Huge ‘Big Boy’ train makes a rare trip East. Here’s where it’s going

The world’s largest steam train We’re heading east along the Mississippi River To help celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Officially Big Boy No. The train known as 4014 10-state oscillation It starts in late May. Delivered to Union Pacific in 1941, the locomotive was among 25 built to haul wartime freight across the Continental Divide in Wyoming and Utah. Big Boy is the last working one and was converted to burn oil instead of coal in the 1960s.

“Union Pacific could not be prouder to share this powerful piece of history with the country and be a part of America’s birthday celebration,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a statement. “This tour celebrates our company’s rich 164-year history, our nation’s great story, and the people who helped build our great country and railroad.”

The earth-shattering locomotive has already made a westward turn toward California from its home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It will head east again on May 25. This will be the first time it will cross the Mississippi River since its westbound delivery in 1941, according to railroad officials.

Big Boy is 133 feet tall and weighs 1.2 million pounds. During his working life, he logged more than 1 million miles hauling freight between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah. The train often attracts major railway enthusiasts and it is common to see super fans chasing it in cars with cameras in hand.

The Union Pacific railroad is closely linked to President Abraham Lincoln, who founded the railroad in 1862 during the Civil War as a way to connect California to the rest of the United States. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 changed the movement of people across the country. Less than twenty years ago, they largely walked the Oregon Trail Heading west along the Mississippi River.

Big Boy will make the following stops, but Other published public viewing opportunities on the Union Pacific website. UP too Provides real-time location tracker.

• May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska (home of Union Pacific’s headquarters)

• June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois

• June 10 – Buffalo, New York

• 15-16 June – Scranton, Pennsylvania

• 4-5 July – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• 9-10 July – Altoona, Pennsylvania

• July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio

• July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Giant ‘Big Boy’ train makes rare journey to America 250