Editor’s note: Big boy No. 4014 stopped in Morrison, IL, on Tuesday, July 30, 2019. Local resident and Union Pacific Railroad Pilot-to-the-Engineer Patrick Moore was able to wave to his wife, Sharon, for a few minutes. It was remarkable to see this impressive piece of railroad history up close! Six years, 11 months, and 19 days later, the behemoth will stop in Illinois.
The world’s largest steam train is passing through Illinois as part of its ten-State route across the United States this summer. The locomotive, officially known as “Big Boy No. 4014,” headed east across the Mississippi River starting in late May 2026, to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Did you see the east-bound Big Boy as it passed through Morrison on Tuesday, June 2, 2026?
The Big Boy No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, which went through a multi-year restoration in 2019. The No. 4014 began its first coast-to-coast tour on March 29, 2026.
Delivered to Union Pacific in 1941, the locomotive was among 25 built to haul wartime freight across the Continental Divide in Wyoming and Utah. This Big Boy is the last one running. In the 1960s, it was converted to burn oil instead of coal.
Big Boy is 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds. It traveled more than 1 million miles during its working life, hauling freight between Cheyenne, WY, and Ogden, UT. The train typically draws large crowds of rail enthusiasts, and it is common to see superfans with cameras in hand chasing it in cars.
“Union Pacific couldn’t be prouder to share this powerful piece of history with the Nation and to be a part of America’s birthday celebration,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a statement. “This tour celebrates our company’s rich, 164-year history, our Nation’s amazing story, and the people who have helped build our great Country and our railroad.”
The train departed from Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha, NE, on Monday, May 25. It has rarely been east of the Mississippi River, since its delivery in 1941, according to railroad officials.
The train stopped at the Union Pacific Training Center in West Chicago on Wednesday, June 3. It was on display south of the West Chicago Metra stop from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
After reaching its east-most stop in Philadelphia, PA, the train will head back out west. On Saturday, July 18, in Illinois the locomotive will pause
• by the Amtrak Depot in Springfield, from 10:45-11:15 a.m.
• at Center Street Crossing in Girard, from 1:00-1:30 p.m.
Union Pacific will provide a tracker allowing rail fanatics to follow the train on its coast-to-coast tour.