Here's the update on the travels of Big Boy 4014 that I promised you. First, one of the reasons I'm posting these updates is that Union Pacific's website is swamped. The site response has taken a big hit, apparently from Joe and Jane Railfan, trying to get information. So, here we go.
As of the morning of June 9, 2026, he's rolling up the former Nickel Plate's Erie run (now owned by Norfolk Southern), passing through Harborcreek and Northeast Pennsylvania at 9 a.m. for a 15-minute stop. Then, on to Ripley, N.Y., at noon for a whistle stop and continuing to Buffalo via Westfield, Barcelona, Dunkirk, Fredonia, Silver Creek, Angola, Irving, Evans, and Lackawanna.
At this point, let's let Buffalo's WIVB, Channel 4, pick up the narrative:
On June 11, he's scheduled to depart Buffalo, pass through Silver Springs, N.Y., and Letchworth State Park, and cross the Genesee River Arch Bridge. From there, he'll follow the Norfolk Southern Railway Southern Tier Line to Hornell, N.Y., where the railroad will offer no public access. Check the previous update for tricks and tips about those events.
On Friday, June 12th, No. 4014 will run through the border towns of Sayre, Penn., and Owego, N.Y., on his way to Binghamton, N.Y., for what Norfolk Southern bills as a private employee event.
On Saturday, June 13, he steams from Bingo to Nesquehoning, Penn., by way of the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct at Nicholson, Penn., and Reading Blue Mountain and Northern trackage to Nesquehoning. The railroad will offer no public access at Nesquehoning, either, since Norfolk Southern is hosting another employee event there, with an already sold-out excursion over to Pittston and back on Andy Muller's Reading and Northern line.
As a side note: There's nothing like listing places in Pennsylvania to drive your spell checker around the bend.
Previously:
Big Boy's Coming, Part One
Big Boy's Coming, Part Two
As another side note, I want to give a shout out to 79-year-old Andy Muller, who has owned the Reading and Northern for many years, starting with a small 13-mile section of track in the mid-80s and expanding it to well over 300 working miles. He bases the road out of Port Clinton, Penn., and plays a major role in Pennsylvania's transportation picture. He keeps many vintage diesel locomotives for freight service, though I suspect his favorites are the massive Reading (RBMN) 2102 and the smaller RBMN 425. The line runs legendary excursions.
Andy's operations have long impressed me — I even rode an excursion behind 425 in the early days of the line, back when the passenger depot still stood at Hamburg. These are huge days for Andy and the RBMN, and I hope he's savoring every one of them.
From there, Big Boy will make his historic appearance at Steamtown in Scranton, Penn., from June 15 through June 30, coming in for maintenance. That's a handy coincidence — Steamtown is the only facility on the East Coast capable of handling serious repairs for steam power. Big days for Steamtown, too, and I expect the crowds will be substantial, as they have been for all the miles along the way.As a treat for you, I'll add a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage, where Jay hitches a ride on Big Boy.
As a refresher or for those who haven't picked up on the story yet, via Wikipedia:
Union Pacific 4014 is a preserved 4884-1 class 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Union Pacific as part of its heritage fleet. Built in November 1941 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York, it was assigned to haul heavy freight trains in the Wasatch mountain range. The locomotive was retired from revenue service on December 7, 1961, and was donated to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society; thereafter, it was displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California.
In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at its Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 moved under its own power after sitting dormant for almost six decades, becoming the world's largest operational steam locomotive and the only operating Big Boy locomotive of the eight that remain in existence.[3] It now operates in excursion service for the UP steam program. No. 4014 became the first mainline steam locomotive to be equipped with the positive train control system in 2021.
Updates will be posted here as needed.
