The world\u2019s 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\u2019s first ever East Coast tour.<\/p>\n
The Union Pacific\u2019s Big Boy 4014, as it is named, will pass through the region as part of its coast-to-coast tour to celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n
The locomotive hasn\u2019t come to the East Coast since it was built in New York in 1941 and delivered to Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska.<\/p>\n
Its appearance locally will be something that rail fans have dreamed of, company spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople young and old, and from near and far, will be coming to see it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really something to witness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Big Boy will arrive in Scranton on June 17 for a maintenance stop at\u00a0Steamtown 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people will come to see it since this definitely has the potential to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s network, officials said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Details of the Big Boy\u2019s route and schedule are available on Union Pacific\u2019s website at up.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n