On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Union Pacific No. 4014 departed Rock Springs, Wyo., bound for Evanston. This would be the third operating day of almost a month as part of what UP calls its “Westward Bound Tour.” The first two days, from Cheyenne to Rock Springs, found the Big Boy operating on the main line for the first time without diesel assistance. Hauling a couple of support cars and some freshly painted freight cars with a caboose for braking, it would be easy to believe that the massive 4-8-8-4 articulated was back in revenue freight service once again. The short consist was mostly determined by storage track lengths at the overnight stops, but with Sherman Hill and other climbs to contend with, No. 4014 had plenty of places to show off and work some.
It was day three when things became really interesting. A diesel was added to the consist, primarily for dynamic braking on the steep grades through Echo and Weber Canyons descending into Ogden, Utah, but I can promise you it wasn’t doing anything as the 4014 blasted out of Green River. This Green River-to-Odgen section was the original home of the Big Boys, where they were designed to take a tonnage train east over the Wahsatch Mountains, after which a speedier Challenger-class 4-6-6-4 would take the same train east to Cheyenne. This was motive power utilization at the apex of the steam era — two modern locomotives built for two different tasks, replacing what had required doubleheading and an extra crew previously.
Back to the present day. We joined a cadre of photographers, railfans (one from as far away as Australia), and locals at the river bridge on the west side of Green River, Wyo. The westbound grade up Peru Hill starts here, and with a mid-morning departure, the light was best at this spot, and the train would be making a run for the hill. Sounds like a good plan, right?
Well, as it turns out, this is a busy stretch of the Union Pacific main line, with traffic from all parts of the Pacific Coast funneling together at Granger, just west of Green River, for the run across the Transcon for points east. This morning was no exception, as a steady parade of east and westbound freights were sharing track space with the steam special. This may sound like the dispatcher is having a busy morning, and when you factor in that Green River is a crew change point, you would be correct. It was equally challenging for the fans, when you consider that some of those long trains would stretch onto the double-track Green River bridge while doing the crew swap downtown. It was a continual game of nerves and relief as one train after another descended Peru Hill, blocking the view of the westbound main while awaiting their clearance to go east. As it would turn out, all of our fretting was for naught. When 4014 found a green signal, the view was not blocked by a descending freight.
It’s hard to put into words the sound show that we all experienced as a Big Boy once again tackled Peru Hill with the “double-licks” stack talk bouncing off the mountains and the mighty Nathan three-chime whistle blowing. The stack itself was fairly clear at the bridge, but that’s good firing practices. Trust me, the sound was pretty darn good. Now, the tonnage was far less than the engine was rated for, if you go back to old timetables, and the speed much faster. For a few moments, however, the Big Boy lived up to what Alco and the Union Pacific had designed when they decided they needed a bigger engine so many years ago. Minutes after the train disappeared from view, the sound of a 4000 hard at work, pulling a freight over its designated route, echoed down the valley.
The Union Pacific has always been proud of its heritage program, and the commitment to restore one of the largest steam locomotives ever built is one that should be commended. It’s unlikely in this day and age that we’ll ever see the railroad put the 4014 to a true test of its power, although pushing a stalled freight ahead of it in 2023 was a brilliant show for those fortunate enough to be near Blair, Neb. The climb up Peru Hill would be a good second, with modern superpower steam at its best, waking Green River with its presence, as it had done so many times before.
Union Pacific understands the drawing power of a steam locomotive, and we are the fortunate ones. Who would have ever believed that just a few years ago, one could see a Big Boy operating again on home rails on the main line? Stranger things have happened, but every once in a while, even if you’ve seen it before, you can be reminded of what drew you into this crazy hobby to begin with. Thanks, UP! Long may it continue.
