GREELEY, Colo. — Union Pacific’s Big Boy began its only scheduled trip of 2025 today (July 17), heading from its home base in Cheyenne, Wyo., to Denver as part of a round trip for the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. The 4-8-8-4 is accompanied by the railroad’s Abraham Lincoln diesel, No. 1616.
Today’s servicing stop in Greeley, Colo., and another on the return trip, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, are the only opportunities this year for the public to get an up-close look at the locomotive. No public access is scheduled in Denver or upon return to Cheyenne. More information is available at the UP Steam Program website.
While this is the only scheduled move for the Big Boy this year, Union Pacific has said the locomotive will have a more extensive operating schedule in 2026.
The matchless sheer raw power and stack roar on rails… Let’s hope it will never die.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
My Colorado family saw the loco SB at Brighton.