‘Big Boy’ locomotive returns for overnight stay in northeast Indiana

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The ‘Big Boy’ Locomotive is making its way back west from Philadelphia, and is in the area on Wednesday and Thursday.

It has a 30-minute stop tomorrow morning at 11:30 in Continental, Ohio, about an hour east of downtown Fort Wayne. Then, it will travel into New Haven from the east.

Recommended viewing spots are along Dawkins Road near Webster Road at Jefferson Township Park or in town at the New Haven City Hall parking lot.

Train officials remind spectators they should remain more than 25 feet away from the tracks to avoid trespassing and to stay safe.

After an overnight stay in New Haven, which is not open to the public, it will travel through downtown Fort Wayne around 9 am Thursday.

It will then make a 30-minute stop in Knox, Indiana, about 2 hours west of Fort Wayne, near South Bend and Valparaiso, which is open to the public at N. Main St. and W. Bender St. from 12:30 to 1p Central Time.

Crowds have been very large and officials suggest arriving early.

In June, Big Boy stopped here on its way to Philadelphia for the Fourth of July as part of the historic coast-to-coast tour in celebration of the United States of America’s 250th birthday.

Union Pacific’s ‘Big Boy’ No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam engine, weighing in at a whopping 1.2 million pounds. Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned for Union Pacific, the first being delivered in 1941, where they were used to haul equipment in support of the war at the time.

You can track the historic locomotive through a live map of the train’s location, here.