The Big Boy steam locomotive celebrates America 250 with a cross-country tour : NPR

Union Pacific Railroad’s Big Boy No. 4014– the world’s largest working steam locomotive – has been barnstorming from coast-to-coast in a celebration of America’s 250^th birthday. Based in Wyoming, the prepare got here east to Philadelphia for the July 4^th weekend.

On the most well liked day of the 12 months – 102 levels with a warmth index that made it really feel like 112 – dozens of individuals camped out by the facet of the tracks at Valley Forge National Historical Park to see the prepare steam by. Many folks introduced camp chairs and coolers with water, like John Seibert, who got here with a few pals from a mannequin railroad membership.

“It’s a once-in-a lifetime experience,” he mentioned, “I mean you’re never gonna see it again.”

Many within the crowd checked their smartphones to see the progress of the prepare on an app, because it made its manner down the monitor. And from miles away, you would hear the whistle. Then, the gang may see the headlights within the distance. Then the Big Boy, 133 ft lengthy and weighing 1.2 million kilos, got here barreling previous, bells ringing and steam whistle blaring.

“It was pretty amazing,” exclaimed Seibert. “When he blew the whistle right by us, it kind of went right through you.”

A number of days later, engine 4014, and the 18-car lengthy Union Pacific prepare it pulled, parked in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, the place crowds may rise up shut and private. Fifteen-year-old Brandon Westerfield of Leonardo, New Jersey, got here along with his mom.

“I mean it’s obvious, but it’s huge,” mentioned the younger prepare fanatic. “It’s so cool to see just something that big right in front of you.”

His mom, Althea, who has seen many trains along with her son, mentioned: “When he told me about it, I was like, okay, it’s another train, but now that I’m here, this is absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen such a sight.”

A prepare and its celeb

The Union Pacific Railroad Company ordered twenty-five Big Boy locomotives, from 1941 to 1944, to haul freight by the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and Wyoming. The engines had an articulated design, to permit them to take curves, and two units of pistons, driving eight wheels every. The final Big Boy retired in 1962 – they had been all changed by diesel engines.

Eight of those behemoths had been preserved, however just one – quantity 4014 – is in working situation. The restoration of the engine was overseen by Ed Dickens, senior supervisor of Union Pacific’s Heritage Operations. He’s additionally the prepare’s engineer.

Dickens is straight out of central casting, along with his overalls and cap with the Big Boy’s quantity on it. He’s often the man on the throttle of this 7000-horsepower beast, because it hauls the prepare throughout the nation.

“It’s all manually operated, there’s nothing automatic,” Dickens defined, after a spherical of selfies with followers of the Big Boy.

“Ed Dickens is just a super ambassador,” mentioned Matt Zollers, who got here from Hatsboro, PA, to see the Big Boy. “What a great guy, great representative of the Union Pacific. Takes his time to talk to everyone, so friendly, so shout out to him.”

“From a personal standpoint, seeing the happiness, seeing the crowds is something that’s just spectacular for us,” Dickens mentioned, standing in entrance of the engine.

Over two days, near 100,000 folks visited the Big Boy in Philadelphia. But all too quickly, it departed on its manner again house to Wyoming. It’ll have stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado alongside the best way.

Dickens had a phrase about security for people who wish to catch it, because it passes by their cities: “Please don’t hesitate to tell your fellow Americans, ‘Hey people, I talked to the train engineer and he told me to tell you to stand back. Always 25 feet back.'”

And, if not, the Big Boy’s whistle will most actually warn them.