Hundreds of individuals from near and far traveled to Carroll this (Wednesday) afternoon to watch Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 roll into the depot station. As part of its “Heartland of America” tour, the 132-foot, 1.2-million-pound steam engine began its journey on Aug. 28, leaving Cheyenne, Wyo. through Nebraska and stopping in Carroll. This is the second visit that Big Boy has made to Carroll, the first back in 2019 during the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s construction. Diane Bremser of Dow City and Richard Chase from Winchester, Ore., were making a day out of it, following Big Boy from Dow City to its stop in Carroll. They were both amazed at the crowd that it drew in, saying that the audience in Carroll was the biggest they had seen today (Wednesday). Bremser says watching the engine roll through brought back a lot of memories.
While Chase was not in Iowa specifically for the Big Boy, he was glad to see the steam engine. A memory that stuck out in his head when he saw a passing engine carrying a president that rode through the area.
President Eisenhower wasn’t the only famous individual to ever board an engine around the area. Former Late Night Talk Show Host Jay Leno got off the train while it made a brief stop in Denison this afternoon (Wednesday). Continuing its tour, Big Boy 4014 has made its way east towards Boone, resting for the night. It will continue to Cedar Rapids tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 9:00 a.m. To view the complete schedule of the “Heartland of America” tour, visit the link included below.
