Full steam ahead: 'Big Boy' to come through East Texas, stop in Big Sandy | Local News | news-journal.com

Oct 22, 2024

Report for America Corps Member, Longview News-Journal

Howdy! I'm Jordan Green, a Report for America corps member covering underserved communities in East Texas for the Longview News-Journal. I'm a native Okie and have been a newsman since 2017. Email me at [email protected] or call me at 903-237-7743.

There’s a Big Boy coming to Big Sandy.

On Sept. 17, the largest operational steam locomotive in the world — Union Pacific Railroad engine No. 4014, better known as “Big Boy” — will by greeted by countless train enthusiasts throughout East Texas as it travels to Big Sandy, a historical railroad town, during a tour across the Midwest and South.

As part of the eight-week, nine-state “Heartland of America” expedition, the Big Boy will depart Texarkana at 9 a.m. Sept. 17 and follow the former Cotton Belt railroad line through Mount Pleasant, Pittsburg and Gilmer before arriving in Big Sandy at 1 p.m. It’ll be parked at the Pearl Street crossing for 45 minutes, giving visitors a chance to snap photos and take a look at the machine. Then, it’ll highball west to Dallas along the former Texas & Pacific Railway line.

Spectators scramble to get a look as Union Pacific’s historic Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 makes a stop in November 2019 in Longview as part of a commemoration of the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal File Photo)

The Big Boy — measuring 132 feet long and weighing 1.3 million pounds — is known for its enormity. So are the crowds of people who come to watch it.

The Big Boy was one engine in a class of heavy-duty engines built at the beginning of World War II to haul freight trains through the Wasatch Mountains in Wyoming, Union Pacific spokesman Mike Jaixen said. The engine traveled more than 1 million miles before it was retired and parked at a museum in California for decades.

Union Pacific reacquired the engine about 10 years ago and embarked upon a lengthy restoration process. Since 2019, the engine has steamed around the nation, becoming a traveling museum on wheels — and creating lots of loco-commotion among train lovers wherever it runs.

Jaixen said the locomotive represents Union Pacific’s 160-year-legacy of “building America,” the railroad’s corporate motto.

“It shows the power of what railroads have been,” he said.

It possesses power, indeed. The 14-wheeled engine has driving wheels measuring 68 inches in diameter and a firebox roughly 235 inches long and 96 inches wide. It can pull 3,600 tons.

“They call it the Big Boy for a reason,” Jaixen said.

The train it’ll pull through East Texas will be much lighter than the freight it once dragged up mountain grades, though. Behind the engine and tender will be the Union Pacific’s historical passenger car fleet, carrying corporate officials and others who’ll wave to crowds on the ground.

Crews have to stop the engine periodically to grease moving parts and perform other maintenance functions — usually every couple of hours, Jaixen said. Big Sandy — which has a track record of railroad history — was a prime location for lubrication.

“It kind of fit our schedule,” he said. “We also felt it was a fairly safe location where we could allow people to see it and with the expectation that obviously a lot of people are going to come out.”

Big Sandy was a vital railway junction in the 20th century between main lines of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, better known as the Cotton Belt, and the Texas & Pacific Railway. Through various mergers, both lines came under the ownership of the Union Pacific, and rail traffic remains heavy through Big Sandy. The Tyler Tap narrow-gauge railway also ran to Big Sandy in the late 1800s.

Union Pacific’s historic Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 makes a stop in Longview on Nov. 10, 2019. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal File Photo)

While the locomotive is an exciting sight, Jaixen reminds spectators to stay 25 feet away from railroad tracks for their safety. That distance also ensures they’ll get the best possible pictures; if photographers are too close, they won’t capture the full size of the engine in their shots.

“We love showing off Big Boy,” Jaixen said. “But we want to make sure everybody is safe when we do that.”

Unlike the days of old when trains stopped at small-town train stations every day, the arrival of the Big Boy in Big Sandy will be a station stop unlike any other. And community leaders are excited about it.

Big Sandy Mayor Linda Baggett said city officials are bringing together volunteers who’ll help manage crowds, park cars, answer questions and more during the event.

“Isn’t this the coolest thing ever?” Baggett said.

Food vendors and more will descend upon the city, and local businesses are preparing for an influx of customers, she said.

Folks who can’t make it to Big Sandy can watch some of the action online thanks to a camera stationed in the downtown area. The Virtual Railfan YouTube channel, which maintains live camera feeds along rail lines across the country, operates one such camera in Big Sandy, allowing people to watch activity along the line 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

But many will come to see it in person.

“It’s going to get crowded for at least a day — maybe two,” Baggett said. “It’s going to be awesome.”

To view the full schedule for the train’s tour, visit www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm.

Jordan Green is a Report for America corps member covering underserved communities for the News-Journal. Reach him at [email protected]. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Morris Roberts Local Journalism Foundation to support this kind of journalism.

As community members finished dedicating a historical marker Jan. 21 on U.S. 80 west of town, a Union Pacific freight train trundled along the nearby tracks. Trailing behind the yellow locomotives were three red box cars with doors wide open. About 100 years ago, the man whom that marker honors might have hopped aboard one of those cars and started writing a song.

The name Big Sandy is an oxymoron. It’s a tiny town. But thanks to a big steam engine, it’s a big spot on a big map.

Report for America Corps Member, Longview News-Journal

Howdy! I'm Jordan Green, a Report for America corps member covering underserved communities in East Texas for the Longview News-Journal. I'm a native Okie and have been a newsman since 2017. Email me at [email protected] or call me at 903-237-7743.