Union Pacific #4014 "Big Boy" Steam Locomotive; Claremore, Oklahoma

https://rad-observe.com/1768/union-pacific-4014-big-boy-steam-locomotive-claremore-oklahoma/
SEE THE ABOVE LINK FOR A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT "BIG BOY"
I went with 3 friends to see this "Big Boy" steam locomotive in Claremore as it visited Oklahoma on US tour. As you can see from the video, I was able to stand close to the tracks as the train passed. Since I didn't have a tripod with me, I had to handhold the camera for this entire video. Even so, most of the video is remarkably steady.

This fall one of the largest and most historic steam engines in the world will speed through the Sooner State as part of a tour across America.

Union Pacific No. 4014, better known as "Big Boy," will start its 2024 tour on Aug. 28 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and will work its way across nine states, including Oklahoma in October.

According to a press release, 25 Big Boys were built during World War II, but only 8 survived. No. 4014 is the only one still in operation and remains the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. It was retired in 1961, having traveled more than 1 million miles.

Big Boy was put in a museum after retirement and, in 2013, the railroad bought back the unit to restore it. It toured the country for months starting in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion. Though first derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Boy took a second tour in 2021.

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of "pilot" wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo.

There are seven Big Boys on public display in various cities around the country. They can be found in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941. The locomotive was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it back to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.