Union Pacific Big Boy 4014: The Great Race Across the East | Buffalo to Altoona (4K)

Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-C... Intro: 0:00-1:21 Chapter One, Buffalo to Scranton: 1:22-34:02 Chapter Two, Scranton to Philadelphia: 34:03-1:04:00 Chapter Three, Philadelphia to Altoona: 1:04:01-1:20:49 Altoona Grand Finale: 1:20:50 Very few steam locomotives in the country bring as much public attention as Union Pacific “Big Boy” #4014. A surviving member of a class of 25 4-8-8-4s built by American Locomotive Company’s Schenectady, New York Shops in 1941-1944, the 4014 was completed in November of 1941 to aid with the war effort hauling freight through the hills of Wyoming and Utah. Originally to be designated as “Wasatches”, a worker at Schenectady chalked “Big Boy” on the smokebox door of one of the completed members, and the name stuck. In 2013, Union Pacific Railroad made the bold move to restore a Big Boy to operation, something that seemed impractical or impossible. Nevertheless, they settled with 4014, which had been resting in Pomona, California for decades on static display. 6 years later, the 4014 was steaming under her own power, heading to Ogden, Utah, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike. Fast forward to 2026, and the United States is celebrating its 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Union Pacific partnered with Norfolk Southern to help celebrate by bringing Union Pacific 4014 to Philadelphia. Dubbed the “Coast To Coast Tour”, the Big Boy first left Cheyenne, Wyoming headed west to Sacramento, California in the spring to effectively start the tour, and then departed east back to Cheyenne to complete the West Coast leg. After a month of rest, 4014 was back on the road heading east, crossing the Mississippi, crossing into the borders of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania for the first time since the locomotive was built before finally crossing into New York. Millions of people found themselves trackside to witness this historic tour firsthand and to see the Big Boy in action. This full length presentation begins coverage in Buffalo, New York, where 4014 travels through the beautifully scenic Southern Tier of upstate New York bound for the Scranton area, over Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, though the beautiful Lehigh Gorge over Reading & Northern trackage and racing Reading & Northern’s own Reading T-1 4-8-4 #2102 before ending up at Steamtown National Historic Site for display and maintenance alongside sister engine #4012. After a couple weeks break, we rejoin the engine in July, departing Steamtown alongside the Site’s own Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-6-0 “Switcher” #26, then ending back up on Reading & Northern rails for the continued journey south to Philadelphia. Once in Philadelphia, the engine is proudly displayed near the city’s Naval Yard to celebrate the Semiquincentennial of the United States of America, before beginning the journey back west through Harrisburg over the Rockville Bridge and finally reaching Altoona. The coverage is capped off by an egregious display of power, as the Big Boy climbs the famed 1.8% grade around Horseshoe Curve with 5 diesels in idle and the entire consist. Now, please enjoy this exciting and historic full length feature program brought to you by Blue Comet Productions! This video was filmed on June 10th to 15th, July 1st to 8th, and July 11th, 2026.