Something big is coming to Western Pennsylvania.
The world’s largest operating steam engine, Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, is on the East Coast of the United States for the first time in history and will pass through Westmoreland and Allegheny counties on Saturday.
“The roads are just going to be packed with people,” said Steph Zemba, director of marketing for Brady’s Train Outlet, a model train store in southwest Greensburg.
Zemba, who saw the locomotive in Texas several years ago, said she could feel the heat coming from the steam engine when she stood next to it.
“It’s impressive,” Zemba said. “The ground shakes as he approaches. The whistle can be heard a mile away.”
The locomotive will pass through Western Pennsylvania on Saturday, heading from Philadelphia back to its home railroad station in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
While it won’t stop in Westmoreland County, several communities throughout the county will host free viewing events where people can gather to watch the steam engine drive by.
Big Boy will stop in Altoona overnight Friday and leave the station around 9 a.m. Saturday, crossing Horseshoe Curve National Historic Site and arriving in Cresson around 10:45 a.m. It will depart around 11:15 a.m. and travel along Norfolk Southern tracks through Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, stopping in Leetsdale, Allegheny County from approximately 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. for public viewing.
The locomotive will stop overnight in Conway, its last stop in Pennsylvania before entering Ohio on July 12.
Local parties, social events
Both stops in Cressona and Leetsdale will offer free viewing to the public. For those who want to see the train closer to home, viewing events will be held in the communities of New Florence, Derry, Greensburg, Jeannette and Penn Borough.
The event will also be held at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.
The party, hosted by the city in partnership with Brady’s Train Outlet and the Derry Area Historical Society, will feature amazing burgers and fries, popcorn, cotton candy, two bakery tents, a hot dogs truck and a snack bar, according to Derry Mayor Nathan Bundy. There will be a hobo costume contest for children, and several local businesses and vendors will set up booths.
Brady’s Train Outlet will have a booth selling model trains and Big Boy 4014 merchandise at the Derry party.
Alec Italiano, Greensburg’s director of planning and development, said the city’s viewing party is intended to “give everyone in the city the opportunity to safely see the train.”
The Greensburg event will feature a Kona Ice truck and music, and a city employee will track the location of the steam engine using Union Pacific’s Big Boy tracking app. The Greensburg Business and Professional Association will distribute American flags.
“It’s going to be a big deal,” Italiano said.
Zemba said that because the train tracks pass through so many yards and farmland, she has heard that some private property owners are selling tickets to see the train from their land.
“It’s going to draw huge crowds because people haven’t seen Big Boy or anything that big since, well, ever,” Zemba said.
Security issues
While inspecting a steam engine is a great opportunity, Union Pacific notes that there are several safety rules to follow.
The most important thing, Union Pacific spokesman Mike Jakesen said, is that spectators must remain at least 25 feet away from the railroad tracks. Otherwise, they risk being burned by the steam, struck by flying debris, or hit by a train.
Jakesen advised families with young children to be mindful of the volume of the train whistle. Children who are sensitive to sound may be more upset by whistling than adults.
“The whistle is a warning, and it can be very loud,” Jacsen said. “I like to remind parents, ‘Big boy makes big noise.'”
Jaiksen also advised spectators to be aware of other passing trains while waiting for the engine and not to trespass on private property. He said viewing parties give the public a chance to watch the train pass safely and legally.
Why is he called Big Boy?
The term “Big Boy” refers to the special design of the steam engine, which is the largest in the world.
During World War II, Union Pacific and American Locomotive Co. built 25 steam engines large enough to transport heavy loads for the war effort. These steam engines are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds each.
According to Jaiksen, a locomotive company employee originally wrote the words “Big Boy” in chalk on the front of one of the engines. Since then, this nickname has been borne by the entire class of steam engines.
Big Boy 4014 was retired from service in 1961. It was housed at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California until 2013, when Union Pacific returned it to Cheyenne for restoration. In May 2019, it became the last operating Big Boy locomotive.
The original Big Boy 4012 engine is on permanent display in Scranton.
What “Big Boy” means to Western Pennsylvania.
The community of local train enthusiasts is a testament to the region’s deep roots in mining, steel production and Pennsylvania Railroad history. Zemba said many local enthusiasts have family members who worked on the railroads during the steam era.
“There were a lot of businesses growing in this area around the railroads,” Zemba said. “They built lumber yards or grain silos along the railroad tracks.”
In the past, Zemba said, the big boys never traveled to the East Coast because they were too massive to navigate the narrow, winding trails of the Appalachian region.
Passing through Horseshoe Curve National Historic Site will be a landmark event as it will be the first time a locomotive of this size will attempt such a tight turn.
“A lot of people said it couldn’t be done,” Zemba said.
Jaiksen estimates that as of June 30, about 1 million people have seen Big Boy on this tour. He said the crew enjoys meeting the public during maintenance stops.
He encouraged spectators at the track to “bring smiles and waves” because “the team really enjoy seeing them go by.”
“Railroads played a key role in making America the nation it is,” Jacsen said. “Big Boy Shows How Railroads Connected America.”