Big Boy 4014 Steam Train: Headin' Home Tour

Built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company, Union Pacific Big Boys steam locomotive number 4014 is a giant of the rails. It was one of 25 locomotives of this type built for the Union Pacific Railroad from 1941 through 1944. The Big Boys were considered to be some of the biggest steam locomotives ever built. Until recently, most people thought that none of the Big Boys would run again. That all changed when in late 2012, Union Pacific announced its intentions to reacquire locomotive number 4014 from the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona, California and restore it as a living, working part of history. When the rebuild is completed over the course of 3 to 5 years, UP4014 will travel the rails of the Union Pacific once again under its own steam power. Union Pacific reached an agreement with the Rail Giants Museum in July of 2013, and the locomotive was moved from its longtime home at the LA County Fairplex in Pomona to Union Pacific's West Colton Yard in early 2014. The story of the Big Boys move has garnered much attention from railroad enthusiasts and the general public alike, even being reported in national media. On April 28, 2014, 4014 departed West Colton Yard for the journey to its new home at the Union Pacific Steam Shops in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The locomotive was towed by two modern SD70M type locomotives on Union Pacific and BNSF tracks up over Cajon Pass, through the high desert to Barstow, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City before finally traversing the Wasatch Mountains and arriving in Cheyenne on May 8, 2014. We will follow the Big Boy as it leaves Colton and heads up over Cajon Pass. Let's follow along as Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 continues its journey on the road to restoration. The last time a special Union Pacific steam excursion traveled over Cajon Pass was 2011 when UP 844 was returning home from its state centennial special excursion to Arizona, New Mexico. Here we see it as it reaches the top of the grade at summit.