SerpApi.Org
One-point-two million pounds and 133 feet of chuffing, hissing and clanking mechanical wonderment rolled into the Macoupin County community of Girard on Saturday afternoon as the world’s largest operating steam locomotive made a half-hour stop there as part of its nationwide tour.
Union Pacific Railroad’s Big Boy 4014 arrived about an hour later than scheduled, but the crowd of several thousand enthusiastic rail fans didn’t seem to mind as they cheered, took videos and surged toward the giant iron beast to get a closer look.
“It’s one of the neatest things to happen in this little town,” said local resident Matt Herron as he took a selfie with the locomotive in the background. “I just came to see the spectacle.”
Many among the crowd came from quite a distance to see Big Boy 4014, including Branden Stanley from Auburn, Alabama.
“I came up north to visit family, but we made a pretty significant detour to see this,” Stanley said. “I mean, look at it, just the weight of it. You can actually feel its presence.”
Noah Olivarez from Peachtree City, Georgia, drove seven hours on Saturday just to get up close and personal with the giant steam locomotive.
“This is amazing to see; it’s just beautiful,” Olivarez said. “If I ever get the opportunity to see one of these again, yes sir, I’ll be there.”
Big Boy No. 4014 is on a coast-to-coast tour that started June 17 to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. The tour includes more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states and will end July 29. The locomotive stopped in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday morning before rolling into Girard. From there it traveled along the Interstate 55 corridor for an overnight stop in St. Louis.
According to the Union Pacific Railroad, 25 Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for the railroad. The first was delivered in 1941, and the massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the World War II effort. They normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Of the eight remaining Big Boys in existence today, No. 4014 is the only one still in operation.
The seven other remaining Big Boys are on public display in St. Louis; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
But Steven Gallacher from Lincoln, Illinois, didn’t want to see a museum locomotive; he came to Girard on Saturday to experience the real thing.
“Pretty damn big, that’s what I think,” marveled Gallacher when the engine hissed to a stop not far from where he was standing. “It’s pretty neat to see one of these still running around.”
Gallacher’s wife, Chiara, was equally impressed.
“It’s unreal. I’ve always wanted to see a train like this,” Chiara said. “This is a dream come true.”
Owen Jacober of Highland got pretty close to Big Boy 4014, and his 5-year-old brother James had an even better vantage point on Owen’s shoulders.
“We were really excited because we haven’t seen something this big before,” Owen said. “We came here specifically to see this, and it didn’t disappoint us.”
Emergency crews were kept busy attending to members of the tightly packed crowd who waited hours in the heat for the locomotive’s arrival. Many train-watchers had staked out their positions near the town’s main railroad crossing before sunrise on Saturday.
