Massive historic train draws crowds to Union Station
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Big Boy drew surprisingly big crowds. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
Spectators from across the country watched the only operational Big Boy locomotive roll, clang and toot through Kansas City yesterday.
The big picture: The behemoth train engine is one of 25 Big Boys built by Union Pacific to haul heavy equipment for World War II.
- This one — No. 4014 — was retired in 1961 after logging more than 1 million miles.
- Seven others still exist on display, but No. 4014 is the only one that operates, after a restoration led to its return in 2019.
The vibe: Visitors filled Union Station's grounds, and people bought and sold Big Boy shirts, hats, magnets and stickers.
- When the operator demonstrated a warning whistle, bells sounded, babies cried and bystanders clapped and took videos.
What they're saying: Way Hicks from North Carolina was on a cross-country vacation when he saw Big Boy would be stopping in KC, so he made room for a detour.
- He said his grandpa worked for the old Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and they used to set up chairs to watch trains go by.
- "The sound, the energy, seeing the guy waving, just seeing America move" is what Hicks says makes trains special.
Context: Train culture is big in Kansas City, a historic national railroad nexus that boasts one of the biggest train crossroads in the nation, activates its train station as an attraction, and even has a train-themed restaurant where food arrives on tracks.
- It's also not every year Big Boy visits KC. It made appearances in 2024 and 2021.
- A visitor from Turner, Kansas, said you could feel the ground shake when the train moved. Another spectator from the Union Hill neighborhood said he could hear it from his home.
The bottom line: The train has left the station, but railroad fandom is alive and well in KC.