Oh boy, it’s time for Big Boy!

For people who love trains, or just love Big Boy, the next chance to see this hulking giant in Ogden is April 18, when it makes a two-day whistle stop on its cross-country trek.

Big Boy enters Ogden through Weber Canyon on a previous visit. Rick Bolin

NEWS

If you are anywhere in Ogden, it’s hard to miss the arrival of Union Pacific’s Big Boy. The massive steam locomotive’s unmistakable, cavernous bellow rolls out over the air, bringing a flood of excitement and awe.

“I heard Big Boy No. 4014 for the first time before I saw him,” Ogden resident Keicha Christensen said. “It was in May 2019 when Big Boy was in Ogden for the Golden Spike Sesquicentennial Celebration. I could hear the loud, low, distinctive sound of its whistle from my house. Each time, I'd react with childlike joy, exclaiming to anyone within earshot, ‘Did you hear that?’ then running outside to get a better listen. The sound of a train whistle is like balm to my soul.”

For people who love trains, or just love Big Boy, the next chance to see this hulking giant in Ogden is April 18, when it makes a two-day whistle stop on its cross-country trek.

Big Boy is the world’s largest steam locomotive, stretching 133 feet from tip to tail, and weighing 600 tons. It was built to haul heavy equipment during World War II and worked mainly between Ogden and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Of the 25 Big Boys originally commissioned for Union Pacific in 1941, only eight remain. No. 4014 is the only one of those eight that still runs. This year, Big Boy 4014 is making its first-ever coast-to-coast steam tour to commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday. The first leg of the tour is March 29 to April 24 and begins and ends in Cheyenne. (The route and full schedule can be found at https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/schedule).

There will be two main whistle stops – the turnaround point in Roseville, California, April 10-11, and the midway point in Ogden, April 18-19. 

Ogden resident Christina Miller plans to be downtown for the event.

“I love trains and write a lot of sexy train poetry, since Ogden has such a train history,” Miller said. “So, when the 4014 Big Boy steam engine comes to town, I love to go check him out. One of my favorite times was heading up to Echo to watch steam billowing from 4014 with the gorgeous mountain valley background.”

Chasing the train along its path is typical for many train buffs and photographers, as the downtown whistle stop can be crowded. Also, there is nothing quite like watching this hulking machine in motion. 

Big Boy is so long that it is actually two engines hinged together to navigate curves. It is a 4-8-8-4 wheel design, which means there are four wheels in front to guide the eight driving wheels on the first engine section, then eight more wheels on the second engine section, followed by the final four wheels that support the rear of the locomotive.

Seth Miller, an Ogden Valley-based Union Pacific locomotive engineer, has piloted the Big Boy, which means he rides with the operating crew and advises them of speeds, curves and other track conditions. 

“Not only do you need to be a licensed locomotive engineer, but you also need to hold a steam qualification, which few people in the country have,” Miller said. “Union Pacific only has a small number of steam-qualified locomotive engineers. They are chosen from a select pool of people. This is not an easy accomplishment, but once you’re in the program, these people tend to stay in the program for the rest of their career.”

Viewing for Big Boy in downtown Ogden will be at Union Station, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 18, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 19, according to the Union Pacific website. Big Boy leaves Ogden at 8 a.m. April 20 and will head to the Morgan Depot at 98 Commercial St. It is scheduled to arrive there at 9:30 a.m. and depart 30 minutes later, headed for Evanston, Wyoming.

Those who want to track its travels in real time can do that by clicking https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/track.

Those prone to Big Boy chasing likely will see Christensen out there, too.

“I stood with the crowds on May 9, 2019, to watch the historic recreation of the meeting of the rails in 1869,” she said. “I was at Union Station again the day he departed Ogden, driving many miles up Weber Canyon hoping to catch a last glimpse and hear his whistle again as he left town. And I was at Union Station again in July 2024 when Big Boy came to town, dragging my partner and friends along with me.”

As a railroader’s granddaughter, Christensen said the obsession is in her blood.

“Some people chase rainbows or waterfalls,” she said. “I chase Big Boy 4014.”