Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive number
4014 spent the summer of 2019 traveling all
around the Union Pacific system to celebrate
150 years since the completion of the transcontinental
railroad. After being restored to operation
in May, the locomotive traveled from Cheyenne,
Wyoming to Ogden, Utah for the Golden Spike
150 Celebration. In July and August, the 4014
traveled throughout much of the midwestern
United States including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and Illinois. On September 27th, the Big Boy
once again left its new home in Cheyenne,
Wyoming for a third and final trip of the
year, this time throughout much of the southwest.
The most important reason for this trip was
for 4014 to return to the greater Los Angeles
area in California for the first time since
being restored to operation. There, there
Big Boy would pull a special two day excursion
over the famed Cajon Pass and return. Tickets
to ride the train were sold as a fundraiser
for the Rail Giants Train Museum, the longtime
home of the Big Boy for over 50 years. This
was a once in a lifetime journey that I definitely
didn’t want to miss! So I hit the road for
SoCal, once again in search of the Big Boy!
Join me as I follow the 4014 Big Boy on its
return to California!
I arrived in the Mojave Desert on October
9th to follow the Big Boy as it traveled between
the small desert town of Yermo, California
and Union Pacific’s West Colton yard in
the Los Angeles Basin. I caught up with the
train midway between Barstow and Victorville
near a place called Helendale. This section
of track is owned by the BNSF railroad, but
Union Pacific has trackage rights over these
rails. Shortly after reaching the summit of
Cajon Pass, the train will switch back over
to Union Pacific tracks.
Finishing its descent into the LA Basin, the
Big Boy passes behind a neighborhood in Rialto,
California as it nears West Colton.
Following 2 days of display, the train would
make its round trip excursion from West Colton
to Barstow.
Saturday October 12th found me at the summit
of Cajon Pass nice and early. Even arriving
at the summit 2 hours before the scheduled
departure time from West Colton, there were
already people camped out at the well known
summit overlook viewpoint. A few hours passed
as well as a few freight trains and finally,
4014 came thundering by with an impressive
23 car excursion train.
I saw the excursion for a second time as it
left Victorville.
With Route 66 packed full of cars chasing
and pacing the Big Boy and few additional
decent spots to see the train, I decided to
call it a day. The train would be wyed before
arriving Barstow and eventually backed all
the way to Yermo for storage over night.
I returned the next day to the curve at Oro
Grande to see 4014 on its return trip.
Upon arriving West Colton, the train was turned
on the wye and backed into the yard to let
the passengers disembark.
On Tuesday, October 15, the Big Boy said goodbye
to California as it turned to the east for
a weeklong trip across Arizona and New Mexico
en route to El Paso, Texas. I decided to catch
the train a few more times before it said
goodbye to the golden state.
Just outside a place known as Mecca, I saw
4014 for the last time as it continued across
the Sonoran Desert, bound for Yuma and points
beyond.
After a near two week layover in El Paso,
the train was scheduled to complete its loop
tour of the southwest by traveling across
Texas to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado,
and then finally returning to Cheyenne on
November 27th. Thanks for joining me as we
followed the big boy on its grand return to
California. If you enjoyed this video and
want to see more of the Big Boy, be sure to
check out my video from earlier this year
on its inaugural excursion to Ogden, Utah.
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new railroading adventure. Until next time,
I’m Mike Armstrong. I’ll see you down
the line! Thanks for watching.
