Sterling added as stop for Big Boy Steam Locomotive’s fall tour – Shaw Local

STERLING – Union Pacific has officially added Sterling as a stop on the “Heartland of America Tour” of the legendary steam locomotive Big Boy No. 4014.

Big Boy will make a stop in Sterling near the Twin Cities Farmer’s Market at 106 Ave. A on Friday, September 6, from 1:30 to 1:45 p.m., barring any unforeseen delays. Spectators can take photos, but are asked to stay off the tracks and maintain a safe distance of at least 25 feet until the train comes to a complete stop so visitors can get a closer look.

According to Union Pacific, Big Boy is the largest steam locomotive still in operation in the world. Of the 25 steam engines built during World War II, only eight survived. Big Boy is the only one still in operation. It last ran through Sterling on July 30, 2019.

Sterling Mayor Diana Merdian has been pushing for the move since she met her goal earlier this month to have Sterling join the list of more than 100 communities — including Crystal Lake and Rochelle — to be designated a “Train Town USA” by Union Pacific.

“Honestly, I thought I had a better chance of winning the lottery than stopping the train,” Merdian joked. “I’m just a small-town mayor who grew up next to the tracks. When they told me we did it, I got goosebumps.”

Merdian said she is meeting with other city officials this week to plan an event for the big day celebrating the stop and the city’s designation as a “Train Town USA.” The designation honors communities founded by immigrants who moved along the growing rail lines from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean more than 150 years ago.

Big Boy’s eight-week tour begins Thursday, August 29, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and will continue through nine more states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, before ending in October. Fans can track Big Boy’s location along his route via the Steam Locomotive Tracking map on Union Pacific’s website.