{"id":234837,"date":"2026-07-03T17:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/234837\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T17:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:01:12","slug":"big-boy-no-4014-steam-locomotive-visits-eastern-pa-during-americas-250th-tour-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/234837\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive visits eastern Pa. during America\u2019s 250th tour (PHOTOS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A big piece of Americana passed through eastern Pennsylvania on Thursday, as part of a coast-to-coast <\/a>tour in celebration of America\u2019s 250th birthday Saturday. <\/p>\n

People all across America have been getting a glimpse of Union Pacific\u2019s Big Boy No. 4014, known as the world\u2019s largest operating steam locomotive, during its tour that began April 10 in Sacramento, California. <\/p>\n

Admirers of the historic locomotive braved the intense heat Thursday afternoon to see with their own eyes and hear its whistle blow at the Reading & Northern Outer Station<\/a> in the Reading area of Berks County. <\/p>\n

Several visitors were treated for heat-related illness<\/a> during Extreme Heat Warning conditions. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because you will never really see these operating,\u201d said Chris Weiss, of Emmaus. \u201cIt\u2019s the only one left operating in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

As it tours the country, Big Boy No. 4014 will be joined by couple of historic passenger cars and the No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln<\/a> and No. 1776-America250<\/a> from Union Pacific\u2019s Heritage Fleet.<\/p>\n

For the Berks stop Thursday, Reading Blue Mountain & Northern also operated a special excursion train that was powered by RBMN diesels No. 1776 and No. 2026. <\/p>\n

They arrived shortly before No. 4014 pulled into the Reading & Northern Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township, leading a 25-car train with more than 1,000 passengers. <\/p>\n

Matt Reier drove up from North Carolina to see the Big Boy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had to make the drive up to see it,\u201d said Reier. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll get another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Big Boy No. 4014 is 133 feet in length and weighs 1.2 million pounds. During the 20th century, there were 25 Big Boy locomotives commissioned by Union Pacific. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an awesome sight,\u201d said Tricia DeFrancisco, of Exeter. <\/p>\n

The United States has more than a love affair with locomotives \u2014 the railroads that crisscrossed the nation literally helped build America.<\/p>\n

Before locomotives existed, traveling cross-country wasn\u2019t easy. It took months and was only achieved by wagon or ship. But in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, which helped keep the Union together during the Civil War. On May 10, 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific track met at Promontory Summit in Utah, joining our two coasts. <\/p>\n

The first Big Boy entered service in 1941 and operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, moving equipment in support of World War II. <\/p>\n

In December 1961, Big Boy No. 4014 retired after traveling 1,031,205 miles<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In 2013, Union Pacific reacquired the locomotive from a train museum in Pomona, California, and relocated it in Cheyenne for a huge restoration project. It ultimately returned to service in May of 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. <\/p>\n

It is one of eight remaining Big Boys in existence. The other seven are on display in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.<\/p>\n

After its Reading visit, the Big Boy No. 4014 continued its tour<\/a> with a swing through Pottstown and a stop with no public access in King of Prussia on Friday, before ultimately arriving in Philadelphia for a massive Fourth of July celebration. <\/p>\n

Check out the pictures below to see scenes from the Big Boy No. 4014 stop in Berks County. <\/p>\n

\"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionThe Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 approaches the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionA boy waves as the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 pulls into the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionMatt Reier, of North Carolina, gives the thumbs-up as he sports a patriotic train t-shirt as he waits for the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 to stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople hag on fences as they try to get a glimpse of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionWyatt Brightbill, 4, of Perry County, protects his ears as he waits for the whistle to blow as the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 makes a stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople pose for photos in front of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 as it stops at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionUnion Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 begins to pull away after stopping at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionUnion Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 makes a short stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople braved the intense heat to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionChris Weiss, of Emmaus, gets his camera ready before the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 makes a short stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionFamilies pose for photos in front of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 as it stops at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionEd Dickens, train engineer and senior manager of Union Pacific Railroad’s heritage operations, look on from the cab of Big Boy No. 4014, as it stops at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople gather to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople wave at the Reading and Northern No. 2026 and No. 1776 locomotives as they pull into the Reading & Northern Outer Station before the Big Boy No. 4014 on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionJimmy Thompson, Lead Boilermaker Steam Crew with Union Pacific 4014, looks on as the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 stops at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionUnion Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 makes a short stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople wave as the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 begins to depart from the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionUnion Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 begins to pull away after stopping at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionPeople line the tracks to see the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 as it departs the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com \"UnionUnion Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 continues its tour after a short stop at the Reading & Northern Outer Station on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Reading, during its nationwide tour commemorating America\u2019s 250th anniversary.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A big piece of Americana passed through eastern Pennsylvania on Thursday, as part of a coast-to-coast tour in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-234837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}