Union Pacific 4023 is a preserved member of the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy class built by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in November 1944. It is one of eight surviving UP Big Boys being preserved across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 4023 also has the distinction of being the only surviving Big Boy that was part of the second group built in 1944, as all the other surviving Big Boys are from the first group built in 1941.

History

In the early 1940s, the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

designed the only simple

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

with a 4-8-8-4

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

, which would be known as the "Big Boy" and would be the largest steam locomotive in the world. These locomotives began being constructed in 1941 by the

, and No. 4023 is one of the last five of these built in 1944. No. 4023 was assigned for fast and heavy

freight trains Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons ( International Union of Railways) haule ...

through the

Wasatch Mountains The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the G ...

and over Sherman Hill. After its last run took place in 1959, No. 4023 was stored in the UP's scrapline with the other Big Boy locomotives. What might’ve likely been the reason for 4023's mint condition to be saved for preservation is that it was given a class 3 overhaul in 1957. In 1963, No. 4023 was cosmetically repainted to be put on display for that year's

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

(NRHS) Convention in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

alongside

4-6-6-4 In Whyte notation, a 4-6-6-4 is a railroad steam locomotive that has four leading wheels followed by six coupled driving wheels, a second set of six driving wheels and four trailing wheels. 4-6-6-4's are commonly known as Challengers. Other equi ...

Challenger Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to: Entertainment Comics and manga * Challenger (character), comic book character * ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga Film and TV * ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...

" No. 3985 and

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

"Northern" No. 844. Once the convention was over, No. 4023 was moved along with No. 3985 inside the Cheyenne roundhouse for storage. In 1974, No. 4023 was cosmetically restored and towed to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

for static display in front of the Union Pacific's locomotive shops. After the locomotive shops were closed in 1988, No. 4023 was moved to the original Kenefick Park on Abbott Drive, near the former UP shop site. After redevelopment in the area forced the closure of Kenefick Park, No. 4023 was temporarily housed outside of the

Durham Museum The Durham Museum (formerly known as the Durham Western Heritage Museum) is located at 801 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The museum is dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of the United States' western region. The m ...

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...

. In Spring of 2005, No. 4023 was moved by truck on a highway to a more permanent home at the new location of

Kenefick Park Kenefick Park is located at 100 Bancroft Street in South Omaha, Nebraska, next to the Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha's botanical gardens. Kenefick Park features "two of the greatest locomotives ever to power Union Pacific Railroad": EMD DDA40X #6900,the ...

alongside EMD

DDA40X The EMD DDA40X is a 6,600 hp (4,943 kW) D-D locomotive, built by EMD from 1969 to 1971 exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad. It is the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive model ever built on a single frame, having two 16- ...

No. 6900. During one of its cosmetic restorations, several functional appliances were replaced with new, fake appliances, including the safety valves, whistle, lubricators, and a new boiler jacket. As of 2023, No. 4023 is still on display at Kenefick Park, and it remains the only Big Boy known to have been moved by highway.

References

{{reflist 4-8-8-4 locomotives 4023 ALCO locomotives Simple articulated locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1944 Individual locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of Nebraska