Get ready to mark your calendars and maybe pop a celebratory cork, Big Boy fans. Union Pacific is spicing up the western leg of the world’s largest steam locomotive’s coast-to-coast tour this summer, adding dozens of new whistle stops and a couple of rare cab rides along the way.
Meanwhile, on the east-coast leg of the journey, details remain under wraps. But Cowboy State Daily has found clues to the route, tucked away in a joint safety waiver filed by Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern with the Federal Railroad Administration.
Firm Plans For The West
In January, Union Pacific had announced a March 29 departure date for the western half of its tour celebrating America’s 250th birthday. But the railroad company had offered only a skeleton look at stops along the way.
Fans were disappointed to learn there would be no passenger tickets this time around, but it seems there will be two cab rides up for grabs, both on April 17, along with the dozens of new whistle stops all along the way.
The auction for the cab rides, which will take two people eastbound into Ogden across the famous Lucin Cutoff over the Great Salt Lake, will start Monday, March 2, and end Thursday, March 19.
Each of the cab rides, which are expected to last about two hours, will be auctioned separately. There will be a live auction closing, which begins at 7 p.m. March 19.
Those interested in the auction may visit https://rarauctions.com/upm for registration and other details, including eligibility requirements. Auction winners must be at least 18 years old at the time of the ride and show proof of age, as well as arrange their own travel and lodging into and out of Salt Lake City.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Union Pacific Museum Association.
Where The Whistle Stops Are
The new itinerary for the West Coast journey significantly boosts opportunities for Big Boy fans to see their favorite locomotive in action somewhere between Cheyenne and Roseville, California, with numerous “whistle stops” planned along the way.
Whistle stops are short, running 15 to 30 minutes, and don’t offer up-close viewing or public access. They’re perfect for photos though, and for taking in that awe-inspiring moment when Big Boy is heard from a distance and finally appears on the horizon.
The stops in Wyoming are as follows:
March 29 — Laramie, Medicine Bow
March 30 — Wamsutter
March 31 — Rock Springs
April 1 — Green River
April 21 — Green River
April 23 — Point of Rocks, Wamsutter
April 24 — Medicine Bow, Laramie
Whistle stops in other states include Morgan and Salt Lake City in Utah. In Nevada, whistle stops include Wells, Carlin, Battle Mountain, Gerlach, Lovelock, Elko and Montello, while California’s include Oroville, Marysville, Lincoln, Colfax and Truckee.
Two commemorative locomotives will be tagging along with Big Boy. These will include Union Pacific’s newest locomotive, No. 1776-America250, which pays tribute to the Declaration of Independence and founding of America. The other locomotive has not yet been announced.
Why Big Boy Is So Darn Popular
Big Boy attracts a huge crowd every time it steams out of Cheyenne, and America’s 250th is sure to be no exception.
The 132-foot-long engine, which weighs 1 million pounds fully loaded, does cut an unforgettable silhouette against the sky, and the sounds it makes are unforgettable, too — like thunder echoing across the Plains.
Big Boy was built during World War II as part of a fleet of 25 steam locomotives to conquer the steep grade of the Wasatch Mountains. It was designed to be as big as the tracks would allow at 132 feet long and 11 feet wide. The sheer size allowed it to crest the Wasatch Mountains with ease. But the war ultimately ended before the trains were really needed.
Wasatch was originally supposed to be the name of the Big Boy locomotives. But some engineer in the maintenance shop completely ignored the marketer’s idea and wrote Big Boy in chalk on the boiler of the first unit. That was the name that stuck, and what they’ve been called ever since.
Retired in 1959, Big Boy 4014 went to a California museum until Union Pacific restored it for the 150th Golden Spike Celebration in 2019, celebrating completion of the 1869 transcontinental railroad.
After that, it came to live in Cheyenne at the Steam Shop, and it’s been the start of every summer excursion since, with clouds of steam and nostalgia everywhere it goes.
About That East Coast Tour
Big Boy’s historic East Coast tour will be a first in the lifespan of Big Boy 4014. The locomotive has never been back to the east coast since rolling off the factory line in Schenectady, New York.
While official details of Big Boy’s historic East Coast tour remain scant, new filings with the Federal Railroad Administration do reveal a few clues.
In the filing, Norfolk Southern says it has formally agreed to host Big Boy on its lines, and requests temporary changes to operating rules so Big Boy can safely travel on its system between May 25 and July 29.
With Positive Train Control (PTC) in place, added in 2021 and upgraded in 2024. Big Boy does not need cab signals. PTC means it already has a fully self-contained system that can handle the signal and speed control functions that cab signals once provided.
“The historic nature of UP Big Boy 4014 inhibits reinstallation of the cab signal apparatus without significant and impractical changes to the locomotive,” Norfolk Southern’s letter goes on to state. “Certainly not in time to operate on the 2026 Heritage Excursion Tour.”
The filling goes on to outline all the areas where the waiver would apply, giving a pretty strong signal on where Big Boy will travel. That route includes Norfolk Southern’s Fort Wayne, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg lines.
With these clues, break out the bubbly and let the planning for Big Boy adventures commence. The race is now on to procure the best hotel rooms first, so you can see Big Boy’s steam on a horizon of your choosing.
