The Superior Express -

Whether or not you are a rail fan , a piece of American history will be rolling through northern Nuckolls County Sunday. A restored Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy locomotive will pass through Sedan on its way to an overnight stop in Fairbury.

The Big Boy is the largest steam locomotive constructed in the United states. It played a major role in keeping the supply lines of the United States fluid during WWll.

There were 25 Big Boys built for the Union Pacific. The first one arrived in 1941. It received its nickname when a worker at the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) factory wrote the description on the first locomotive. The name stuck.

The locomotives were designed to haul heavy freight trains up the steep slopes of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and Wyoming. The locomotives were often double-headed to provide even more tractive and pulling power.

They were later reassigned to the Cheyenne, Wyo., division where they hauled freight over Sherman Hill to Laramie, Wyo.

The locomotive features a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement. The four-wheel leading truck provided stability when the engine entered curves. Two sets of eight driving wheels each provided the enormous tractive power. The four-wheel trailing truck provided support for the long and large fire box. Big Boy 4014 was selected for restoration by the Union Pacific.

The Union Pacific maintains a heritage fleet to honor its legacy as the first transcontinental railroad. There is UP 844, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive, and the last steam engine ordered by the railroad. It has remained on the roster as an active locomotive since its delivery. Engine 3885, Challenger, with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement. The company has a set of three streamlined E-9 locomotives. The roster has a Centennial diesel locomotive, the largest diesel engine ever built. It is frequently used in regular service. It is referred to as a Centennial because it was introduced into service in 1969, the 100th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The railroad maintains a large number of heritage cars. They include diners, dome and business cars as well as sleepers and coaches.

Of the 25 Big Boys constructed, eight survive. Seven are on static display including one in Kenefick Park at Omaha. The Union Pacific acquired 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, Calif. in 2013. It was returned to Cheyenne and underwent a multi-year and multi-million dollar restoration. It returned to the rails in May, 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah.

Big Boy 4014 served the railroad for 20 years before it was retired. It had traveled more than 1,000,000 miles in those 20 years.

The locomotive is more than 85 feet in length. It is 11 feet in width and has a height of more than 16 feet. The locomotive weighs 762,000 pounds. The 14-wheel tender weighs 427,500 pounds. The total weight of locomotive and tender is 1,189,500 pounds. The tender carried 25 long tons of coal as well as 25,000 gallons of water. The drive wheels are 68 inches in height. The Big Boys had a maximum speed of 80 miles per hour.

The 4014 was converted to burn oil as part of its restoration. The last revenue run of a Big Boy was in 1959. The last of the series were retired in 1962.

The Big Boys worked a 163 mile stretch of rail from Ogden, Utah to Green River, Wyo. from 1941 to 1948. From 1948 to 1959 they did not travel west of Green River. The locomotives were relegated to working the 58 miles between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo. Each of the first order of 20 locomotives amassed more than a million miles of travel. The final five, delivered in 1944, ran more than 800,000 miles.

The Big Boys were limited to a top speed of 55 miles per hour when in operating service..

For those wanting to view this behemoth of the rails, which will be pulling only passenger cars, it will depart Hastings at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. It will pass through Glenvil, Fairfield, Edgar, Davenport and Carleton. It will make a 30 minute stop at Belvidere when it arrives at 3:45 p.m. The 4014 departs Belvidere at 4:15 p.m. It arrives in Fairbury at the Rock Island Depot Museum at 5:30 p.m. It will overnight in Fairbury, departing for Onaga, Kan., at 9 a.m. Monday.