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Union Pacific Railroad’s Big Boy 4014 to Make Stops in Sterling, Rochelle
The only operational Big Boy will make eight public displays and two whistle stops as Union Pacific marks the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Union Pacific's 4014 Big Boy steam engine is launching a nationwide tour, marking the first time the one-million-pound locomotive has crossed the Mississippi River into the Ohio Valley since its construction.
Officials stated Big Boy is one of 25 trains built in the 1940s to navigate Utah's steep Wasatch Mountain Range during World War II, and it remains the only one currently in operation.
Spectators can view the locomotive at the Union Pacific Training Center in West Chicago, with officials urging attendees to ride Metra due to limited parking at the site.
Public displays are planned in Omaha, Buffalo, Scranton, Philadelphia, Altoona, and Fostoria, alongside scheduled "whistle stops" in Illinois communities like Sterling and Springfield throughout the summer.
Starting in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the tour includes historical passenger cars from the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.