'Big Boy' The World's Largest Steam Engine To Pass Through Oklahoma This Fall

The world’s largest steam locomotive will pass through Oklahoma in the next few months.

Big Boy No. 4014's 2024 tour will start Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and pass through nine states.

Built in the 1940s, the Union Pacific Railroad, Engine 4014 was one of the 600-ton "Big Boys" engines, and a state-of-the-art machine in its day. Today, it's the only steam engine like it that’s still on the tracks and not sitting in a museum.

The eight-week tour concludes in late October and will include Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. There will be more than three dozen whistle-stops in communities across the route and special display days in three cities.

According to the train schedule, Big Boy will visit Oklahoma in October. It will leave Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, October 13 for McAlester, Oklahoma, and is scheduled to make a whistle-stop in Durant around 1:15 p.m. that day.

It will then leave from Durant's Louisiana St. Crossing around 1:45 p.m. for McAleaster. Big Boy will then make stops in Muskogee at 11 a.m., and Claremore at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, October 14. After the Claremore stop, Big Boy leaves for Coffeyville, Kansas.

Big Boy 4014 has come through Oklahoma before, most recently in 2021 and before that in 2019. Thousands of families and rail fans have come out to see Big Boy and to watch the piece of history make its way through the state.

Previous Story8/12/2021: SKYNEWS VIDEO: 'Big Boy' The World's Largest Steam Engine Passes Oklahoma

Scheduled Display Days:

1. Sunday, Sept. 8: Rochelle, Illinois
2. Sunday, Oct. 6: Houston, Texas
3. Thursday/Friday, Oct. 10-11: Fort Worth, Texas

See the Full Schedule HERE

Union Pacific Steam Club is reminding anyone interested in seeing the Big Boy to keep 25 feet back from all rails and never climb locomotive equipment. When it comes to drones, Union Pacific Union Pacific Steam Club is all for photos and video recordings but said that the 25-foot rule applies to all cameras, including drones. The club said that they have had past incidents of drones crashing into the train.