Thousands of Northeast Ohioans flocked to the route of the world’s largest operating steam engine locomotive Monday.
Nicknamed Big Boy, the Union Pacific No. 4014 train is making a coast-to-coast, several-month trip to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary. Part of the trek includes stops through Ohio.
It is the first time Big Boy has ever operated in Ohio. The train was towed through Ohio from New York to Wyoming shortly after it was built in the 1940s, according to Union Pacific spokesperson Mike Jaixen. He said this is the first time the train has operated east of Chicago.
“It is very cool to see the reactions of communities coming to see this classic example of American industrial might, now that we've restored the Big Boy back into operating condition,” Jaixen said.
A few-hundred watched from the Towpath Trail in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood as Big Boy “choo-choo’d” across the Cuyahoga River between Downtown and Tremont, including Andrew Borgen, who took the day off from work to watch the train with his dad.
“Trying to get some good pictures, some good video, some nice memories,” Borgen said. “It’s cool to be a part of that, take it all in and be out here with the Tremont community.”
Adam Bugaj, from Seven Hills, also took a half-day off from work to check out the train with his son in Tremont.
“We both kind of share a little bit of love of trains. Especially seeing something like this that is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so even though he’s young and he may not remember it, I still wanted to make sure he was at least able to say he was here to see it,” Bugaj said.
The Ohio leg of the trip had train stops in Continental, Fostoria, Bellevue, Lorain, Euclid and Conneaut, most of which were opportunities for train enthusiasts to get a look of the train up close.
Thousands gathered at the train's public stop in Euclid, including Shawn Wallace, who wanted to share his enthusiasm for trains with his family.
"My favorite steam engine," Wallace said. "Honestly, if you're not a train enthusiast, you don't appreciate what the train actually means. The train's historic. So I wanted to share that same hobby, that same love with my son and my family."
William Mayer visited Euclid from Seven Hills, citing the rare opportunity to see the restored steam locomotive. He said he was surprised by the sizable crowd.
"But then again, you never know with train people," he quipped.
Union Pacific is hosting an Independence Day celebration with Big Boy in Philadelphia on July 4 before heading back to its home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The trek back includes more stops in Ohio from July 12-15, including Struthers, Conneaut, Rocky River, Fostoria and Continental.
Jaixen said anyone watching Big Boy should keep a safe 25-foot distance from the tracks for safety purposes. He added that its whistle is distinctly different from horns heard from modern freight trains.
Several Big Boy trains — measuring 133 feet long and weighing 1.2 million pounds — were built in the 1940s. Eight of them still exist today, but No. 4014 is the only one still in operation. It was retired in 1961, but brought back into operation in 2019 after a mutlti-year restoration.
