Wyoming is a long way to travel from Rochester, Minn., to see a train. But this wasn’t just any train.

The Union Pacific Railroad recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad; the construction of the railroad across the United States is considered one of the most historic events of the 1800s.

As part of that celebration, a skilled steam shop crew of nine lead by Union Pacific heritage operations senior manager Ed Dickens — a hero to many in the train engineering world — restored one of the largest steam locomotives ever built: the 1.2 million-pound Big Boy No. 4014. It was the train my husband, who had been dreaming about this very moment, and I came to see.

“What a machine,” said Cary Dickens of Kersey, Colo., who described the official public debut of the massive and iconic beauty on the morning of May 4 at the Cheyenne Depot Museum in Wyoming as “one of the biggest thrills of my lifetime.”

Cary, Ed Dickens’ uncle, noted his amazement at what the small crew had accomplished. “This is more than a national treasure. This is an international treasure.”

The 132-foot locomotive was one of 20 delivered by the American Locomotive Co. in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1941 — an additional five were delivered in 1944 to support the war effort and increased freight demand — and hadn’t run since being retired from service in 1959. Big Boys hauled freight between Wyoming and Utah in the 1940s and ’50s and were gradually replaced by diesel-electric locomotives. Of the 25 Big Boys, seven others remain on display in museums and parks across the nation.

No. 4014 — selected to become the only operational Big Boy — was carefully moved from its home in Pomona, Calif., starting in 2013 and the painstaking restoration began in 2016 at the Union Pacific’s Heritage Operations Steam Shop in Cheyenne. The monumental task would take 2 1/2 years to complete, and train enthusiasts could follow the progress and setbacks as they unfolded online. The pressure to meet the May 4 deadline was enormous and the crew worked around the clock.

The goal was achieved, but with reportedly little time to spare.

“The employees in the shop are so dedicated. They did it,” said railroad historian, photographer, author and former Union Pacific employee James Ehernberger, who grew up around the trains of Cheyenne and was visiting the other local Big Boy — No. 4004 – in a park the day before.

“I commend the Union Pacific for even doing this because this is a massive undertaking. It cost them a lot of money,” he said.

Union Pacific has not disclosed the restoration cost of the No. 4014.

Thousands of people, including Benjamin Pace of Cheyenne, who advertised the celebration of his 4th birthday with a sign on his back, lined up along the tracks and atop bridges as the behemoth successfully chugged westward, a cloud of steam billowing above. “He just loves trains,” explained Benjamin’s grandmother, noting that his grandfather retired following a 48-year career as a Union Pacific engineer.

“I’ve never left during the planting season. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime,” said Bret Pierce, a crop and livestock farmer of 14 years who traveled from Woodward, Iowa, to celebrate and document the occasion for his family back home. He said his plan was to follow the locomotive for two days as it traversed cross country to Ogden, Utah, where the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike was to be re-enacted on May 9. Living Legend No. 844 — a different class from the Big Boys — traveled with No. 4014 for the occasion.

Ed Dickens and crew leaned out of No. 4014’s cab, waving as a sea of fans cheered and applauded. Union Pacific President and CEO Lance Fritz broke a champagne bottle to christen the engine, and after a few speeches from dignitaries, the locomotive pulled out of the station to begin a one-year cross-country excursion dubbed the Great Race Across the Midwest.

The tour includes brief stops in Albert Lea, Owatonna and Northfield on July 17, stops in St. Paul on July 17-19 and in Duluth on July 19-20 before continuing on to Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. There are no plans to retire the No. 4014 in the near future.

My husband and I jumped in our car that day in May and spent the afternoon chasing No. 4014 through the vast Wyoming countryside, including the towns of Laramie and Rawlins. Other railroad fans lined the highways and open spaces awaiting the thrill as Big Boy passed by.

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As memories of George Floyd fade, activists make sure his legacy does not “We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for this whole thing,” my husband said as the train passed by and faded in the distance. “There she goes!”

IF YOU GO

What: Historic Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014

Where: Union Depot, 240 E. Kellogg Blvd.

Admission: Free

Schedule: No. 4014 arrived Wednesday, July 17. The locomotive will be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Also on display will be the “Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car” multimedia, walk-through exhibit about the history of railroading. No. 4014 departs at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Other activities: Food trucks will be available, model train sets, local rail vendors and family activities. Metro Transit is offering free passes for rides to Union Depot for the event. Go to uniondepot.org/up4014 to download your pass.

For more information: uniondepot.org; up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm

Freelance writer and photographer Elizabeth Nida Obert worked as a newspaper staff photographer for 18 years. She grew up in Minneapolis but lives in Rochester with her husband and cats. Contact her at elizabeth@nidaphoto.com.