"Steady as she goes!" An update on Big Boy

The NHRA finals have wrapped up, and that means Big Boy is ready to continue her journey across the Fairgrounds. The largest steam engine in the world continues her mile-long trek from Fairplex to the MetroLink station and we want you to join us for part of the move.

We would like to invite all of Big Boy’s fans to a special presentation this Thursday, November 14th at 10 a.m. to find out more about the future of Big Boy. Union Pacific’s operations director, Ed Dickens will be explaining more on the process of moving Big Boy and their plans for restoring this historic steam engine.

The presentation will be held at Fairplex, on-site of the big move. Please enter through Gate 1 (1101 W. McKinley Ave. Fairplex, CA 91768) and park in Section 8 of the main parking lot. From there our parking attendants will guide you to the press conference.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment here and we’ll be happy to answer!

Steady as she goes! Big Boy’s moving…

17 Comments

sylvia ann takahashi

November 12th, 2013 at 05:54 pm

Will the public be invited to watch Big Boy depart from the Fairplex? my son Brian would love to watch!
- Heather
  
  November 12th, 2013 at 11:49 pm
  
  Hi Sylvia,
  We will keep you posted! As of now, Big Boy will be making a gradual move across the grounds and we don’t have an exact day for when she makes her final departure but we will keep you posted!
Jonathan Husner

November 12th, 2013 at 07:20 pm

Will there be News Vans like ABC7 NBC 4 and etc?
- Heather
  
  November 12th, 2013 at 11:49 pm
  
  We don’t have final confirmation until the day of, but we have invited all of our local news publications to join us.
Mike Hillis

November 12th, 2013 at 09:24 pm

Will the fairgrounds be open to railfans to come watch the 4014 move? What days and what hours? Is the facility pet friendly?
- Heather
  
  November 12th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
  
  Hi Mike,
  We typically don’t allow pets on campus unless it’s a seeing eye dog or something similar. However, we are opening our Fairgrounds tomorrow for you to watch the 4014. She is moving gradually across the grounds and we don’t have an exact date for her official departure. We will keep you posted as far as allowing railfans to come (we would love to have Big Boy’s supporters there!) and watch but as of now you are more than welcome to come tomorrow. We can answer some of your questions at the event as well.
Richard Tubby

November 13th, 2013 at 11:03 am

We live in WA state and can’t get there tomorrow. Will there be a video posting of the conference on your web site?
- Heather
  
  November 14th, 2013 at 11:13 am
  
  Hi Richard, We will be posting updates on our Twitter (@fairplex), Facebook (www.facebook.com/fairplex) and Instagram (instagram.com/fairplex) pages. We will also be posting a few updates on the blog as well.
  Hope that helps!
Carol Clark

November 13th, 2013 at 03:36 pm

This is so exciting. My father, Les Clark was a fireman on the UP railroad and was part of the team that put the 4014 to bed in 1961. He’s got a lot of history with the railroad and this is a big event for him. Make sure to keep us posted!
Joanna

November 13th, 2013 at 09:07 pm

Hi,
My dad is a huge fan of 4014, but unfortunately he will be unable to attend tomorrow’s event. We will be celebrating his birthday this weekend, however, and we’re wondering if the engine will be available for viewing on Saturday?
Thanks 🙂
- Heather
  
  November 14th, 2013 at 11:18 am
  
  Hi Joanna, You can come visit the train every day from now until Tuesday, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  All you need to do is check-in at Gate 1 (1101 W. McKinley Ave) and then drive over to the site.
  Hope you can make it before she goes!
Denis

November 14th, 2013 at 04:07 pm

Hi All,
Questions:
1) Is the panel track laid across the parking lot yet?
2) When will they BEGIN moving the Big Boy on the new panel track? It sounds like the move has already started.
Thanks.
- Heather
  
  November 14th, 2013 at 04:18 pm
  
  Hi Denis,
  The track is in the process of being laid down on our grounds. As of right now we have about 1,200 feet worth of train track built.
  We began the move today, with a bulldozer pulling Big Boy along those tracks. It will be a day-by-day process (we won’t be moving her across the entirety of the grounds in one day.)
  Union Pacific plans to have Big Boy moved across the campus by next Tuesday.
  - Denis
    
    November 14th, 2013 at 04:23 pm
    
    Hi Heather,
    Thank you for the response. I’ll be sure to stop by on Saturday.
Tammy

November 24th, 2013 at 12:44 am

Is there somewhere to sign up to receive updates on this wonderful journey of restoration of the Big Boy?
- Heather
  
  November 27th, 2013 at 01:18 pm
  
  Hi Tammy,
  We recommend visiting our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
  The Union Pacific website will also have helpful information on Big Boy’s restoration.