Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 will make three stops in Colorado this week as part of a coast-to-coast tour for America's 250th celebration, paying homage to the role railroads have played in the country's history.
The world's largest operating steam locomotive will stop at Young Street Carson in Kit Carson, Colorado, on Monday from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
It will then stop at the Monroe Street Crossing in Strasburg, Colorado, on Monday from 3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The third stop will be on Wednesday, July 29, in Greeley, Colorado at the 10th Street Crossing from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. before Big Boy No. 4014 returns home to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Anyone who wants to witness the behemoth train is asked to stay 25 feet back from the railroad tracks for safety purposes.
Along with Big Boy No. 4014, attendees can see special commemorative locomotive with the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission — the organization established by Congress to lead the celebration of our country's birthday and founding 250 years ago.
Big Boy No. 4014's cross-country trip started on April 10 when the locomotive left downtown Sacramento, California — where construction of the nation's first transcontinental railroad began in 1863.
The first of 25 Big Boy locomotives, commissioned by Union Pacific Railroad to haul heavy equipment, was delivered in 1941. These gigantic machines are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds, according to Union Pacific.
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