The world’s largest operating steam locomotive is expected to make a stop in De Soto on Thursday, Sept. 12.
Union Pacific Railroad announced on Monday that its famed Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive will stop in more than three dozen communities during its fall tour across 10 states. The tour also will include four public display days in Houston, Fort Worth and the Chicago area.
The 2024 Heartland of America Tour kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 28, from Cheyenne, Wyo. During the tour, Big Boy will pass through Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Map of the Big Boy Heartland of America Tour.
The Big Boy is expected to arrive from a private viewing in St. Louis for a whistle stop in De Soto at 11 a.m. at the Commercial Street crossing. It then will depart at 11:30 a.m. and head to the Arcadia Valley Amtrak stop, arriving there at about 1:30 p.m.
There will be no charge to see the locomotive.
A steam tracking map showing No. 4014’s location and route will be available at upsteam.com. Those wanting to see the train need to stay at least 25 feet from the tracks while taking a photo or viewing it and are reminded that railroad tracks, trestles, yards and rights-of-way are private property.
Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad during World War II, but only eight survived. No. 4014 is the only one of the eight still operating.
According to Union Pacific, each of the Big Boy locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the Big Boy frames were “hinged,” or articulated, to allow the locomotives to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels that guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers and four wheels that supported the rear of the locomotive.
The Big Boy engine that will make a stop in De Soto used to operate between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo., and was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service.
Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, Calif., in 2013, and returned it to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process.
It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion.
The seven other Big Boys that remain are no longer in service but are on public display in various cities around the country. One can be found at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.