Want to see the ‘Big Boy’ train in Lebanon on July 7? Here’s what you need to know

Update: According to the Union Pacific’s website, Big Boy No. 4014’s stop in Lebanon will now run from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7.

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Union Pacific Railroad’s legendary Big Boy No. 4014 – the world’s largest operating steam locomotive – will make a special stop in Lebanon as part of a historic coast-to-coast journey commemorating America’s semiquincentennial.

Big Boy is hauling a special, steam-powered train across the United States this year to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence

After spending Independence Day in Philadelphia, the train will begin its trip back to its home depot in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on the old Reading Lines (now Norfolk Southern) through the Lebanon Valley. On Tuesday, July 7, it will make a brief stop at Lebanon’s 8th Street station.

The City of Lebanon revealed new details about the stop in recent social media posts. According to the post, the stop at the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Station at 250 N. 8th St., Lebanon, will run from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

To celebrate the occasion, the city will host a community celebration honoring the nation’s rich railroad heritage and the role trains played in shaping communities like Lebanon.

Activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will include:

• Live music and a talk with Laura LeBeau & 99.7 WiLBuR Radio.
• Historical presentations on rail transportation and Lebanon’s historic train stations.
• A portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
• Food, drinks, and other vendors.

City Hall will be closed to the public on July 7, and street sweeping operations will be suspended for the day throughout the city.

“Railroads helped build America, connected communities, fueled industry, and transformed the Lebanon Valley into the thriving region we know today,” city officials said in a statement on Facebook. “This special visit offers a unique opportunity to experience living history and witness one of the greatest engineering marvels ever built.”

Mayor Sherry Capello told LebTown the city has worked with area businesses to make their parking lots available during the event, as well as making arrangements with Lebanon Transit to have an alternative bus route for the day “to try and keep cars away from the site.”

Lebanon Transit will detour Route 17 and will make a run every 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visitors may park at other locations in the city and ride to the transfer station at 7th & Willow and walk a short distance to the train site.

On the day of the event, according to a statement from Lebanon Transit, “we will use Route 17 to detour from its usual path by turning right on North Lincoln Avenue, left on Scheider Drive, left on 4th, right on Willow Street, right on 8th (dropping off near C&L Street), then left on C&L Street, left on 10th, and back to the transfer station.” Besides the Route 17 deviation, the detour “will also open other areas along the route for people to park and take the bus, then be dropped off at the historic train station,” the notice said.

The city provided three maps showing special event parking, road closures and spectator areas, and the revised bus route during the event.

Capello noted that additional police, as well as federal agents, fire police, and extra security personnel, will be on hand for the event.

“It’s going to be a big day. I’m very excited,” the mayor said, although she admitted she’s “a little apprehensive about the numbers of people that may be coming because I keep hearing these reports as well. And our first meeting with the folks in Union Pacific was them saying, ‘We believe 1,500 people will attend. Plan for 3,000.’ OK, we can handle that.”

Capello said she’s heard reports that cities “where the train is not even stopping” have seen “tens of thousands of people” turn out to watch it pass by. “And I’m like, whoa, that’s a lot of people. I mean … 30,000, that’s like the population of the whole city.”

Portable toilets will be available to the public.

A Big Boy collectible ornament can be purchased for $5 before the event at the city administration office at 735 Cumberland S., second floor. Quantities are limited.

Later that afternoon – the exact time is uncertain – the Big Boy train will pass through the Annville Station at 155 N. Moyer St.

According to a social media post by Celebrate Annville, Friends of Old Annville plan to set up information tables at the station. A food truck will be on hand, and a model train display will be open for public viewing inside the station from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking is available at the station and along North Moyer and Maple streets, Annville.

Built in 1941, No. 4014 was one of 25 Big Boys commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort. Big Boys are 133 feet long, weigh 1.2 million pounds, and have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, the Union Pacific website explains. According to the website, the frames of the Big Boys are hinged, or articulated, so they can negotiate curves despite their great length.

This particular engine was retired in 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Today, eight Big Boys survive, with seven on display; only No. 4014 still operates. On this tour, the locomotive scheduled major display events in eight cities and make more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states.

Big Boy is accompanied on the trip by several historical passenger cars from Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, along with two commemorative locomotives: No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln locomotive, which commemorates the country’s 16th president and Union Pacific’s founder; and No. 1776 America250, which features the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the nation’s 250th anniversary.

James Mentzer contributed reporting to this article.