May 08, 2026
Provided Image/Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad's Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive will be displayed at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia on July 4-5 as part of its East Coast tour marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
Union Pacific Railroad's Big Boy No. 4014, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will make a stop in South Philly on the Fourth of July to mark the nation's 250th anniversary.
The heritage locomotive, preserved in Wyoming, will begin its first East Coast tour when it departs from Cheyenne on May 25. The train engine, built in 1941, will be joined by a pair of commemorative locomotives for President Abraham Lincoln and a new engine made for President Donald Trump.
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The locomotives will be displayed on the Mustin Yard tracks in the Navy Yard at Intrepid Avenue and League Island Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 5. Admission is free, but visitors will not be able to access the cab and railcar.
To celebrate the nation's 250th birthday, Big Boy No. 4014 will be decorated with American flags against the backdrop of Union Pacific's traditional armor-yellow design.
"Union Pacific is honored to take part in the 250th anniversary of this great nation," Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a statement. "Each of these commemorative locomotives symbolizes important moments in the history of Union Pacific and the U.S. Our shared history shows the vital role railroads have played and will continue to play for generations to come."
President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 in the midst of the Civil War to create the first transcontinental railroad. When the rail connections were completed by Union Pacific and Central Pacific in 1869, the time it took for mail, military and commercial freight to cross the country was reduced from months to about a week. Some of the original 25 locomotives are preserved and displayed in Cheyenne and at other railroad museums.
Big Boy No. 4014 is one of 25 Union Pacific locomotives built during World War II to carry heavy freight, military equipment, troops and fuel across the country's mountainous western terrain. Each of the train engines measured 133 feet long and weighed about 1.2 million pounds. The fleet operated for about 20 years before Union Pacific transitioned to diesel and gas turbine-electric locomotives, retiring its steam locomotives from service.
Only eight Big Boy locomotives are preserved, and Big Boy No. 4014 returned to heritage service in 2019 after a multiyear restoration. It primarily tours across Union Pacific's network in Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. Union Pacific is headquartered in Nebraska and operates the largest freight rail network in the western half of the United States.
Three commemorative presidential locomotives have been built since 2000. The first, made for President George H.W. Bush, was completed in 2005 and is now displayed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas. The red and black Lincoln locomotive was completed in 2025 and the Trump locomotive, featuring the Betsy Ross flag on one side and the modern flag on the other, was unveiled in March.
During its East Coast tour, Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive will be joined by commemorative presidential locomotives for Abraham Lincoln, above, and Donald Trump.
Union Pacific's East Coast tour marks the first time Big Boy No. 4014 will cross the Mississippi River, using the Norfolk Southern freight network to make more than 50 whistle stops in 10 states. The whistle stops generally last 15 to 30 minutes. Eight public displays will be made, including stops in Omaha, Chicago, Buffalo and Philadelphia.
The locomotive will carry vintage passenger cars through the Poconos for a sold-out event on June 14 before a public display in Scranton on June 15-16. After the Fourth of July stop in Philly, Big Boy will pass through King of Prussia on July 7 and will have another public display in Altoona on July 9-10.
"Railroads helped build this nation by connecting people, communities and commerce – work carried forward for generations by dedicated railroaders," Norfolk Southern President and CEO Mark George said in a statement. "As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Union Pacific's Big Boy's return to the East on Norfolk Southern rails reflects a shared legacy."
