HOUSTON — Big Boy is coming to Houston.
The world's largest operating steam locomotive - Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 - will roll into and through Houston in the coming weeks. It will stop in the Bayou City on Oct. 6 through Oct. 7.
Big Boy will arrive in the city on Oct. 5 for a private event for Union Pacific employees. It will be on public display Oct. 6 at Houston Amtrak at 902 Washington Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. It leaves Houston on Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. and makes its way to Bryan, Texas.
The events are part of the "Heartland of America Tour" that gets started on Wed., Aug. 28, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. From there, Big Boy will traverse the Midwest across Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois, before making its way down south through Missouri, Arkansas and ultimately to Texas. Here's the full schedule.
Can't wait for Big Boy to make it to a stop near you? You can track its journey through 23 states here.
So, what's the big deal with Big Boy?
Not only is it the biggest steam locomotive in operation, it's also one of just eight still in existence from the 25 that were built during World War II, and the only one of those eight still operating.
Big Boy No. 4014 is a 132-foot-long, 1.2-million-pound locomotive with a water capacity of 25,000 gallons. It was in service for Union Pacific from 1941 to 1961, traveling more than a million miles! The locomotive ended up at the RailGiants Museum in California before Union Pacific re-acquired it in 2013 and began a multi-year restoration.