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From staff reports

Big Boy No. 4014, the famed Union Pacific steam locomotive built in the 1940s to conquer mountains while carrying equipment in support of World War II, embarked on a 10-state tour and will be on public display Aug. 17 in Houston, Texas.

During the tour is will make stops along the way including one in Orange on Thursday, Aug. 19, at 9:30 a.m. at Holly Lane Crossing before heading into Louisiana.

The train will stop for 15 minutes, on the tracks next to South Street in West Orange.

This is the street directly behind Walmart.

While the train will not stop at the Orange Depot Museum, residents are welcome to see the train go by from the Depot located at 1210 W Green Ave. in Orange.

Train enthusiasts of all ages will get a chance to talk to the steam crew, and take a “selfie” with the world’s largest steam locomotive, one of 25 of its kind built and the only one still in operation.

This is the first time Big Boy has gone on tour since its post-restoration debut in 2019 to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion. It is returning in 2021 with a tour that includes whistle-stops in more than 90 communities and one-day public display events in five major cities: Fort Worth and Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; St. Louis, Missouri; and Denver, Colorado.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December of 1941. This powerful machine was built to cross the Wasatch Mountain Range east of Ogden, Utah. It was retired in 1961 after traveling a little over a million miles, reacquired by Union Pacific in 2013 and restored to service in 2019. The Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest steam locomotive and weighs 1.2 million pounds.

A complete schedule of Big Boy’s 2021 multi-city tour, along with a map tracking its journey, can be found at http://upsteam.com. The public can also follow along with Big Boy’s adventure on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UP_Steam #BigBoy2021.

Fans can share their photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and use the #BigBoy2021 hash tag for a chance to win a Big Boy T-shirt. Fifty winners will be selected throughout the tour. Union Pacific reminds all participants to be safe and stay 25 feet back from the tracks when taking a picture.