BY ANDREW HEISERMAN
Staff Writer

ROCHELLE – Union Pacific Railroad is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad with a cross-country tour for one of its original steam engines— the Big Boy No 4014— which will be traveling through Rochelle.
The model is one of 25 original Big Boy steam engines that were built exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad. The steam engine will be making a transcontinental tour and plans to stop at the Rochelle Railroad Park on Tuesday, July 30 between 9:45 and 10:30 a.m.
The extreme flooding out west threatened to delay the arrival of the steam engine, but UP crews have kept everything on schedule at this point.

“Despite the flooding experienced by the crew in Nebraska, the steam engine is still expected in Rochelle on July 30,” said Jenny Thompson, director of marketing, public relations and tourism, in a press release.
The old steam-powered engines are much larger than the newer diesel-powered locomotives used today.
According to the Union Pacific website the Big Boy Locomotives are 132 feet long, weigh 1.2 million pounds and have hinged frames to allow such a long engine to negotiate curves in the tracks. These engines are supported by 14 wheels arranged in a 4-8-8-4 pattern and carry a total of 56,000 pounds of coal used as the trains power supply.
Engine No. 4014 that will be stopping in Rochelle was originally delivered to Union Pacific in December of 1941 and was retired in December of 1961. The Union Pacific Website states that in the locomotives 20 years of service it traveled a total of 1,031,205 miles.
Free shuttle
Due to the number of expected visitors, the city of Rochelle encourages guests to make use of a free shuttle running from parking lots downtown Rochelle to the Railroad park.
“Rochelle rail fans will enjoy shuttle service from downtown Rochelle municipal parking lots between the hours of 8 a.m., and noon at no cost. We encourage our guests to take advantage of the shuttle service and enjoy our Downtown shops and Distillery while in town,” explained Thompson in a press release.
The shuttle stops include the municipal lots at: North Main Street and Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue and North Sixth Street, and Fourth Avenue and North Sixth Street.
There will be local non-profit organizations including The Kitchen Table and Golden K serving both breakfast and lunch items throughout the event. Big Boy 4014 T-shirts will be for sale as well.
Due to the dynamic nature of these operations, running times and scheduled stops are subject to change. Visit rochellerailroadpark.org or facebook.com/rochelleRRpark for the latest information.