CHEYENNE – Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4104 and the railroad’s diesel honoring Abraham Lincoln will make a round trip from Cheyenne to Denver in July, with a public whistle-stop in Greeley, Colo., in each direction. The railroad will also auction four cab rides to benefit the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The trip will be part of the railroad’s annual Cheyenne Frontier Days special.
The railroad informed its Steam Club members via email that the locomotives will travel from Cheyenne to Denver on July 17 and return to Cheyenne on July 19.
The July 17 trip will leave Cheyenne at 10 a.m., with a brief stop in Greeley between 11:30 a.m. and 12:01 p.m. On the return trip, the train will stop in Greeley between 8:30 and 8:50 a.m., arriving in Cheyenne around 10:30 a.m. The railroad has stated that there will be no public access to the locomotive in Cheyenne or Denver due to security and safety concerns.
The cab rides will be available on the July 17 trip, with two each from Cheyenne to Greeley and Greeley to Denver. Riders must be 18 or older; additional requirements are listed on the auction website. The auction will take place from June 2 to June 23, with registration open now.
This appears to be the only trip scheduled for No. 4014 this year. According to the UP email, while the schedule for this year is limited, “the Big Boy will return to the rails in a big way in 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.”