Big Boy roars into Owatonna

Hundreds, maybe more, people lining the railroad tracks could hear the “long, lonesome whistle” of Union Pacific 4014 long before it came into view as it roared around the curve into Owatonna.
They had started to gather early last Wednesday morning, July 17, along the Union Pacific tracks to await the expected 10:45 a.m. arrival of the massive steam engine nicknamed Big Boy. The line stretched from before the Morehouse Park crossing to several blocks to the north, near the site where the Rock Island Railroad Depot once stood.
Steam engines were replaced by diesels many decades ago but Big Boy’s arrival was special for reasons other than simply being a relic from the past. It is the last operating engine of its class, the largest steam engines ever built, according to Union Pacific.
It has taken a multi-year restoration project to get the engine ready to travel the rails again under its own power in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railway with the driving of the “Golden Spike” at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869.
Built to primarily operate between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo. in the 1940s and 1950s, none of the Big Boys ever passed through Owatonna during their 20 years of service. But that did nothing to dampen local enthusiasm for the visit.
Trains hold a fascination for many Americans and a number of those waiting for Boy Boy’s arrival recalled how they either had model trains as children or had them as children and still had them today. Children waiting for the locomotive still said they had model railroads.
“I’m a huge train fan,” said Scott Kotnour, who had driven to Owatonna from the Twin Cities and planned to follow it all the way to its overnight destination at Union Depot in St. Paul.
His father, he explained, grew up in Chicago next to the railroad tracks. His two brothers also have big HO layouts, he said.
“I think I have that engine (UP 4014) in HO,” he added.
Another out-of-town visitor was Otto Schenk, who is from New Ulm.
“I came here just for the train,” Schenk said. “I have had a Lionel set since 5 or 6 years old.” His son had brought him to Owatonna because, “grandpa needed a ride.”
Another who made the trip from the cities was Jim Alexander who acknowledged that people had come for miles to see the train. It is unusual to see a train engine this large, he said, because it based in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Not that there were not plenty of Owatonna and Steele County residents waiting for Big Boy.
Owatonnan Larry Hofschulte had brought his three grandchildren, Anna, Wyatt and Adelia, who live in Rochester, out to see the engine. Wyatt, he said, had a train set up at his house in Owatonna.
Todd Hale said the arrival of the engine brought back memories for him as he and wife, Mary, had lived in an apartment only a block or so away from the Morehouse crossing when they were first married.
“Isn’t this something,” he said, as he recalled hearing the whistle of the trains. It was a Rock Island track at the time and once in a while a steam train would go through, Hale said. A number of years ago the Challenger, a slightly smaller Union Pacific steam locomotive made a stop in Owatonna, also drawing a large crowd although not as large as Big Boy.
“It’s the last of the giants,” Hale said.
Discussing trains with Hale, Joe Svoboda said he been “into trains” since he was a kid. He said he remembered all the lines that had gone through Owatonna: Rock Island, Chicago-Northwestern and Union Pacific.
He said he had even heard that at one time there was a “hobo village” in Owatonna near the tracks running by the canning company.
Union Pacific’s website continuously updates the train’s location as it makes it way across the UP system and many of those waiting in Owatonna were using their smartphones to keep track of the progress. The Big Boy was late in arriving but the wait did not deter the enthusiasm of those waiting.
One the train was stopped they had a chance to get close to the engine while still being careful to stay clear of the steam billowing out. And for those who got close enough, a chance to ask questions of Conductor Jim Leonard.
While the visitors had come to get a close look at the train, for the nine-member crew the stop was a chance to do some needed work.
In addition to making sure the boiler has enough water, crew members said, about every 60 to 80 miles  grease needs to be injected into the side rods, a task that was being done in Owatonna with air hoses like a “big grease gun.” Watching this work being done gave a good look at just how large the massive wheels of the engine were
The train had spent the previous night in Mason City where this work could take place. After leaving Mason City it made a short 15-minute stop in Albert Lea and was ready for a longer stop in Owatonna. There would be another 15-minute stop in Northfield before heading to its overnight destination in St. Paul where the train would be on display the next day.
In addition to the stops, the train was drawing attention as it traveled north to St. Paul. There were numerous reports circulating of crowds waiting in Ellendale and Hope to catch a glimpse of the train as it passed through.
The restoration work was completed just in time for Big Boy to celebrate the joining of east and west with the pounding of the Golden Spike with a public appearance, along with UPs other historic steam engine No. 844, May 9 in Ogden. The celebration could not be held at the actual location, Union Pacific information said, because the company no longer has tracks near Promontory Summit. They were removed to support scrap metal projects during World War II.
With the anniversary celebration in Ogden complete Big Boy was ready for the “Great Race Across the Midwest.”
Engine 4014 left the Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyo. on July 8 making brief whistle-stops in communities along the way. It is making longer stops, such as in St. Paul, in eight communities. During these stops
the rail car walk-through exhibition is open to the public.
The train is scheduled to arrive back in Cheyenne on Aug. 8.