World's largest steam train coming to Fostoria

FOSTORIA — It could be said that trains are a way of life in Fostoria. The town has rich railroad history, with tracks established in the area during the late 1800s. According to the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society website, approximately 120 trains pass through the city each day. Visitors travel from all over to observe this activity. The Iron Triangle Railpark located in Fostoria offers firsthand experience of this with a unique 360-degree unobstructed view of the trains passing on the surrounding rails. This summer, the Union Pacific's famed Big Boy No. 4014 will journey to the East Coast for the first time as part of a historic coast-to-coast tour to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. The tour includes stopping in Ohio for the first time. The Big Boy will visit Fostoria on two occasions: • Saturday, June 6, Iron Triangle Railpark, 499 S. Poplar St.; arrive: 2 p.m., depart: 2:15 p.m. • Tuesday, July 14, Fostoria Automotive Distribution Center, 3101 N. TR 47; On display: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (no public access outside of these hours) "The Fostoria Rail Preservation Society are thrilled to have the city of Fostoria and Iron Triangle Railpark receive such railroad importance. We have a great city government that understands our history is of value to our nation, past, present and future," said Ellen Gatrell, secretary/treasurer of the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society. Gatrell said because Ohio is between the East Coast and Chicago, the state has been considered the railroad gateway to the Western states connecting both the Atlantic and the Pacific. "Railroads built our nation and still have importance," Gatrell said. History Of the eight remaining Big Boys in existence today, No. 4014 is the only one still in operation. Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort, normally operating between Ogden, Utah and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Big Boys are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds. Initially retiring in 1961 after one million miles of service, No. 4014 was reacquired from the RailGiants Train Museum in 2013. Following a multi-year restoration in Cheyenne, it returned to service in May 2019 for the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's completion.