Something big is coming to Western Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s largest operating steam engine, Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, is on the East Coast of the United States for the first time in history and will pass through Westmoreland and Allegheny counties Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe roads will just be lined with people,\u201d said Steph Zemba, marketing director for Brady\u2019s Train Outlet, a model train store in Southwest Greensburg.<\/p>\n
Zemba, who saw the locomotive in Texas several years ago, said she could feel the heat coming off the steam engine when she stood close to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impressive,\u201d Zemba said. \u201cThe ground shakes when it\u2019s coming. You can hear the whistle a mile away.\u201d<\/p>\n
The locomotive will travel through Western Pennsylvania on Saturday as it journeys from Philadelphia back to its home rail yard in Cheyenne, Wyo.<\/p>\n
Although it will not be stopping in Westmoreland County, multiple communities across the county will hold free viewing events where people can gather to watch the steam engine pass.<\/p>\n
Big Boy will stop in Altoona overnight on Friday and leave the station around 9 a.m. Saturday, crossing the Horseshoe Curve National Historical Site before arriving in Cresson at around 10:45 a.m. It will depart at around 11:15 a.m. and travel along the Norfolk Southern tracks through Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, stopping in Leetsdale, Allegheny County, from around 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. for a public viewing opportunity.<\/p>\n
The locomotive will stop for the night in Conway, its last stop in Pennsylvania before it enters Ohio on July 12.<\/p>\n
Local watch parties, community events<\/p>\n
Both stops in Cresson and Leetsdale will offer free viewing opportunities for the public. For those who want to see the train closer to home, the communities of New Florence, Derry, Greensburg, Jeannette and Penn Borough will host viewing events.<\/p>\n
An event also will be held at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Derry\u2019s watch party, hosted by the borough in conjunction with Brady\u2019s Train Outlet and the Derry Area Historical Society, will feature smash burgers and fries, popcorn, cotton candy, two bakery tents, a hot sausage food truck and a s\u2019mores station, according to Derry Mayor Nathan Bundy. For children, there will be a hobo costume contest, and several local businesses and vendors will set up tents.<\/p>\n
Brady\u2019s Train Outlet will have a tent at the Derry watch party to sell model trains and Big Boy 4014 merchandise.<\/p>\n
Alec Italiano, director of planning and development for Greensburg, said the city\u2019s viewing party is meant to \u201cgive everybody in town an opportunity to safely view the train.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greensburg\u2019s event will feature a Kona Ice truck and music, and a member of the city\u2019s staff will track the steam engine\u2019s location using Union Pacific\u2019s Big Boy tracking app. The Greensburg Business and Professional Association will hand out American flags.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a big deal,\u201d Italiano said.<\/p>\n
Zemba said that because the railroad tracks go through many backyards and farmlands, she has heard some private property owners are selling tickets to see the train from their land.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to draw huge crowds because people have never seen the Big Boy or anything this big come through since, well, ever,\u201d Zemba said.<\/p>\n
Safety concerns<\/p>\n
While viewing the steam engine is an exciting opportunity, Union Pacific notes there are several safety rules to follow.<\/p>\n
The most important, according to Union Pacific spokesperson Mike Jaixen, is that viewers stay at least 25 feet back from the railroad tracks. Otherwise, they risk being burned by steam, hit by flying debris or struck by the train.<\/p>\n
Jaixen advised families with young children to keep the volume of the train whistle in mind. Children who are sensitive to sound may find the whistle more distressing than adults do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whistle is a warning, and it can be very loud,\u201d Jaixen said. \u201cI like to remind parents, \u2018Big Boy makes big noise.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaixen also advised viewers to keep a lookout for other passing trains while waiting for the steam engine and to avoid trespassing on private property. The viewing parties, he said, are an opportunity for the public to watch the train pass safely and legally.<\/p>\n
Why is it called Big Boy?<\/p>\n
The term \u201cBig Boy\u201d refers to the specific design of the steam engine, which is the largest in the world.<\/p>\n
During World War II, Union Pacific and the American Locomotive Co. built 25 steam engines large enough to move heavy freight as part of the war effort. These steam engines are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds each.<\/p>\n
According to Jaixen, a worker at the locomotive company originally wrote the words \u201cBig Boy\u201d on the front of one of the engines in chalk. From then on, the entire class of steam engines carried the nickname.<\/p>\n
Big Boy 4014 was retired in 1961. It resided in the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, Calif., until 2013, when Union Pacific brought it back to Cheyenne for restoration. In May 2019, it became the last operating Big Boy locomotive.<\/p>\n
A sibling engine, Big Boy 4012, is on permanent public display in Scranton.<\/p>\n
What Big Boy means for Western Pa.<\/p>\n
The local train enthusiast community is a testament to the region\u2019s deep roots in mining, steel production and the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Zemba said many local enthusiasts have family members who worked on the railroads during the steam era.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a lot of businesses that grew around the railroads in this area,\u201d Zemba said. \u201cThey would build lumber facilities or granaries along the railroad tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the past, Zemba said, Big Boys never traveled to the East Coast because they were too massive to navigate the tight, winding tracks of the Appalachian region.<\/p>\n
The transit through the Horseshoe Curve National Historical Site will be a milestone event, marking the first time a locomotive of this size has attempted to travel around a bend that sharp.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people were saying it\u2019s not possible,\u201d Zemba said.<\/p>\n
Jaixen estimated that around 1 million people have seen Big Boy during this tour as of June 30. He said the crew enjoys meeting the public during its maintenance stops.<\/p>\n
He encouraged trackside viewers to \u201cbring smiles and waves\u201d because \u201cthe crew really likes to see them go by.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRailroads have been a key part of making America the nation it is,\u201d Jaixen said. \u201cBig Boy shows how railroads connected America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viewing locations <\/p>\n
Times may change depending on whether the train is running on schedule.<\/p>\n
New Florence \u2014 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., fire hall at the corner of North Ligonier and Seventh streets <\/p>\n
Penn Borough \u2014 11 a.m., Playground on Harrison Avenue <\/p>\n
Derry \u2014 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Derry Station Railroad Heritage Park, 60 S. Chestnut St. <\/p>\n
Jeannette \u2014 Noon to 5 p.m., Seventh Street Bridge and Magee Avenue parking lot <\/p>\n
Greensburg \u2014 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., St. Clair Park <\/p>\n
Pittsburgh \u2014 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Point State Park Fountain Plaza, 601 Commonwealth Place <\/p>\n
Leetsdale \u2014 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., intersection of First Street\/Avenue A and Ferry Street <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Something big is coming to Western Pennsylvania. The world\u2019s largest operating steam engine, Union Pacific Big Boy 4014,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-238545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238545","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=238545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}