Photos: Big Boy rolls into Albert Lea
Published 8:36 am Thursday, July 18, 2019
- Big Boy No. 4014 traveled to Albert Lea from Mason City, Iowa, Wednesday morning. The historic Big Boy steam locomotive is touring the Union Pacific system throughout 2019, commemorating the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary. It took more than two years of restoration work to get the locomotive back on the rails. - Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
Hundreds of people gathered to see a historic steam locomotive stop in Albert Lea for photos and inspection by onlookers. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
Between approximately 300 and 400 people turned up at the Albert Lea depot southeast of Main Street to see Big Boy, Union Pacific’s steam locomotive No. 4014. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
During its time at the depot, the train occassionally blew its distinctive whistle and rang its bell as it inched up the tracks for onlookers to see. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
Steam locomotive No. 4014 departs Albert Lea on its way to the next stop in Owatonna. The train was slated to spend the night at the St. Paul Union Depot. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
The locomotive engineer waved at onlookers as the Big Boy slowly pulled out of the station after its 40-minute stop. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
People wait outside the depot for the historic locomotive to arrive Wednesday morning. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
While Big Boy No. 4014 used to run on coal, it has been converted to run on No. 5 oil. The locomotive’s water capacity is 24,000 gallons. That water is heated into steam, which is piped into a cylinder and causes a piston to reciprocate, or move in and out. That piston motion powers the locomotive. The heat from the locomotive can be felt standing next to it. – Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune