Union Pacific Officially Announces Big Boy Coast-to-Coast

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Mar 24, 2026 6:21 pm

wesp wrote:

Now remember no one is ever going to restore a Big Boy to operation!

to be perfectly fair, this has to be shared among any number of industry and rail preservationist professionals, along with steam-positive NS officials saying in the 1990s, "You'll NEVER see steam on the Horse Shoe Curve again!!!!"

Crescent-Zephyr · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:15 pm **Posts:** 1800

question... do I need to drink a whole bottle per statement? or just a shot?

Cause I've got Big Boy, 611, and Steam on the NS!!!!

Wowak · **Posted:** Thu Mar 26, 2026 10:19 am

wesp wrote:

Meanwhile…

Re: Scranton stop.
-Might R&N 2102 join the party?
-Will Baldwin 26 be ready?

Asking for a friend.

26 is getting warmed up for an initial hydro test as I type this, so 26 should be ready in plenty of time. I think 2102 has it's own party to worry about, but they don't tell me everything.

Wowak · **Posted:** Thu Mar 26, 2026 10:24 am

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

Disregarding any supposed animosity and/or competition between R&N and Steamtown, I see zero prospect of R&N steam showing up in the mix.

There is zero animosity between Steamtown and the R&N. That doesn't mean 2102 is coming, either.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Mar 26, 2026 11:07 am

Random thought:

Has the Railroaders Memorial Museum started auctioning admission to the Horse Shoe Curve trackside when 4014 comes west yet?

I remember they got some flack when they raised the price to get trackside for one of the recent appearances of steam on the Curve (NKP 765)........

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Mar 26, 2026 11:08 am

Crescent-Zephyr wrote:

question... do I need to drink a whole bottle per statement? or just a shot?

Cause I've got Big Boy, 611, and Steam on the NS!!!!

Just slather it on the crow you'll have to eat.

mmi16 · **Joined:** Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:05 pm **Posts:** 198

mcgrath618 wrote:

Emmo213 wrote:

From the Trains article : "On Norfolk Southern, the Big Boy will run Chicago-Buffalo via the former Nickel Plate, then follow the Southern Tier route to Binghamton, N.Y., and the former Delaware & Hudson/Delaware, Lackawanna & Western main to Scranton. The return route from Philadelphia will follow the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line to Cleveland, and then to Chicago via the former NKP."

Interesting. Still doesn't mention anything about getting from Scranton to Philadelphia...

Guess they will call it a Uber!

NJT4272 · **Joined:** Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:55 am **Posts:** 19

Took a little snooping ride through Steamtown today. Big Boy 4012 has been moved from the spot it has occupied since its cosmetic restoration and placed back in the spot it occupied prior to its cosmetic restoration. Reading T-1 2124 has been moved one track over and sits along side 4012. Rahway Valley 15 and its short train of vintage freight cars now sits at the park entrance where 4012 sat most recently. There was a rail contractor doing work at the pedestrian crossing that leads to the foot bridge to the mall and a lot of park staff in safety vest all over the property.

It certainly looks like preparations are being made for a special visitor.

Crescent-Zephyr · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:15 pm **Posts:** 1800

NJT4272 wrote:

Took a little snooping ride through Steamtown today. Big Boy 4012 has been moved from the spot it has occupied since its cosmetic restoration and placed back in the spot it occupied prior to its cosmetic restoration. Reading T-1 2124 has been moved one track over and sits along side 4012. Rahway Valley 15 and its short train of vintage freight cars now sits at the park entrance where 4012 sat most recently. There was a rail contractor doing work at the pedestrian crossing that leads to the foot bridge to the mall and a lot of park staff in safety vest all over the property.

It certainly looks like preparations are being made for a special visitor.

