SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Big Boy 4014 arrives at Steamtown in Scranton on June 13. Each day until then, we’re sharing a fascinating fact about the world’s largest operating steam locomotive.
The name “Big Boy” wasn’t part of Union Pacific’s original plan.
According to railroad lore, a worker at the American Locomotive Company wrote “Big Boy” in chalk on one of the giant engines during construction. The nickname stuck and became one of the most recognizable names in railroad history.
What’s remarkable is that the railroad never intended the locomotives to become legends. Union Pacific simply ordered them as powerful freight engines capable of hauling heavy wartime loads across the steep grades between Utah and Wyoming. There was no flashy marketing campaign, no naming contest and no grand unveiling.
The nickname survived long after the chalk disappeared.
More than 80 years later, people travel thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of a locomotive that was never supposed to be famous.