Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 Rumbles Into Utah
May 8, 2019, 5:33 PM | Updated: 5:39 pm
ECHO CANYON, Utah — Many people could pass right by the big Union Pacific locomotive marked 4014 and have no idea.
Eliot Scher isn’t one of them.
He’s from New York, and has been planning for this moment in Evanston, Wyoming, for nearly six years ever since he heard Union Pacific was restoring the Big Boy 4014.
There’s just something about this train; the sounds, the look, the feeling, even grandparents wanted to pass on to their grandchildren.
But the real magic is inside the cab.
There’s a fireman and an engineer to make sure the train runs just fine.
It’s a smooth ride, but also loud to the point where earplugs are required.
Maybe just as impressive, though, was the sight of thousands of people along roads, hilltops, and even the interstate just to see the train rumble through.
The Living Legend 884 was attached to the 4014, making for an impressive sight as the trains rolled through Echo Canyon.
This is the first run the Big Boy has done since being restored as part of the Golden Spike’s 150th anniversary.
It’s the largest steam locomotive in the world, built at a time when more freight needed to be hauled through mountainous terrain.
Those who love trains just had to see it.
At every stop during Wednesday’s run, from Evanston to Echo, Morgan to Ogden, people just wanted to capture the moment.
Even when the train pulled into its final stop on this trip, in Ogden, thousands waited just for a glimpse.
It seems for as advanced as society has become, there’s still an appreciation for doing things the old fashioned way.
