LORAIN, Ohio — A massive piece of America's history rolled through Northeast Ohio on Monday. Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 made two stops on its coast-to-coast eastbound tour of the country in honor of America's 250th birthday.
Big Boy passes through Lorain:
Big Boy stops in Lorain:
Big Boy is one of 25 locomotives of its kind ever built, and the world's largest operating steam locomotive. Only eight remain in existence, and he is the last operational one and lives up to his name. The locomotive is 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds.
Union Pacific's tour started in April in Sacramento, Calif., and will reach Philadelphia on July 4 for America's 250th birthday.
News 5 spoke with Maureen Halbur, Union Pacific's General Director of Executive Services, as she was traveling on Big Boy. Halbur said this is the first time the train will be in Ohio in over 80 years. She hopes people can bond over this unique experience, whether they see Big Boy at a whistle stop or just passing by.
"You'll see families come out, and it's all types of individuals, right?" she said. "You will find various people standing next to each other and having conversations about the historical value of this, or they knew somebody who was in the transportation business. You see grandpas talking to their grandkids about it."
'Once in a lifetime'
One couple decided to make the rare opportunity into a truly once-in-a-lifetime memory. Anthony and Selina Nicol spent Monday morning exchanging wedding vows on the rooftop of the Ariel Broadway Hotel and then did something a little unexpected.
"Anthony, a long time ago, with his granddad, used to love trains very much. So the wild, crazy idea I had last Sunday was that we get married this morning and then, as a gift to each other – and what fun it would be – to see the train afterwards,” Selina Nicol said.
The couple traveled from Wilmington in Southeast Ohio to Anthony’s hometown of Lorain for the occasion. His family in town had already taken off work to see the Big Boy. They said they were excited to see the massive steam engine cross over a trestle where Anthony’s grandmother formerly worked.
"It’s pretty cool just to be here and be with all my family and my wife and this crazy idea she had. We’re just kind of winging it, too,” Anthony Nichol said.
A Union Pacific crew member estimated there were at least 2,000 people crowded around the train during its stop near Downtown Lorain.
"It was amazing to see the support from the community. I didn’t expect this many people for something that isn’t, probably, commonly known,” said Chris Courtney, who traveled from Erie, Pa., to see the locomotive.
The family was wearing matching “Big Boy 4014” T-shirts and said they planned to see the train again on its way back west.
"It’s once in a lifetime, I think. We’ll have to see it again on the way back, and it’ll be twice in a lifetime,” said Jim Courtney.
Other train enthusiasts said they felt fortunate to have multiple opportunities to see the train in Northeast Ohio.
"It’s honestly a dream come true,” said Liam McCutcheon.
The Westlake resident planned to catch the train at its next stop in Euclid on Monday afternoon and see it again on its westbound journey in July.
"It’s like witnessing history, like this is going to be in the books,” he said.
Big Boy made two whistle stops while in Northeast Ohio on Monday. These stops allowed people 15-30 minutes to get close to the train.
- The first stop was in Lorain, near the intersection of West 11th Street and Reid Avenue, around 11:15 a.m.
- The second stop was in Euclid at 1:30 p.m. near the Chardon Road crossing north of Euclid Avenue.
"The facial expressions we see on people when we come into town - They’re starstruck, this locomotive is so massive," Ed Dickens, senior manager of Steam Operations at Union Pacific, told News 5.
If you miss Big Boy this time, there is another chance to catch him when he makes his way back from the America 250 celebration in Philadelphia.
The train will make another pass through Northeast Ohio on July 13, beginning in Conneaut and making a whistle stop in Rocky River.
You can keep track of its location by clicking here.
