FORT WORTH, Texas — Big Boy is coming to North Texas.
The world's largest operating steam locomotive - Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 - will roll into and through Dallas and Fort Worth in the coming weeks, starting with a stop in Dallas on Sept. 18 and then Fort Worth on Oct. 10-11.
The Fort Worth stop will be the public's first chance to see the locomotive up close. It'll be on display at the downtown Fort Worth train station at 275 W. Lancaster from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 10 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 11. Admission is free.
The Dallas stop in September is a private event for Union Pacific employees.
But you still might see Big Boy rolling across Texas outside of its two stops here. The events are part of its "Heartland of America Tour" that gets started on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
From there, Big Boy will traverse the Midwest across Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois, before making its way down south through Missouri, Arkansas and ultimately to Texas. Here's the full schedule.
So, what's the big deal with Big Boy?
Not only is it the biggest steam locomotive in operation, it's one of just eight still in existence from the 25 that were built during World War II, and the only one of those eight still operating.
Big Boy No. 4014 is a 132-foot-long, 1.2-million-pound locomotive with a water capacity of 25,000 gallons. It was in service for Union Pacific from 1941 to 1961, traveling more than a million miles. The locomotive ended up at the RailGiants Museum in California before Union Pacific re-acquired it in 2013 and began a multi-year restoration
