Big Boy train Pittsburgh is drawing eyes across western Pennsylvania on Saturday as Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 rolls toward Leetsdale. It is scheduled to stop there at 6:15 p.m., giving rail watchers a set time and place to catch the locomotive before it continues west.
The locomotive is built for attention. Big Boy No. 4014 weighs roughly 1.2 million pounds, stretches 133 feet from end to end, and carries about 25,000 gallons of water. Union Pacific says it is the only Big Boy still under steam and operating on America's rails.
Ed Dickens on Big Boy
Ed Dickens, the engineer who led the restoration, said, “It brings people together.” He added, “It brings communities together, it brings everyone together, and it’s brought our companies together in a way that is necessary to do this and it is a lot to pull off.”
That scale is part of why the train has drawn large crowds. Dickens said, “And we are people that are accustomed to seeing large crowds turning out for the Big Boy.” He also said, “The crowds turning out for this locomotive are in the millions.”
Ian Luconti in Altoona
Ian Luconti, a Friendship, Pennsylvania resident, described what he saw in Altoona with a simple answer: “I just wanted to come and see it. It’s historic, there’s only a couple of them in the world that I know of.” He also said, “It is just an astounding piece of machinery.”
He added, “I don’t know how somebody could wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to build a steam engine.’” His reaction mirrors the draw of the locomotive itself: one of just 25 built, with only eight other Big Boys surviving on display across the country.
Union Pacific safety reminder
Union Pacific is inviting people to come see the locomotive, but it is also warning them to stay 25 feet off the tracks and never cross or put anything on them while it is rolling through. That gives spectators a clear rule to follow at every viewing point, whether they are in Pittsburgh or waiting farther down the line in western Pennsylvania.
Big Boy No. 4014 was built in 1941 to haul massive military and freight loads over the Wasatch Mountains during World War II. It has since been crossing the country to celebrate America's 250th birthday, including a Fourth of July stop in Philadelphia before returning through the Pittsburgh area.
The practical question for local watchers is simple: get to a legal viewing spot before 6:15 p.m. in Leetsdale, then stay back from the tracks. The train will keep moving west after its western Pennsylvania stop, and the safest way to see it is to watch from beyond Union Pacific's 25-foot buffer.
