Overview
- Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 is on a coast‑to‑coast 250th‑anniversary tour and has been stopping in the Kansas City region for public displays that have attracted hundreds of spectators.
- Big Boy 4014 is the only operational Big Boy locomotive, measures roughly 133 feet long and 1.2 million pounds, and was restored to service in 2019 after being reacquired by Union Pacific in 2013.
- The locomotive’s operation is resource intensive because it consumes large amounts of water and fuel and requires complex train movements for short public stops.
- Union Pacific has urged spectators to remain at least 25 feet from the engine for safety, but reports and staff say many attendees cluster close to the locomotive during arrivals and displays.
- Local museums and stations are hosting food, small fundraisers and visitor programs around the stops, and Union Pacific has framed the eastward routing as tied to broader network arrangements including its proposed deal with Norfolk Southern.