Overview
- Big Boy No. 4014 attracted large crowds this week, with the Lake Shore Railway Museum reporting more than 4,250 attendees at its North East, Pennsylvania viewing and about 1,000 additional people gathering along nearby tracks.
- The locomotive made recent public stops in Ripley and Buffalo and passed Letchworth State Park before heading to the Hornell Erie Depot Museum later on Thursday.
- Union Pacific has routed the coast‑to‑coast America 250 tour over multiple rail networks, including Norfolk Southern trackage, and plans a high‑profile appearance in Philadelphia on July 4 with the tour wrapping at the end of July after visits in 14 states.
- The tour has prompted large, early crowds and local planning measures such as shuttle parking and timed displays to manage access and safety at viewing sites.
- Built in Schenectady in 1941 as one of 25 wartime Big Boys, No. 4014 is 133 feet long, about 1.2 million pounds, and was restored to operating condition in 2019 for commemorative excursions.