‘BIG BOY’ No. 4014 has been undergoing a mammoth restoration – and you can be one of the first to ride behind the Union Pacific (UP) giant.
The Railway Magazine is in discussions with specialist tour operator Darjeeling Tours to take you to see the ‘Big Boy’, the UP heritage base at Cheyenne and lots more of railway interest in the Colorado and Wyoming areas, and maybe further afield.
In their heyday, 25 4-8-8-4 ‘Big Boys’ were produced for the UP between 1941-1944, working heavy freight between Wyoming and Utah, over the Wasatch mountains.
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Forced out by diesel locomotives, the last revenue train hauled by a ‘Big Boy’ ran in July 1959, with a number of the class remaining on standby for several years afterwards.
Of the 25 built, eight survive and No. 4014 was re-acquired by UP in 2013, with the aim of returning the loco to steam as part of the company’s Heritage Operations active fleet.
No. 4014’s mammoth restoration is expected to come to a conclusion in the spring or summer of 2019.
An outline itinerary is still being developed, but you can register your interest now, with no commitment, and will be sent details of the tour as soon as they become available.
Email [email protected] in the first instance or write to Darjeeling Tours Ltd, Lime Tree Lodge, Thorpe Road, Mattersey, Doncaster DN10 5ED.
Read more News and Features in March’s issue of The RM – on sale now!
