By IKE FREDREGILL
After a years-long rebuild, the steam locomotive, Big Boy No. 4014, is ready to roll.
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first Transcontinental Railroad’s completion, the iconic train is slated to embark on a journey from Cheyenne through Laramie and to Ogden, Utah, tomorrow.
Sporting a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, No. 4014 was one of 25 in a series affectionately dubbed “Big Boys,” according to Union Pacific. The steam engine measures 132 feet in length, or approximately as long as four school buses, and weighs in at 1.2 million pounds.
No. 4014 will be joined in its journey by Union Pacific 844, a 4-8-4 Northern-type steam locomotive.
Delivered to the Union Pacific in December 1941, No. 4014 traveled 1,031,205 miles before being retired 20 years later. In 2013 Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California and relocated it to Cheyenne to begin a lengthy restoration process.
Laramigos and visitors alike will be able to view the steam engines at the Laramie Historic Depot downtown.
The trains are slated to leave Cheyenne around 9:30 a.m. and arrive in Laramie about 12:30 p.m. A reception at the depot is scheduled to begin at noon.
The depot is also hosting historic tours throughout the day.
Both trains are scheduled to leave around 1:15 p.m.
Albany County School District No. 1, the University of Wyoming, and the city of Laramie partnered to provide residents and visitors a free “park and ride” opportunity the event.
Buses will pick up riders at the UW—East Lot, located at the corner of 30th Street and Willett Drive, and drop riders off on First Street near Grand Avenue.
The buses are scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in approximately 15 minute intervals.