The world’s largest operating steam locomotive will roll through Schuylkill County in June, make a nearly two-week stop in Scranton, and likely draw tens of thousands of rail enthusiasts from around the world to the area to see the train’s first ever East Coast tour.
The Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014, as it is named, will pass through the region as part of its coast-to-coast tour to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The locomotive hasn’t come to the East Coast since it was built in New York in 1941 and delivered to Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska.
Its appearance locally will be something that rail fans have dreamed of, company spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said.
“People young and old, and from near and far, will be coming to see it,” she said.
She spoke of the way Big Boy rumbles the ground as it approaches, the haunting sound of its steam whistle, and also its massiveness, since it stretches 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds.
“It’s really something to witness,” she said.
The Big Boy will arrive in Scranton on June 17 for a maintenance stop at Steamtown National Historic Site, remaining there until June 30. Visitors can see it arrive and depart, and those paying for park admission will be able to see and photograph it up close.
As it heads south to Philadelphia for the July 4 celebration, it will spend the night of July 1 parked in either Nesquehoning or Jim Thorpe.
On the morning of July 2 it will depart for Reading and points south, passing through Schuylkill County along the way, said Russ Scianna Jr. director of passenger administration for Reading & Northern Railroad, whose tracks it will be riding locally.
As it steams through Schuylkill County it will pass through the Tamaqua, Hometown, Barnesville and New Ringgold areas, where rail fans will likely be parked and standing to get photos and videos of its historic appearance, Scianna said.
“A lot of people will come to see it since this definitely has the potential to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he said.
The Big Boy will also make a whistle-stop in Reading, where it will pause for 15-30 minutes as its switches to Norfolk Southern’s network, officials said.
Only a limited number of rides in the passenger cars that will be towed by the Big Boy will be available through the Union Pacific Museum.
Reading & Northern, however, will offer three excursions as part of its Semiquincentennial Steam Celebration that will offer views of the Big Boy on the tracks and in stations. Those are its June 13 and 14 excursions, when it will run steam locomotive trips north from Nesquehoning to Pittston, and on July 2, when its diesel trip will run south from Nesquehoning to Reading.
The company hopes that there will be opportunities during those trips for passengers to see the Big Boy from an adjacent track as the two trains run side by side for a stretch.
Details of the Big Boy’s route and schedule are available on Union Pacific’s website at up.com.
Ticket sales and information about Reading & Northern’s excursions are available on its website at rbmnrr-passenger.com.
The Big Boy tour is a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, and of the people who helped build both the country and Union Pacific Railroad, company officials said.
“Railroads helped build this nation by connecting people, communities and commerce – work carried forward for generations by dedicated railroaders,” said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Mark George in a press release.
Big Boy officially launched its 2026 coast-to-coast tour on April 10 from downtown Sacramento near historic Milepost 0 – the site where Central Pacific began construction on the nation’s first transcontinental railroad in 1863. The eastern leg of the tour starts May 25 from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The route through the Ohio Valley, Pennsylvania and the Northeast reflects the historic role railroads played in shaping America’s economic heartland, connecting factories, ports and population centers and fueling the nation’s growth across generations, Union Pacific officials said.
To keep everyone safe, Union Pacific officials urge visitors, including drones, to stay back at least 25 feet from all railroad tracks and to remember that railroad tracks, trestles, yards and rights of way are private property, so they should not trespass.
“We want everyone to enjoy an iconic piece of history, but to do it safely,” Tysver said.
In addition to Scranton, the seven other major public display events are:
May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska (home of Union Pacific’s headquarters)
June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois
June 10 – Buffalo, New York
July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri