June 30, 2026
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Imagn Images
Union Pacific Railroad's Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive will be in the Philadelphia region from Thursday, July 2, to Tuesday, July 7. The train will be visible in transit from a number of vantage points in communities along the Schuylkill River. Above, No. 4014 is shown in Silver Springs, New York, on June 11.
Union Pacific Railroad's Big Boy No. 4014, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will make its way into the Philadelphia region on Thursday as part of its first East Coast tour.
The heritage locomotive, built in 1941 to carry freight and troops during World War II, was restored in 2019 and is one of only eight that survive from that era. It's the only one of its kind that Union Pacific uses for tours.
The locomotive will be displayed at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia on July 4-5, joined by commemorative locomotives for Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump, but people in Montgomery and Chester counties also will have opportunities to see the train in transit over the coming week.
The 133-foot-long Big Boy will follow the Norfolk Southern rail network that runs along the western banks of the Schuylkill River. The map below shows the route outlined in yellow.
A map shows the route Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive will take through the Philadelphia region.
After departing from Jim Thorpe at 9 a.m. Thursday, No. 4014 will pass through Reading and reach Pottstown for a 15-minute whistle stop at 3:30 p.m. Below are some recommended places to see the train headed through the area.
Officials in Pottstown are expecting about 4,000 people to attend the whistle stop at 51 S. Hanover St. on Thursday. The best viewing area will be Borough Parking Lot 1, which will be closed to vehicles that morning. Hanover Street will be closed from Industrial Highway to High Street from noon to 5 p.m. Food vendors will be located along Hanover Street in the area across from the viewing lot.
Public parking will be available at Montgomery County Community College's Pottstown campus in the South Hall East and West lots. The campus is at 101 College Drive.
The locomotive will pass through Pottstown a second time on the morning of July 7 on the way to a whistle stop in Lebanon.
After No. 4014 leaves Pottstown, it will pass through Royersford without making a stop. Royersford police recommend people view the locomotive at the borough's crossings at Main Street and Second Avenue and Arch Street and Second Avenue. The locomotive is expected to pass through around 4 p.m.
The borough requests that people park in the lot at 251 2nd Ave. Parking on Main Street is prohibited unless in a designated spot.
Royersford also will get a second pass on the morning of July 7.
Phoenixville will hold a viewing party for No. 4014 from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday at the Columbia Grand wedding venue at 4 Bridge St. The locomotive is expected to pass through between 4-4:30 p.m.
The train will pass over Dayton Street, Bailey Drive and Route 113 before it crosses the tracks at Bridge Street. The train may also be visible from portions of the Schuylkill River Trail, including along Pawlings Road in Schuylkill Township.
The train will pass through the area again on the morning of July 7.
Valley Forge Park Station will be the top place to see No. 4014 at Valley Forge National Historical Park. The train is expected to pass through after 4:30 p.m. The station is at 9 River Road, and there are other vantage points in the park where viewers can see it roll through. Port Kennedy Station, near the park's visitor center, is another viewing point.
The locomotive will stop at King of Prussia's Abrams Yard and stay overnight into Friday. There is no public access for the train's stop in King of Prussia, but its entry along Abrams Road will be visible from some locations.
No. 4014 also will stay overnight at Abrams Yard on Monday, July 6.
When the train departs King of Prussia on Friday, it will pass through Bridgeport shortly after 9 a.m. The Pottstown Patch reported the No. 4014 will likely cross under the bridges at Markley Street and DeKalb Street before traveling under Interstate 276 near Swedesburg.
Pedestrian walkways on the DeKalb Street Bridge that links Bridgeport to Norristown also offers elevated views, and there may be decent viewing areas at the Norristown Dam and riverfront park areas near the Norristown Transportation Center.
The locomotive will make another pass through both towns on the morning of July 6, after leaving the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.
The locomotive will pass through Conshohocken before 9:30 a.m. Friday with vantage points along the Schuylkill River Trail and from the Matsonford Bridge, which carries Fayette Street over the Schuylkill River.
The train's second pass will be the morning of July 6.
On its way to the Navy Yard on Friday, No. 4014 will be visible at points along the Schuylkill River as it passes through Lower Merion into Manayunk.
Some of the best viewing spots will be the Green Lane Bridge, Cynwyd Heritage Trail and the Penncoyd Bridge. Flat Rock Park, just across the Schuylkill River in Gladwyne, also may have some good vantage points.
The locomotive will pass through the area again on July 6 after leaving Philadelphia.
No. 4014 will be displayed in the Navy Yard at Intrepid Avenue and League Island Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Fourth of July and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 5. Admission is free and visitors will be able to view the train from a short distance, but will not be able to board the locomotive. Crowds are expected both days.
On the Fourth of July, an America250 Block Party will take place from 9:30-10 a.m. and will be streamed on Facebook.
Union Pacific will have a limited number free of parking spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. It's recommended that people use rideshare to get to the area around the display. The train will depart Philadelphia on Monday, July 6, at 9 a.m.
