Large crowds ventured to Marshall County on Friday to see the world’s largest operating steam engine in action. Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 made a whistle stop east of Argos. It was one of 25 such locomotives built for the railroad in the 1940s.
Among those in the crowd was State Representative Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie). He said he had no idea there were so many railfans in Northern Indiana.
“It’s exciting, right? I mean, look at all the people that showed up, I think, from all over Indiana, Michigan. I’ve seen some Ohio license plates, some Illinois license plates. I think it’s just a really cool event,” Pressel said.
Adam Dearlove and his family made the trip from Fishers, Indiana. “I’m a huge train fan, and I grew up liking Thomas the Train, and I want to experience seeing Big Boy with my son, since it never comes east, so a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” Dearlove said.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy is on a coast-to-coast tour through a partnership with Norfolk Southern, to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary. It also comes as the two railroads are seeking federal approval for a planned merger.
While the locomotive was being prepared for the next part of its trip, chief engineer Ed Dickens signed autographs, posed for pictures and spoke with reporters. He said the Big Boy attracts visitors far beyond hardcore railfans.
"It’s people that hear through word-of-mouth," Dickens said. "They watch documentaries about it. They see YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and they want to see for themselves, what is the buzz about this massive locomotive. And it never disappoints."
He said one of the most impressive things about Big Boy is its size. It’s 135 feet long and weighs three times as much as a modern diesel engine.
As Union Pacific’s senior manager of heritage operations, Dickens also oversaw 4014’s two-and-a-half-year restoration, a process that involved taking it apart and rebuilding it. He said preparing it to run on railroads with modern safety control features was fairly seamless.
“We have all of the same functionality that every other locomotive has,” Dickens explained.
That includes the ability to control the diesel engines traveling with the Big Boy, through multiple unit control. The train also included several passenger cars from Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s heritage fleets.
Those who missed Friday’s whistle stop – or want to see it again – have another chance. A similar event is planned in Knox, when the train heads back west on July 16.
