UP 4014 in Pennsylvania - America's Big Boy Birthday Bash

On June 13th, 2026, UP 4-8-8-4 4014, the one remaining "Big Boy" locomotive left in operation and the largest operating steam locomotive in the world entered Pennsylvania for the first time ever during its Coast-to-Coast tour for America's 250th Birthday, an unprecedented event which brought the big boy to the east coast for the first time in history. During its time in the Keystone State, the locomotive raced with RBMN 4-8-4 2102 on the Lehigh Division of the railroad while operating a sold-out excursion to benefit the UP Railroad Museum and spent two weeks in Steamtown for maintenance and Big Boy reunion with their static display, UP 4012. Finally, they capped off the eastbound leg of the trip after a whistle stop in Reading and a family event in Abrams Yard with a two-day display at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July weekend amid record breaking heat and humidity. With the westbound trip underway on July 6th, the Big Boy and company would make whistle stops westbound on the Harrisburg Line before another family event in Enola. From there, it was westbound to Altoona for a couple of days on display at Rose Yard. On July 11th, the Big Boy would head west from Conway to Altoona and the next day, they'd continue onto Ohio, the 4014's time in Pennsylvania becoming but a memory. The train consisted of 16 cars, 12 of Union Pacific's, three of Norfolk Southern's and Pullman "Marco Polo" bringing up the rear. While the original locomotive consist on the head end out of Chicago featured NS SD70ACe 1776 "The Bell" and lackadaisical UP SD70M 1776 being the big boy, UP SD70M 1616 "Abraham Lincoln" joined the train in Scranton, and NS SD70ACe duo 2026 "Lady Liberty" and SD70ACe 250 "Freedom" joined in Altoona for the trip west toward home rails in Chicago once more. This video is a compilation of my catches of UP 4014 during its time in Pennsylvania, including a run-by at speed in Glenburn, PA on the NS Sunbury Line on June 13th, as it made its way from Binghamton, NY to Pittston, PA and eventually down to Nesquehoning, and northbound on R&N's Lehigh Division north of White Haven as it returned north to Pittston with the UP Museum trip. In July, we see the big boy as it made its move from Jim Thorpe to Abrams Yard in King of Prussia in a few spots along the R&N Reading Division and the NS Turkey Path in some of the hottest weather I have ever endured while railfanning. On July 3rd, I'd pop out for a shot of the train as they beelined through West Conshohocken on their way to Philadelphia via the Harrisburg Line. Finally, we cap the video off with two shots of the westbound leg of the tour as they depart Altoona and pass through Lilly on the Pittsburgh Line, something I didn't expect to pull off, but a trip to Sandpatch for the weekend made it too good to pass up. So, all in all, I enjoyed my experience with the big boy during its time in Pennsylvania. The crowds were enormous, some people definitely got too close to the tracks and lack of situational awareness ran rampant, the heat was unbearable at times and the long hours spent trackside to guarantee a spot became a bit much at times, but it was all worth it. Seeing railfans and residents alike come together to witness history was incredible, with many communities along the rails that the Big Boy touched across the Keystone state having not seen steam in a very long time. I'd like to extend my thanks to Ed Dickens, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Reading and Northern and the many other railroads for making this tour a reality and making great memories for many people as our country turns 250 years old. While this isn't the comprehensive chase video that I've seen several of my fellow youtube railfans put out, I'm pretty happy with the footage that I've gathered, as imperfect as some of it may be, and I hope you enjoy the video! 00:00 - Intro 00:12 - Waverly Road - Glenburn, PA (6/13/2026) 01:25 - Macurak Lane - White Haven, PA (6/14/2026) 03:15 - Lake Drive - Hauto, PA (7/2/2026) 04:46 - River Road - Berne, PA (7/2/2026) 06:30 - Little Corn Creek - Robeson Twp, PA (7/2/2026) 08:02 - Fayette Street - West Conshohocken, PA (7/3/2026) 09:42 - 12th Street Crossover - Altoona, PA (7/11/2026) 15:31 - Lilly, PA (7/11/2026) Thanks for watching!