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 Saturday.
“The roads will just be lined with people,” said Steph Zemba, marketing director 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 off the steam engine when she stood close to it.
“It’s impressive,” Zemba said. “The ground shakes when it’s coming. You can hear the whistle a mile away.”
The locomotive will travel through Western Pennsylvania on Saturday as it journeys from Philadelphia back to its home rail yard in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Although it will not be stopping in Westmoreland County, multiple communities across the county will hold free viewing events where people can gather to watch the steam engine pass.
Big Boy will stop in Altoona overnight on Friday and leave the station around 9 a.m. Saturday, crossing the Horseshoe Curve National Historical Site before arriving in Cresson at around 10:45 a.m. It will depart at around 11:15 a.m. and travel along the Norfolk Southern tracks through Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, stopping in Leetsdale, Allegheny County, from around 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. for a public viewing opportunity.
The locomotive will stop for the night in Conway, its last stop in Pennsylvania before it enters Ohio on July 12.
Local watch parties, community events
Both stops in Cresson and Leetsdale will offer free viewing opportunities for the public. For those who want to see the train closer to home, the communities of New Florence, Derry, Greensburg, Jeannette and Penn Borough will host viewing events.
An event also will be held at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.
Derry’s watch party, hosted by the borough in conjunction with Brady’s Train Outlet and the Derry Area Historical Society, will feature smash burgers and fries, popcorn, cotton candy, two bakery tents, a hot sausage food truck and a s’mores station, according to Derry Mayor Nathan Bundy. For children, there will be a hobo costume contest, and several local businesses and vendors will set up tents.
Brady’s Train Outlet will have a tent at the Derry watch party to sell model trains and Big Boy 4014 merchandise.
Alec Italiano, director of planning and development for Greensburg, said the city’s viewing party is meant to “give everybody in town an opportunity to safely view the train.”
Greensburg’s event will feature a Kona Ice truck and music, and a member of the city’s staff will track the steam engine’s location using Union Pacific’s Big Boy tracking app. The Greensburg Business and Professional Association will hand out American flags.
“This is going to be a big deal,” Italiano said.
Zemba said that because the railroad tracks go through many backyards and farmlands, she has heard some private property owners are selling tickets to see the train from their land.
“It’s going to draw huge crowds because people have never seen the Big Boy or anything this big come through since, well, ever,” Zemba said.
Safety concerns
While viewing the steam engine is an exciting opportunity, Union Pacific notes there are several safety rules to follow.
The most important, according to Union Pacific spokesperson Mike Jaixen, is that viewers stay at least 25 feet back from the railroad tracks. Otherwise, they risk being burned by steam, hit by flying debris or struck by the train.
Jaixen advised families with young children to keep the volume of the train whistle in mind. Children who are sensitive to sound may find the whistle more distressing than adults do.
“The whistle is a warning, and it can be very loud,” Jaixen said. “I like to remind parents, ‘Big Boy makes big noise.’”
Jaixen also advised viewers to keep a lookout for other passing trains while waiting for the steam engine and to avoid trespassing on private property. The viewing parties, he said, are an opportunity for the public to watch the train pass safely and legally.
Why is it called Big Boy?
The term “Big Boy” refers to the specific design of the steam engine, which is the largest in the world.
During World War II, Union Pacific and the American Locomotive Co. built 25 steam engines large enough to move heavy freight as part of the war effort. These steam engines are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds each.
According to Jaixen, a worker at the locomotive company originally wrote the words “Big Boy” on the front of one of the engines in chalk. From then on, the entire class of steam engines carried the nickname.
Big Boy 4014 was retired in 1961. It resided in the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, Calif., until 2013, when Union Pacific brought it back to Cheyenne for restoration. In May 2019, it became the last operating Big Boy locomotive.
A sibling engine, Big Boy 4012, is on permanent public display in Scranton.
What Big Boy means for Western Pa.
The local train enthusiast community is a testament to the region’s deep roots in mining, steel production and the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Zemba said many local enthusiasts have family members who worked on the railroads during the steam era.
“There were a lot of businesses that grew around the railroads in this area,” Zemba said. “They would build lumber facilities or granaries along the railroad tracks.”
In the past, Zemba said, Big Boys never traveled to the East Coast because they were too massive to navigate the tight, winding tracks of the Appalachian region.
The transit through the Horseshoe Curve National Historical Site will be a milestone event, marking the first time a locomotive of this size has attempted to travel around a bend that sharp.
“A lot of people were saying it’s not possible,” Zemba said.
Jaixen estimated that around 1 million people have seen Big Boy during this tour as of June 30. He said the crew enjoys meeting the public during its maintenance stops.
He encouraged trackside viewers to “bring smiles and waves” because “the crew really likes to see them go by.”
“Railroads have been a key part of making America the nation it is,” Jaixen said. “Big Boy shows how railroads connected America.”