The Journey Begins: Union Pacific’s Famed Big Boy Kicks Off America 250 Tour from Historic Transcontinental Site

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena was joined during the celebratory send-off by Toks Omishakin, secretary of California’s State Transportation Agency; Kevin McCarty, mayor of Sacramento; Tim Schroepfer, president and CEO of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation; Rosie Rios, chair of America250, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the nation's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; and Adrian Guerrero, assistant vice president – Public Affairs for Union Pacific Railroad.

“This tour honors our past, while embracing a future where – like our founder Abraham Lincoln – we’re not afraid to ask, ‘What’s Possible?,’” said Vena. “The completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad, which connected Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad, was a pivotal moment in our country’s history, uniting east and west, sparking a wave of economic growth and laying the foundation for a freight rail system that is the best in the world.”

Big Boy will travel across 14 states during its historic tour from California to New York, with a two-day Fourth of July stop in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America.

During the first leg of the journey, Big Boy will travel across California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming before returning to its homebase in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It will then embark on the eastern leg of its tour on May 25, traveling across Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The tour ends July 29 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

A detailed schedule for the East Coast leg, including whistlestop locations, will be released at a later date. Anyone interested in learning more is invited to join Union Pacific’s Steam Club at upsteam.com.