Union Pacific to restore any other parts of its historic fleet to running order, they still enjoy doing what they do.
“We enjoy operating our steam locomotive,” he said. “It’s a great public relations ambassador. We enjoy traveling every year. … This is what we do — sharing the history of Union Pacific steam locomotives, the legacy of the Union Pacific — and we look forward to doing it in the years to come.”
So what’s next for the 4014?
For starters, the remainder of the Westward Bound Tour, which continues to Idaho on Monday before returning to Wyoming for a handful of whistle stop displays and finally wrapping up in Cheyenne on Friday. But this will not be the last chance to see No. 4014 on the road this year. On Aug. 29, the Big Boy will return to the rails for the Heartland of America Tour, visiting Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Additional details on tour stops will be released closer to the departure date. Dickens also reminds people to stay at least 25 feet back from the tracks when the Big Boy is in motion.
Beyond that, Dickens said the steam team is open to wherever the Big Boy is wanted — within the Union Pacific system and beyond.
“We’ll go wherever they tell us to go,” he said. “Wherever our business needs take us and wherever they have a need for a steam locomotive and a public relations message, we’ll consider whatever our bosses tell us.”
For more information on the Union Pacific steam program, visit https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/index.htm.
