Union Pacific Big Boy to return to Poplar Bluff

Crowds gather in August 2021 in Poplar Bluff for the arrival of the Union Pacific Big Boy. The train will return to Poplar Bluff on Sept. 12 and 13.

DAR file photo/Paul Davis

Union Pacific trains thundering through Downtown Poplar Bluff are a common sight and sound. On Sept. 12, however, the ground will shake in a different way. The UP Big Boy 4014, a 1.2 million pound steam engine behemoth, will pass through town in the late afternoon as part of its Heartland of America Tour.

The train will depart from the Arcadia Valley Amtrak Station in Ironton at 2 p.m. and set out for an overnight stop in Poplar Bluff.

“It’s got a lot of hills and curves to get through,” Mo-Ark Regional Railroad Museum board member David Silverberg stated.

He estimated the Big Boy will be passing through town around 4 p.m.

The steam locomotive was first put in service in 1941 until its retirement in 1961, according to the railroad.

“Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it back to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process,” the railroad stated.

The train now serves as a heritage piece. Following an overnight stay, the steam train will leave Poplar Bluff at 9 a.m. Sept. 13.

The train museum will be open from 4-7 p.m. on the 12th and from 8-10 a.m. on the 13th. Silverberg recounted more than 370 train enthusiasts from 18 states came through the museum the last time the Big Boy visited Poplar Bluff in August 2021. He anticipates a similar-sized crowd this year.

“Train buffs from all over the country like to follow the train,” Silverberg noted.

During the previous visit, Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc. organized a shuttle service to see the train in the yard. Unfortunately, the service is unlikely to be available this year, Director of Downtown Development Morgan McIntosh said.

According to Union Pacific, the Heartland of America Tour will span eight weeks starting Aug. 28 when the Big Boy gets underway from Cheyenne, Wyoming. The train will snake through nine states as it makes a clockwise loop from Wyoming to Illinois to Texas then back home.

The Big Boy is nearly twice the length of the typical diesel locomotives seen Downtown at 133 feet with its tender in tow. Originally coal-powered, the engine has since been converted to run on number five fuel oil, according to Union Pacific.

While converted, the engine will still exhaust a healthy cloud of steam.

“People are always excited to see the steam engines. It’s part of our railroad history,” Silverberg affirmed.

He said the bridges over the railway will be some of the best places to view the train. The Big Boy’s live location can be tracked at https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/track/index.htm.

Union Pacific recommends staying at least 25 feet from the railroad tracks.

“Railroad tracks, trestles, yards, and right of way are private property. Do not trespass,” the railroad informed, “Be a safe and considerate driver. Do not pace the train.”

The train’s next stop after Poplar Bluff be Piggott, Arkansas, estimated arrival at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 13.