A historic Union Pacific Railroad steam locomotive which which is winding down a historic tour across the country chugged into Salina Thursday night. To the delight of a crowd which gathered at the Union Pacific Depot at 400 N 13th Street, Big Boy No. 4014 arrived.
The 133-foot locomotive train was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd.
This is the fourth time that Big Boy has stopped in Salina since 2019, when it returned to the rails. It is the world’s only operating Big Boy locomotive. Big Boys are the heaviest single expansion steam locomotives ever built, weighing about 1,200,000 pounds.
This 2026 Coast-to-Coast Tour is celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary.
The Big Boy will depart from Salina Friday at 9 am and travel through Wilson at 11 a.m., depart at 11:30, then arrive in Hays around 1:30 pm and remain in Hays until 5 pm the following day.
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.
Union Pacific asks anyone planning on watching the train pass through to stand at least 25 feet away from the tracks.
The time and location for each stop can be found at UP.com.
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
Photo by Tanner Colvin
