06/15/2026
Bellevue, Vermilion, Cleveland, Willoughby, Ashtabula.
Those are the five cities that both I and Nick Dombi of ToledoRails documented Union Pacific Railroad Big Boy No. 4014’s journey to east over Norfolk Southern. The route was the former Nickel Plate Road’s Cleveland Division, my home territory. Could not have done it without Nick’s expert train chasing skills!
An all day trek like this is hard to summarize. Each location has its own story to tell so for now it’s just teaser of the greater tale.
I will say though that while a steam locomotive has obvious physical power it’s the spiritual power that is the stronger force. The thousands of people that turned up trackside was evidence that railroads reconnecting with the public goes a long way with those buzz words of community engagement and understanding. Strangers from all walks of life flocked to the most out of the way places to witness something that was once so common, a steam locomotive running a passenger train on the mainline.
Seems like railroads should do this sort of thing more often.
I have received many messages asking about when Big Boy prints are available. I am happy to announce that they are, just follow the links to the gallery.
https://www.trainwizardpro.com/Bigboy4014clevelanddivision
Thank you all for your support!
