'Big Boy' The World's Largest Steam Engine Passes Through Oklahoma

The world's largest steam locomotive is passing through Oklahoma on Thursday and Friday. 

The "Big Boy" rolled through the state in 2019 headed north, now it's headed back down south and it's expected to bring a lot of spectators.

The Union Pacific Railroad, Engine 4014 is one of the "Big Boys" built in the 1940s. At that time it was state of the art - and more powerful than anything else. It's the only steam engine like it that’s on the tracks and not sitting in a museum.

When it came through in 2019 thousands of people lined the tracks to watch the piece of history make its way through the state.

The 600-ton engine left Wyoming on August 5 and made its first stop in Oklahoma around 9:45 a.m. Thursday morning in Vinita. It then went through Pryor, Wagoner, Muskogee, and is McAlester for the night.

The Big Boy will leave McAlester Friday morning at 9 a.m. It will stop in Atoka and Durant on its way to Texas.

4014 traveled more than one million miles before retiring in 1961. Union Pacific spent several years restoring it before putting 4014 back in service in May of 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. It's been on a national tour ever since.

You can find Big Boy 4014’s full tour schedule by Clicking Here.