‘Big Boy’ Locomotive Makes Unexpected Stop in Sedalia

By Katherine Hamilton
UCM student & Townsquare Sedalia intern

On Tuesday, July 21st, Big Boy No. 4014 continued its Missouri journey through Sedalia.  
What is the Big Boy? Hence the name, the Big Boy No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive.

Constructed in 1941, Big Boy No. 4014 is one of eight Big Boys still in existence and is the only Big Boy to remain operational. No. 4014 was originally one of 25 Big Boys commissioned for the Union Pacific Railroad. Built to haul heavy equipment to support war efforts, these trains were made 133 feet long and weigh in at around 1.2 million pounds.

After being retired in 1961, No. 4014 was reacquired by Union Pacific from RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013. The impressive locomotive was then restored in Wyoming and began traveling the nation again in 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The Big Boy was brought out again to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Sedalia was fortunate to get a visit from this extraordinary testament to human innovation.
The community of Sedalia showed out to see this impressive force. Community members of all ages gathered near Amtrak station to wait for the magnificent train to appear. Children played on the terrain a safe distance from the tracks and older residents sought out shady viewing spots.

Photographers both working for media outlets and hobbyists set up to find prime sites to capture the not-often seen locomotive. Local police officers were tasked with keeping overly excited locals off the tracks and passing out stickers to the children in attendance.

An Amtrak passenger train pulled through at 12 pm. This built anticipation and gave the present photographers a chance to plan their photos for when the main event would pull through. The Big Boy No. 4014 pulled in about 30 minutes later at 12:30 pm.

In an interesting turn of events, the Big Boy made an unscheduled maintenance stop at the Amtrak station. While a potentially stressful moment for the train’s hardworking team, Sedalia residents saw this as an exciting chance for attending observers to get an in-depth view of the impressive locomotive.

The train stopping was a perfect opportunity for photos to be taken and for spectators to get an intricate look at the beautiful details of the train. The Big Boy was stopped for about 30 minutes before chugging along towards Warrensburg to be viewed by excited community members of the next town.

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This year, the train has been adorned with a few classy decorations to celebrate the 250th birthday of the USA. The crest at the front of the train now features a red, white, and blue banner stating “1776-2026."

Also featured as part of the 250th celebration is a cobber eagle figure placed above a plaque stating “America’s 250th Celebration” and between crests stating “Union Pacific 844” and “Union Pacific 4014”. The train’s cars feature added American flag designs as well as the 250 ribbon logo featured on many celebratory graphics.
The train is now set to travel through Kansas with its next scheduled stop in Topeka Kansas on July 23rd.