What I learned about Union Pacific’s Big Boy would fill a 25,000 gallon tender

Union Pacific steam crew pulls Big Boy No. 4014 out of its museum berth and into the parking lot at the Los Angles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. On Nov. 14, 2013. The next step for the locomotive: A trip in April from southern California to the UP steam shop in Cheyenne, Wyo. Jim Wrinn photo

This is a big week at Trains. Our special 100-page magazine about Union Pacific’s plan to restore Big Boy No. 4014 goes to the printer. The restoration project has reached a defining moment – the locomotive leaves southern California next month for the 1,200-mile trip to the UP steam shop in Cheyenne, Wyo. Likewise, our publication has been in the shop, and it’s time for it to hit the road as well. The staff and I have spent weeks and months gathering images; working with experts; and preparing stories, maps, and data. Now it’s time to wrap up “Big Boy on the road to restoration” and get it to your mailbox, hobby shop, or newsstand. The saga of the Big Boy’s return must be the most popular topic we’ve covered in the almost 10 years that I’ve been on staff at Trains. Thousands of you have read our print and web stories about the subject, watched our streaming Webcasts of No. 4014’s first moves, and, of course, bought this special magazine. It is an unbelievable tale for sure, but one rooted in truth: These giants once roamed the West, were key players in moving freight during World War II, and were strong enough to fight off diesels to the end.

Thanks to our library, archive, and research resources at Trains, the UP steam program past and present, and good folks at the Union Pacific Historical Society, we’ve been able to assemble a thorough look at the 4014 and the history of the Big Boy class. I love steam, and I enjoyed learning more about the 4-8-8-4s – it seems there is enough information about them to fill one of those 25,000-gallon centipede tenders that so famously accompanied these locomotives. Some points that stand out in my mind:

• The locomotives operated in some of the most scarcely populated parts of the West, in Utah and Wyoming for 18 years, but they made an impression on the public that lasts to this day.
• The railroad swapped tenders among the class freely, and you’ll be surprised to learn which of the eight survivors has a one-of-a-kind tender today.
• The debate over whether the Big Boy or Chesapeake & Ohio’s Alleghany 2-6-6-6 takes the title of “world’s largest steam locomotive” is an amazing tale that roars on today.
•  If you take the price of a new Big Boy in 1941, it’s about twice as much as a new SD70ACe or ES44AC today.
• We came close a few years ago to having an operating Big Boy in Texas, and it was only because of a business decision that a different locomotive wasn’t restored first.

I could go on and on, but I think that it’s fair to say that Big Boy’s history is fascinating, and now we have a new tale to tell about the future of one of these steam giants. I really enjoyed producing our new magazine, “Big Boy on the road to restoration,” and I hope you will enjoy it too. We’ll be doing more live streaming on the Trains Web site when No. 4014 heads east. See you there!

Learn more about “Big Boy on the road to restoration” and order your copy!