The UP Museum has confirmed that its fund-raising trip of July 15 from Omaha to Boone, Iowa, will be pulled by the newly restored 4-8-8-4 that returned from its inaugural run between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Ogden, Utah, on Sunday. The July excursion features the Chicago & North Western main line and the Kate Shelley Bridge near Boone. With a bus return, expect to see tickets in the $400 to $750 range, the museum says. Tickets go on sale to museum members first and the public on May 28. The trip will place No. 4014 in territory far removed from traditional Big Boy operating rails from 1941 to 1959 between Ogden and Cheyenne.
It’s logical to expect, though it has not been confirmed, that No. 4014 will appear at Omaha’s Railroad Days festival the weekend of July 13-14. From there, the engine could head many directions, but once it gets to Boone, it’s likely to continue toward the Great Lakes, according to those familiar with the subject. A more specific destination was not available.
Other speculation has centered on a Gulf States tour or a run to California to operate an excursion for the Rail Giants Museum, which provided the locomotive to the UP in 2013. Wherever it goes, one thing is certain: No. 4014 will draw a crowd.
