A piece of American history will make a rare appearance in Euclid as Union Pacific’s famed Big Boy No. 4014 stops at the Chardon Road Crossing, north of Euclid Avenue, on its celebrated coast-to-coast tour. The world’s largest operating steam locomotive will arrive at 2:30 p.m. and depart at 3:00 p.m., on Monday, June 8th, offering the public a unique opportunity to witness this engineering marvel. The Euclid stop is one of only four public stops in the state of Ohio.
Big Boy No. 4014 is a relic from a bygone era, being the only one of the eight remaining Big Boys still in operation. Originally commissioned exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad, the first of these massive locomotives was delivered in 1941, designed to haul heavy equipment across challenging terrains to support the war effort. The Big Boys, measuring an impressive 133 feet and weighing 1.2 million pounds, typically operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
A marvel of engineering, these locomotives feature a “hinged” or articulated frame to handle curves and a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement. This configuration includes four pilot wheels to guide the engine, two sets of eight driving wheels, and four trailing wheels that support the rear of the locomotive…