The “Big Boy” is a massive oil engine train that was once used to carry heavy freight across the western terrain. It stopped running in 1961. Only 25 were ever built, and Union Pacific has revived “Big Boy” 4104 for a westbound tour.
“Big Boy was actually retired for 60 years, but we brought it back just for a sense of nostalgia and to help celebrate the 150th anniversary driving the golden spike, which marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad,” said Mike Jackson with Union Pacific.
“Big Boy” was the nickname given to a series of massive, 1.2 million pound, coal powered, steam locomotives developed in the 1930s. While Big Boys are displayed across the country now, they primarily operated in the West, running freight between Utah and Wyoming.
“It was designed in the late 1930s and really came into heavy use during World War II to move freight over the Wasatch Mountains in Western Wyoming and in Eastern Utah” said Jackson.
As World War II continued on, more and more people were called to the front, leaving less labor for some industries. For the rail industry, that meant less and less train crews. The “Big Boy” met an industrial need, allowing one crew to operate a train capable of carrying multiple, 1900 era-traditional engines worth of cargo.
“If we could have one locomotive that could handle the job of two or three others, that meant we needed fewer people at a time when, during the war effort, every person was a critical”. said Jackson
Despite the “Big Boy’s” legendary position in the early 1900s, by the 1950s, diesel engines were proving to be far more efficient than coal engines. At least two to three times more efficient according to Jackson, which was enough to begin a transition away from coal-fired engines. In addition to technological development making the diesel engine even more efficient over time, diesel engines required less people to run, and could source a fuel supply of cheaper oil. That oil supply eventually overtook the coal market, and running the “Big Boy” became inefficient.
To run the train today, the “Big Boy” operates on a modern oil-based engine and requires a crew of seven or eight, stopping frequently to check engines, lubricate instruments, and ensure the nearly 80 year old technology still operates well.
However, Jackson said the effort to run such a vehicle is worth it for the crowds it draws out. He calls “Big Boy” 4104 Union Pacific's “Rockstar”.
“We have support crews, support teams, from across the Union Pacific network, helping to make sure that the operations are moving smoothly and then providing security at all the stops, because obviously it attracts a crowd,” said Jackson.
After starting its journey in Cheyenne on June 30 and reaching Roseville, CAon July 12, the “Big Boy” is on its way back to Wyoming. The train will arrive in Rocksprings on July 23, Rawlins on July 25, and Medicine Bow followed by Cheyenne on July 26.
Jackson urges the public to still exercise caution around the train, citing how often onlookers scramble away from the track once they feel the size and power of the train up close.
“We do ask everybody to stay at least 25 feet back from the tracks,” said Jackson. “Maybe even a little more than that, you'll still get the effect of it going by and that full picture”.
