Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 set to pass through Lawrence in July

Lawrence rail fans will get a narrow but high-stakes viewing window when Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 rolls through North Lawrence this July, with the locomotive expected to pass between 9 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Thursday, July 23. For a city that has turned out in force before, the arrival of the 85-foot-long, 380-ton steam engine is shaping up as part railroad spectacle, part community gathering, and part one-day local event.

Union Pacific says No. 4014 is making its first-ever coast-to-coast steam tour as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, with Norfolk Southern joining the trip to the East Coast. The eastbound run begins May 25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and includes a Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia, eight major display events and more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states. The schedule also includes first-time stops in Indiana, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.

The Big Boy’s Kansas stop should give Lawrence a close-up look at one of the most famous locomotives in America. Union Pacific says the engine, originally delivered in December 1941 and restored to operation in 2019, is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. It will be accompanied on the tour by commemorative locomotives, including No. 1776, America250, which bears the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission.

The Lawrence stop is expected to draw far more than train spotters. Previous visits have brought out multigenerational crowds, families with children, and longtime rail enthusiasts who treat the passing train as a civic moment as much as a transportation event. Lawrence-area coverage in 2021 said a couple thousand people gathered at the Union Pacific Depot in North Lawrence, and the locomotive also drew a large crowd when it stopped here in November 2019 after its restoration. With that history, July’s pass-through is likely to pull people to the tracks again, adding foot traffic and activity to North Lawrence for a few hours.

Union Pacific is warning spectators to stay at least 25 feet from railroad tracks, including drones, as the schedule can change. For anyone planning to watch from North Lawrence, the safest approach is to arrive early, keep clear of the right of way, and expect a concentrated burst of activity around the depot as one of the country’s most recognizable machines moves through town.