Engineer Ed Dickens Talks Big Boy# 4014

Ed Dickens explains his labor of love of UP Steam Locomotives!

Ed Dickens, senior manager-Union Pacific Heritage Operationsand Big Boy #4014 engineer, discusses his love of locomotives, especially Big Boy #4014!

From the day Ed Dickens first held a Lionel Locomotive #844 at 4 years old, he was hooked!

As Ed explains in this video, he and his crew are on their own when they take Big Boy #4014 out on excursions. Should anything go wrong, they are the only ones with the skills that know how to fix the locomotive. In addition, they always haul a repair car behind them with parts and accessories that might be needed.

There were 25 Union Pacific “Big Boys” built overall beginning in 1941 for the specific purpose of handling freight up the 65 mile grade of the Wasatch Mountain Range starting inOgden,Utah and ending in Wyoming.

Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 stats:

• Operated from 1941-59
• Bearing full load weighed a total of 1,250,000 million lbs
• Only 25 ever made
• 4-8-8-4 configuration
• Top speed of 80 Mph
• Articulated with no compound of the steam
• Water Capacity – 25,000 gallons
• Cylinders- 4 outside (2 for each set of 4 driving wheels)
• Boiler pressure – 300 PSI

Let us know if you have had the opportunity to view Big Boy up close. We would love to hear about your experience!