Big Boy 4004, Holliday Park - Cheyenne, WY
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 41° 08.208 W 104° 48.005
13T E 516778 N 4553962
Big Boy can be found in Cheyenne's Holliday Park. It is 132 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds. Because of its enormous length, the frame is articulated to allow it to negotiate curves.
Waymark Code: WMN6YA
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 01/07/2015
Views: 9
The plaques read:
Big Boy 4004
Twenty-five Big Boys, the worlds largest steam engines, were built exclusively for Union Pacific by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York between 1941 and 1944. Each locomotive was 132 feet long [402 dm]and weighed 1.2 million pounds [544 t]. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged" or articulated to allow them to negotiate curves. During construction of the first engine, a worker chalked "big Boy' on the smoke box door and the nickname was adopted. The massive engines normally operated on the rugged run between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah.
On October 31, 1958, Cheyenne's 4004 took its final run, traveling from Cheyenne to Laramie. It was stored for a few years in Laramie before being donated to the City of Cheyenne. The 4004 was moved to Holliday Park on June 28, 1963 on 600 feet of temporary track connecting the park with Union Pacific's track. Cheyenne's 4004 is one of eight remaining Big Boys on display throughout the country.
[Photos of train]
List of other attractions in Cheyenne
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"THE MIGHTY BIG BOY"
The 4004 is one of eight surviving examples of the world's largest steam locomotive. The Union Pacific Railroad had 25 of these goliaths built, at a cost of over a quarter of a million dollars each. The 4004 ran primarily between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah.
It was retired from service on October 31, 1958 having run 440545 miles [7.0898e+5 km] and placed on this site June 28, 1963.
Marker Name: Big Boy 4004
Marker Type: City
Group Responsible for Placement: City of Cheyenne
Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]
Addtional Information: Not listed
Date Dedicated: Not listed
Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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