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The big engine that could

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Union Pacific’s historic steam locomotive, Big Boy No. 4014, is touring the Union Pacific system throughout the end of the year to commemorate the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary. Ken and I just happened to be in Ken’s hometown, Ellsworth, Kansas, when Big Boy came through this past Saturday morning. What a fantastic experience!

The whole town came out for the event and Ken and I found different spots along the route to shoot photos from. We got some neat perspectives! His from head-on, mine from the side (and from the comfort of our vehicle! It was cold that morning!)

Kansas November skies sure made a beautiful backdrop for Big Boy’s steam.
I especially love Ken’s shot of the train as it parked in town near the Ellsworth Co-op grain elevator. It seemed like the entire town came out to see Big Boy! Certainly, for us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Has Big Boy come through your area of the country? Here’s where you can see Union Pacific’s beautiful historic steam locomotive during the rest of the year. (Not all trips are open to the public.)

Listen to Big Boy’s whistle as it came around the bend. To me, this is one of the prettiest sounds on earth. I remember hearing the trains both east and west of our farmhouse when I was a kid, and it was like a lullaby.
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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Comments

  1. When I was a little girl we lived near the Union Pacific rail road hub in fact my dad worked for them as a mechanic. What a thrill seeing that big boy it must of been for you

  2. I was born in Salina, KS and my brother worked at a grain elevator, so these scenes are all too familiar to me. Happy 150th Union Pacific!

  3. Fascinating! I loved hearing its loud whistle and seeing ALL THAT steam. (It’s billowing more steam than I would have guessed!) What a great way to commemorate the 150th anniversary.

  4. Fabulous pictures! The little town where I live was once a railroad hub. Part of the sounds of my childhood were the trains whistles. Trains still go through, stopping at the grain elevators, but I don’t hear the whistles any more….wonder why?

    • I think we need to listen “intentionally”! Ken and I are staying in an Airbnb for a few days to work while we’re visiting Kansas in Wichita. Though I never heard the trains when we lived here, apparently we’re close enough in this Airbnb to hear them…or else, I’m more attuned to the sound because of seeing Big Boy and remembering how much I loved that sound from my childhood. I charge you to LISTEN for the trains today, Roxy! 🙂

  5. That would be fascinating! Thanks for sharing this. I’m nowhere near those states, so I won’t be able to see Big Boy. Love hearing about it, though.

  7. Aren’t you two the lucky ones!! Ken’s photo’s are excellent and it sounds like so much fun to see that engine. I remember when the UP ran through Spokane – as did several lines – but they’re all gone now, merged with BNSF. I’m old enough t think trains are a real thrill. Thanks for sharing!

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