Ths is Union Pacific’s 4014, Big Boy returning from a coast to coast tour celebrating the United States 250th anniversary.
Big Boy is a1.2 million pound steam locomotive that was restored by Union Pacific and now tours mosstly through the mid-west. The “Big Boy” engines were the largest ever made.
Union Pacific (UP) needed a locomotive capable of hauling heavy freight over steep inclines like Sherman Hill and the Wasatch Range without requiring an additional engine to assist. UP president William Jeffers and Vice President Otto Jabelmann worked with ALCO to design a locomotive that expanded on the earlier Challenger design. The result was the 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which featured a hinged (articulated) frame to allow the 132-foot engines to navigate sharp curves. Originally designated as the “Wasatch” class, the iconic name originated when an unknown ALCO factory worker chalked “Big Boy” on the smokebox of the very first locomotive being built in Schenectady, New York.
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