Story perspectives

Big Boy 4014 Crosses Mississippi, Begins 50-Stop Tour

5/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Big Boy No. 4014 will cross the Mississippi River, its first crossing since 1941, beginning tour on May 25 on Norfolk Southern tracks.
The tour will make over 50 visits in ten states, in Omaha, West Chicago, Buffalo, Scranton, Philadelphia, Altoona, Fostoria and St. Louis.
Cars and locomotives No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln and No. 1776 America250 will trail the Big Boy.
CEO Jim Vena said the tour celebrates railroad’s 164-year history, nation’s story for Semiquincentennial.

History

Historical Context

On May 10 1869 the Union Pacific and Central Pacific joined at Promontory Summit, Utah, driving the Golden Spike that completed the first transcontinental railroad. Funded by the Pacific Railroad Acts, the Union Pacific laid 1,087 miles of track at a cost of $50 million. In 2024 UP’s restored Big Boy No. 4014 toured 14 states, echoing that nation-spanning milestone.

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Story summary

Big Boy No. 4014 will cross the Mississippi River, its first crossing since 1941, beginning tour on May 25 on Norfolk Southern tracks.
The tour will make over 50 visits in ten states, in Omaha, West Chicago, Buffalo, Scranton, Philadelphia, Altoona, Fostoria and St. Louis.
Cars and locomotives No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln and No. 1776 America250 will trail the Big Boy.
CEO Jim Vena said the tour celebrates railroad’s 164-year history, nation’s story for Semiquincentennial.

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