Big Boy No. 4014 Makes 15-Minute Pottstown Stop on 50-Stop East Coast Tour
Updated
Updated · WHYY · Jul 3
Big Boy No. 4014 Makes 15-Minute Pottstown Stop on 50-Stop East Coast Tour
3 articles · Updated · WHYY · Jul 3
Summary
Big Boy No. 4014 rolled into Pottstown for a 15-minute whistle-stop Thursday, drawing large crowds on the steam locomotive’s first East Coast trip for America’s 250th birthday.
Triple-digit heat turned the stop into a public-safety challenge, with 6abc reporting more than 100 people treated for heat-related illness as spectators packed gates, parking lots and nearby streets.
The 1.2-million-pound locomotive arrived after delays from Jim Thorpe and Reading and will pass through King of Prussia on Friday before a free public display in Philadelphia from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 4.
Built in 1941 and retired in 1961 after more than 1 million miles, the 133-foot engine was restored by Union Pacific in 2019 and is now the only operating Big Boy among eight surviving locomotives.
That East Coast run spans more than 50 stops across 10 states and eight display events, with Philadelphia marking the last eastbound stop before the engine heads back to Cheyenne, Wyoming.