Big Boy No. 4014, the largest steam locomotive, is set to pass through the Union Pacific depot in North Lawrence this July.
For the first time, the 85-foot-long, 380-ton locomotive will journey to the East Coast in partnership with Norfolk Southern to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The locomotive will spend two nights at Union Station in Kansas City, arriving at about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. It will be open for public viewing from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22.
Big Boy will depart from Union Station at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, and is expected to pass through Lawrence sometime between 9 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., according to the North Lawrence Improvement Association and the Union Pacific online train schedule. Times are subject to change.
Rail fans should plan ahead and keep well clear of the tracks.
For Lawrence-area viewers, the pass-through offers a rare up-close look at a piece of rail history before the locomotive continues west through Kansas.
The tour’s eastern leg begins May 25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Big Boy returns to Cheyenne on July 29.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
Latest Lawrence news:
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
