Big Boy 4014 - Celebrities in the Cab
This summer, I had the privilege to witness UP 4014, Union Pacific's restored "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive, ply the rails of the UP mainline once again, this time leading the "Heartland of America" tour through the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. My portion of the trip consisted of traveling to Grand Island, NE and chasing it back east towards Chicagoland and eventually Momence, IL, where I gave up the chase.
Here we are pacing alongside 4014 as it steams eastbound along U.S. Route 30 in western Iowa. In the cab, engineer Ed Dickens, the head of UP steam operations, looks intently at the track ahead, while behind him (of all people) is Jay Leno, getting a cab ride for a later episode of his show "Jay Leno's Garage". Missed out on a chance to get both men looking at the camera, so this will have to do.
As a side note, in the lower left-hand corner you will notice a plaque on the tender; this commemorates 4014's history of being retired and sent to display at the Railgiants Train Museum in Pomona, CA prior to its subsequent acquisition by UP for the steam program.
Big Boy 4014 - Celebrities in the Cab
This summer, I had the privilege to witness UP 4014, Union Pacific's restored "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive, ply the rails of the UP mainline once again, this time leading the "Heartland of America" tour through the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. My portion of the trip consisted of traveling to Grand Island, NE and chasing it back east towards Chicagoland and eventually Momence, IL, where I gave up the chase.
Here we are pacing alongside 4014 as it steams eastbound along U.S. Route 30 in western Iowa. In the cab, engineer Ed Dickens, the head of UP steam operations, looks intently at the track ahead, while behind him (of all people) is Jay Leno, getting a cab ride for a later episode of his show "Jay Leno's Garage". Missed out on a chance to get both men looking at the camera, so this will have to do.
As a side note, in the lower left-hand corner you will notice a plaque on the tender; this commemorates 4014's history of being retired and sent to display at the Railgiants Train Museum in Pomona, CA prior to its subsequent acquisition by UP for the steam program.