Big Boy 4014 Steam Locomotive Arrives In Philly
Crowds gathered all over Montco and parts of center city today, to see the steam locomotive called “Big Boy” roll into town. This marvelous piece of equipment is now parked at the Navy Yard for a public display tomorrow, that starts about 9:00 AM.
Some people parked on the Schuylkill Expressway, others went to walkways near the Art Museum for a glimpse of the train as it rolled into town. Yesterday, at a whistle stop in Reading, about 100 people passed out due to the heat and the train being about an hour late. Union Pacific did not want anything like that to happen in Philly, so the train Engineers it kept to a tight schedule.
Originally, it was to be around the Art Museum by 12:30 PM. It would be stopped there for about 30minutes and then move on. That stop was canceled due to the heat. Railway schedulers knew people were lined up and they wanted to get this into the Navy Yard quickly. So the train ran a head of schedule.
To get the train into position for tomorrows America 250 Celebration, the only way to get the train into where it needed to be was to drive it a few miles in reverse. That mean a few lucky people got to see it in motion going backwards, while the majority saw forward motion.
Alex Lloyd Gross Big Boy 4014 passes by in reverse.
Overpasses were crowded as were train crossings and railroad right of ways. There are several tracks near that area and people had to figure out which on was the right one. They did.
No one did anything stupid for photos or selfies. It’s best to stay back 25 feet from the moving train at all times. At some areas, railroad police were there, others it was on your honor. This train had multiple cars and you can see the entire display tomorrow. Missed it? July 5 it will be on the move again. check https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam for up to date information.