The Train That Was Supposed to Cross the Sierra Again

It was supposed to thunder over Donner Pass again.

Union Pacific’s legendary Big Boy No. 4014 returned to California in 2026 as part of its first coast-to-coast tour celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The giant steam locomotive was scheduled to head east from Roseville through Colfax and Truckee on April 12, retracing one of the most dramatic rail corridors in the West.

But the Sierra had other plans.

Due to forecasted winter weather over Donner Pass, Union Pacific officially rerouted the locomotive for three days, cancelling the Colfax and Truckee stops and sending Big Boy out of California the same way it entered: through Feather River Canyon.

That shift disappointed plenty of railfans in the foothills. The last time Big Boy came through this region in a big way was during its 2024 summer tour, when it was on public display in Roseville on July 12–13, 2024, before heading east across the Sierra.

Even without the Donner crossing, the story remains remarkable.

Big Boy No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive and the only operating example among the eight surviving Big Boy locomotives. Union Pacific restored it to operation in 2019, and in 2024, the locomotive was upgraded so it could operate on its own without a diesel locomotive in tow, thanks to an onboard Positive Train Control system.

The machine itself is massive: more than 132 feet long with its tender, weighing about 1.2 million pounds in working order. It was originally one of 25 Big Boy locomotives built for Union Pacific to haul heavy freight over the Wasatch Range during World War II.

Photo by Kial James

For Northern California railfans, that’s what made this moment special.

This wasn’t just another train passing through. It was one of the most famous steam locomotives in the world, returning to the Sierra with a history behind it and a national celebration ahead.

And even though the weather kept it from climbing Donner Pass this time, Big Boy still reminded people across the foothills just how much power, drama, and memory a locomotive can carry.

📍 Sierra Nevada foothills / Northern California
Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014