A massive 80-year-old steam engine will travel through eastern Idaho next week

MONTPELLIER — An eight-decade-old train motor will soon make its measurement done eastbound Idaho.

Big Boy No. 4014, a steam motor that went into work successful 1941, is presently connected a circuit of nan occidental states. Its travel started astatine its location guidelines successful Cheyenne, Wyoming connected June 30. It has gone each nan measurement to Roseville, California, and is now connected it’s measurement backmost to Cheyenne, expected to get connected July 26.

On Monday, it will time off Utah and participate Idaho, stopping for 15 minutes successful Soda Springs and will past parkland overnight successful Montpellier.

While nan motor will beryllium visible to nan nationalist astatine its extremity successful Soda Springs astatine nan city’s Main Street Crossing astatine astir 3:15 p.m., it whitethorn not beryllium successful Montpelier. Union Pacific has not decided wherever successful nan railyard nan Big Boy will park.

A representation of nan Westward Bound tour. | Courtesy Union Pacific

For group who want to spot nan train and are capable to make a short trip, nan Big Boy will beryllium connected show and unfastened to nan nationalist successful Ogden, Utah astatine nan Ogden Union Station astatine 2501 Wall Avenue connected Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, it will beryllium unfastened from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission will beryllium free to nan nationalist connected some days.

The Big Boy No. 4014 is simply a behemoth compared to modern-day diesel engines. Created to “conquer mountains”, nan motor is 132 feet agelong and weighs 1.2 cardinal pounds, compared to a emblematic diesel engine’s 75 feet of magnitude and 400,000 pounds.

A size comparison of nan Big Boy. | Courtesy Union Pacific

Built exclusively for nan Union Pacific Railroad, location were only twenty-five Big Boys built. There are only 7 recovered connected show astir nan country.

This motor operated from 1941 until 1961, retiring astatine 1,031,205 miles traveled. Union Pacific re-acquired nan hulking steam motor from nan RailGiants Museum successful Pomona, California successful 2013 and past returned it to work successful May 2019 aft restoring it to observe nan 150th day of nan completion of nan Transcontinental Railroad.