Does UP pay for that or NPS? I mean... it needs to happen. Probably a one time opportunity, but just curious.

wesp · **Posted:** Tue Mar 31, 2026 6:40 pm

I’m not a fan of the whitewalls and painted running boards.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Apr 01, 2026 12:26 am

https://www.facebook.com/joneau261/post ... mBafet3g9l

Quote:

Union Pacific mounts replica Liberty Bell for Coast to Coast steam tour
April 1, 2026

Union Pacific has a patriotic addition as their steam tour prepares to work towards the home of American Independence in Philadelphia.
With excitement growing for America’s 250th anniversary, Union Pacific has kicked off their celebration with a planned coast to coast steam tour. This trip will bring their 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” 4014 steam locomotive, built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company and restored to mainline usage in 2019, as far west as Roseville, California, and as far east as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the nation. A number of specially painted diesels are also part of the tour as well as a passenger train of crew cars, display cars and cars for distinguished guests.
The 4014 has been decorated for the occasion with a special plaque and flying eagle on the headlight. Silver painted tires and running board trim have also been applied. However, a surprise was revealed on April 1st of a replica of the Liberty Bell. Long a symbol of America, the large sized replica has been unveiled upon installation on the pilot deck of steam locomotive 4014. It is the optimal place for all to see- and hear- the Bell in use.
While it has not been clarified where the Liberty Bell replica was made, its usage is similar to that of the replica Liberty Bell used for the 1975-1976 American Freedom Train, which used a double-sized replica to tour all 48 states over 25,000 miles of travel. This replica Bell is today displayed outside Washington Union Station, while the real Liberty Bell is displayed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
While the 4014 does not have the 1975 replica Bell, or the real one in Philadelphia, this new Bell is quite the headturner. With a functional clapper also installed, Union Pacific’s steam crew is at liberty to use it at any time for all in a ten-mile radius to hear the Big Boy coming into any town in America.

Wowak · **Posted:** Thu Apr 02, 2026 7:22 am

NJT4272 wrote:

Took a little snooping ride through Steamtown today. Big Boy 4012 has been moved from the spot it has occupied since its cosmetic restoration and placed back in the spot it occupied prior to its cosmetic restoration. Reading T-1 2124 has been moved one track over and sits along side 4012. Rahway Valley 15 and its short train of vintage freight cars now sits at the park entrance where 4012 sat most recently. There was a rail contractor doing work at the pedestrian crossing that leads to the foot bridge to the mall and a lot of park staff in safety vest all over the property.

It certainly looks like preparations are being made for a special visitor.

We made all those moves last year; the Big Boy move was widely publicized and done because she was listing lazily to the left on the south display track. Several YouTubers were on hand in the pouring rain to record the event. The plan included turning 2124 and putting it facing the core complex behind our little mixed freight, but schedules never aligned to either take it around the wye or to split the tender to spin them separately on the table (Mechanical department understandably focused on 26 repairs, and concerns about 2124 navigating the north leg of the wye stymied both options.)

UP has only announced that Scranton is a destination, no date or location has been confirmed.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2026 12:49 pm

THIS JUST IN:

https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/schedule

Precis:

Quote:

Eight major public display events will be held in:

May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska (near the Union Pacific's historic Milepost 0)
June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois
June 10 – Buffalo, New York
June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri

In addition to the public display days, rail fans can see this historic machine in action at over four dozen whistle-stops, generally 15- to 30- minutes long.

Complete details can be found on UP.com in the official steam schedule.

As part of the tour, the Union Pacific Museum will be selling tickets for rides in vintage passenger cars pulled by Big Boy through the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania on June 14. Interested riders can purchase tickets from the Museum at http://www.UPtrainTix.org/ . This will be the ONLY passenger excursion opportunity on this tour.

On the eastern leg of the trip, Big Boy will be accompanied by Norfolk Southern commemorative locomotives as well as several historical passenger cars from Norfolk Southern's Heritage Fleet. The coast-to-coast tour highlights the histories of Union Pacific in the West and Norfolk Southern and its predecessors in the East, reflecting the shared legacy of American railroads serving as the backbone of the country's economic growth. In the coming weeks, Norfolk Southern will unveil its commemorative U.S. 250 series.

To answer the big Philadelphia question:
NS's auto/intermodal track next to the CSX (ex-PRR) Greenwich Yard , next to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, South Philly waterfront, accessed by CR Shared Assets and NS trrackage rights.

Ticket prices for the Horse Shoe Curve trackside on the morning of Saturday, July 1th have not been posted yet--
ooops, JUST got posted: $20 per person (which includes the critically-important shuttle bus to and from the Museum downtown in Altoona--might be worth it just for that), $60 for "VIP parking" at the Curve Visitors Center.

Also announced: Fares for Nesquehoning-Pittston trip: $2,500 coach, $3,500 dome.
https://www.uptraintix.org/experience.html

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2026 8:59 pm

Tickets for trackside at the Horse Shoe Curve sold out in approximately three hours.