Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 on the Road to Anthracite

As a part of America250 commemorating the United States’ 250th birthday, the Union Pacific Railroad operated a “Coast-to-Coast” tour beginning in Sacramento, California, reaching Philadelphia for the 4th of July and America’s 250th Birthday, and then returning to the West coast. The tour would make appearances in locations such as Chicago, Binghamton, Saint Louis, and more, but one of the most anticipated sections of the tour was their operations over the Reading and Northern system. The tour would traverse over the majority of the system, initially running from Pittston to Nesquehoning, additionally involving side by side runs with the RBMN’s own T-1 2102, followed by a near month-long rest in Scranton at the Steamtown National Historic Site, where 4014 would be sat next to a fellow big boy locomotive, 4012, marking the first occurrence of said meetup. On July 1st and 2nd, the Big Boy would make its final stretch over the Reading and Northern, operating between Pittston and Jim Thorpe, and Jim Thorpe over the mainline to Reading. We chased the world’s largest steam engine along the Anthracite Route, also running behind a Reading and Northern excursion led by two patriotic painted engines. Sit back and relax as we document history as we see it, the world’s largest steam locomotive’s first time on the east coast. Enjoy!