RISON - Kingsland will be among the dozens of "whistle stops" that Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, will make during a 10-state fall tour that begins later this month. The 2024 Heartland of America Tour kicks off Aug. 28, from Cheyenne, Wyo., and will pass through Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.Big Boy will be making dozens of whistle stops along the way with each lasting about 30 minutes. The whistle stops will give the public an opportunity to see the train upclose it before departs for its next destination. The tour also includes four public display days that will be held in Houston, Fort Worth and the Chicago area.Big Boy is scheduled to make its first stop in Arkansas at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, in Piggott. It will depart from there to stay overnight at Jonesboro before making whistle stops on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Hickory Ridge (10:30 a.m.), Brinkley (12:15 p.m.) and Pine Bluff at the Pine Bluff Museum Depot (3 p.m.). From Pine Bluff, the train will make its way to a private Union Pacific viewing in North Little Rock before a public viewing from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15. Big Boy is scheduled to depart from North Little Rock at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16, before making a whistle stop at the Maple Street Crossing in Kingsland at 11:45 a.m. with departure scheduled for 12:15 p.m.The route will take the train through Rison before its arrival in Kingsland. Big Boy is not scheduled to make a stop in Rison.Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941, according to the Union Pacific website. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the le...
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