The world’s largest steam locomotive will travel through Oklahoma in the next few months.
Big Boy No. 4014’s 2024 tour begins on Wednesday, August 28 in Cheyenne, Wyoming and will travel through nine states.
Built by the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1940s, locomotive 4014 was one of the 600-ton “Big Boys” locomotives and was a state-of-the-art machine for its time. Today, it is the only steam locomotive of its kind still on the tracks and not in a museum.
The eight-week tour ends in late October and will pass through Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. There will be more than three dozen stops in communities along the route and special exhibition days in three cities.
According to the train schedule, Big Boy will visit Oklahoma in October. He will depart Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, October 13, for McAlester, Oklahoma, with a stop in Durant at approximately 1:15 p.m. that day.
It then departs Durant’s Louisiana St. Crossing for McAleaster at approximately 1:45 p.m. Big Boy then stops in Muskogee at 11 a.m. and Claremore at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, October 14. After the stop in Claremore, Big Boy will travel to Coffeyville, Kansas.
Big Boy 4014 has come through Oklahoma before, most recently in 2021 and before that in 2019. Thousands of families and railroad fans have come to see Big Boy and watch this piece of history make its way through the state.
Previous story 12.08.2021: SKYNEWS VIDEO: Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive, passes Oklahoma
Planned exhibition days:
- Sunday, September 8: Rochelle, Illinois
- Sunday, October 6: Houston, Texas
- Thursday/Friday, October 10-11: Fort Worth, Texas
The full schedule can be found HERE
The Union Pacific Steam Club reminds anyone who wants to see the Big Boy to stay 25 feet away from all tracks and never climb on locomotive equipment. As for drones, the Union Pacific Steam Club is in favor of photos and video recording, but said the 25-foot rule applies to all cameras, including drones. The club said there have been incidents in the past where drones have crashed into the train.
