Operating Big Boy: Inside the cab of America’s most powerful steam engine

CARROLL, Iowa (KTIV) - Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014, the largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive in the world, rolled through Siouxland this weekend, drawing hundreds of spectators to Denison and Carroll.

Originally built in 1941, only 25 Big Boy steam engines were ever produced. Only eight still exist today, and only one is still operating: Number 4014.

The iconic locomotive was restored and placed back on railroad tracks in 2019. It is currently on a trip across the nation for America’s 250th birthday.

Families gather hours early

Hours before Big Boy 4014 arrived Sunday morning, families began pulling into parking lots, setting up lawn chairs and finding spots along the rails.

“I came out here to see the Big Boy because I’m a rail enthusiast. I’ve always liked steam trains ever since I was 5,” said Emmett Rosentrater, who traveled from Cherokee, Iowa. “When I learned that the big boy was going to come through here, only an hour away from my hometown, I thought, well, I mean, I’m not going to miss this.”

Joe Glenski traveled from Rochester, Minnesota, with his sister, Ann Oettinger.

“We wanted to see this wonderful steam engine. We had read about it, we heard about it, and this is as close as it’s getting to Minnesota,” Glenski said.

“It was only a 4 1/2 hour drive,” Oettinger said.

Coast-to-coast journey to Philadelphia

Ed Dickens, Senior Manager of Heritage Operations at Union Pacific, said the locomotive is on a transcontinental tour with a destination of Philadelphia on July 4.

“This locomotive’s been through this part of the country before, but we are on a transcontinental coast to coast tour,” Dickens said. “We’re going to be traveling all the way to Philadelphia via Chicago, Bellevue, Indiana, Conneaut, Ohio, Buffalo, New York, and working our way down to Philadelphia for the 250th birthday in the United States.”

Dickens said Big Boy holds a special place in railroad history because of its size and power.

“This is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. It’s 7,000 horsepower. This locomotive right here behind us, 135 feet long, it weighs as much as three of those locomotives that you have right there,” Dickens said. “It’s 7,000 horsepower, 17 feet tall.”

Inside the cab

Keeping a locomotive of this size running requires a team inside the cab: firemen, chief engineer, lead engineer and a traditional conductor. The crew communicates every step of the way without ever saying a word.

Behind the scenes, a team of railroaders, mechanics and support crews monitor water levels, steam pressure and mechanical inspections. Every system must work together.

Unlike a museum display, Big Boy still earns its miles.

“A steam locomotive is like it’s alive. The way that the steam is produced in the boiler, it has a sense of living,” Dickens said. “You blow the whistle, it sounds different every time you blow it.”

Dickens said the locomotive creates a sensory experience.

“The ground is rumbling when we roll into town. You can feel the heat radiating off of it. You see the steam billowing out of it,” Dickens said. “I think people get swept into the story of the big boy on Union Pacific. Because everywhere we go, the crowds are getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Built for freight, now carrying memories

Built to move freight across the American West, Big Boy is still making connections decades later. Only now, instead of hauling cargo, it’s carrying memories.

“It’s just like so big and sometimes you can’t see it as many times in your life as you think,” said Austin Sander, a young Sioux City resident.

Andrea Hair said she wanted to honor her family’s connection to Union Pacific.

“I wanted to come out to honor my grandpa’s, great grandpa’s heritage with Union Pacific,” Hair said. “He was a machinist that lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I’ve always wondered if he worked on locomotives like this or this specific one, but yeah, so that’s kind of the heart behind that is like, you know, hey, that’s part of my heritage and I’m proud of it.”

Parents lifted children onto their shoulders as the train passed through.

“It’s awesome because you want this kind of stuff to this kind of legacy to continue and people to keep being interested and keep this history alive because we don’t want to forget where we come from,” Hair said.

Dickens said the crowds include young children and people from the generation that remembers steam locomotives from their childhood.

“It’s such a special festive occasion,” Dickens said. “There’s families along the track waiting for the locomotive. They’ve come to our website upsteam.com where we’ve got a tracker where they can see the locomotive and see our schedule come to a town just like this and witness this history.”

For the crew, preserving Big Boy means preserving more than steel and machinery.

“It’s the highest honor for all of us to do it. It’s our highest honor to be a part of something like this,” Dickens said. “It’s a very special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us to be able to do this. We’ve got hundreds of colleagues on the Union Pacific that are standing behind us, dozens of them that are with us helping.”

If you’re interested in tracking the Big Boy, or to learn more about it, you can visit Union Pacific’s website here.

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