My son is obsessed with trains, he will sit in front of the TV for hours watching trains on YouTube. He knows all of the different kinds of trains and can explain them to me in great detail. So I have a feeling that we will be heading to New Orleans to catch a peek at the world's largest steam locomotive. 

The Big Boy No. 4014 is heading to Louisiana and plans to make five stops while here, four of which will be open to the general public. The train will arrive in New Orleans on Friday, August 20, 2021, at the Audubon Butterfly Riverview Park at 6:30 p.m. 

A little history about the world's largest steam locomotive:

The Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941 and was retired in December of 1961 after it traveled 1,031,205 miles during its 20 years of service. There were originally twenty-five Big Boys built for Union Pacific Railroad, the Big Boy No. 4014 being one of them. The Big Boy locomotives are 132 feet in length and weigh 1.2 million pounds. Since these locomotives are so long they were "hinged" to allow them to navigate curves properly and have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement. This means that they have four wheels on the leading set of wheels that guide the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels that support the rear of the locomotive.

If all of that confused you a little like it did while I was typing it then here is a great video about Big Boy No. 4014:

If you can't make it to New Orleans, La to see the world's largest steam locomotive you can catch it as it travels through Opelousas, La on Thursday, August 19. It is set to arrive at the North Court Crossing at 3:15 p.m. and depart at 3:30 p.m.

All times and locations are subject to change.

For the complete tour schedule visit Union Pacific's website.

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