The world’s largest operating steam locomotive has started a historic cross country trip to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary, and along the journey will make a stop in Salina.
According to the Union Pacific Railroad, their famed Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, has journeyed to the East Coast for the first time in collaboration with Norfolk Southern, as part of a historic coast-to-coast tour as both railroads celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. The tour includes a Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia, major display events in eight cities and more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states, including stops for the first time in Indiana, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.
This is the first time Big Boy has steamed across the Mississippi River and into the Ohio Valley since it was built in Schenectady, New York, and delivered to Union Pacific Railroad in 1941. As Big Boy makes this highly‑anticipated journey, the eastern portion of the tour will operate across the Norfolk Southern network, marking a historic collaboration between two of the nation’s storied railroads and bringing the legendary locomotive back to communities that helped power America’s industrial rise.
Big Boy officially launched its 2026 coast-to-coast tour on April 10 from downtown Sacramento near historic Milepost 0 – the site where Central Pacific began construction on the nation’s first transcontinental railroad in 1863.
The eastern leg of the tour started May 25th from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The route through the Ohio Valley, Pennsylvania and the Northeast reflects the historic role railroads played in shaping America’s economic heartland, connecting factories, ports and population centers and fueling the nation’s growth across generations. For nearly 200 years, Norfolk Southern and its predecessor railroads have served these corridors, helping move the people and goods that built the modern United States.
The eight major public display events are:
- June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
- July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
- July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
- July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri
Big Boy will be accompanied on the trip by several historical passenger cars from Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, along with two commemorative locomotives:
- No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln locomotive, which commemorates the country’s 16th president and Union Pacific’s founder,
- No. 1776 – America250, which features the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the nation’s 250th anniversary.
On the eastern leg of the trip, Big Boy will be accompanied by Norfolk Southern commemorative locomotives as well as a historical passenger car from Norfolk Southern’s Heritage Fleet. The coast‑to‑coast tour highlights the histories of Union Pacific in the West and Norfolk Southern and its predecessors in the East, reflecting the shared legacy of American railroads serving as the backbone of the country’s economic growth. In the coming weeks, Norfolk Southern will unveil its commemorative U.S. 250 series.
In addition to the public display days, rail fans can see this historic machine in action at whistle-stops, generally 15- to 30- minutes long. The time and location for each stop – and instructions for ticketed events – can be found at UP.com.
Illinois
- July 18 – Springfield, Girard
Indiana
- July 16 – Knox
Ohio
- July 12 – Struthers
- July 13 – Rocky River
- July 15 – Continental
Pennsylvania
- June 17-30 – Scranton, Steamtown National Historic Site, locomotive maintenance (park admission required)
- July 2 – Reading, Pottstown
- July 7 – Lebanon
- July 8 – Lewistown, Altoona
- July 11 – Cresson, Leetsdale, Historic Horseshoe Curve; ticketed event.
Missouri
- July 20 – Pacific, Hermann
- July 21 – California, Kansas City
- July 22 – Kansas City
Kansas
- July 23 – Topeka, Salina
- July 24 – Wilson, Hays
- July 25 – Hays
- July 26 – Grainfield
Colorado
- July 27 – Kit Carson, Strasburg
- July 29 – Greeley
Wyoming
- July 29 – Home in Cheyenne
The tour ends July 29 in Cheyenne, after traveling through a total of 14 states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming.
