This summer, I had the privilege to witness UP 4014, Union Pacific's restored "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive, ply the rails of the UP mainline once again, this time leading the "Heartland of America" tour through the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. My portion of the trip consisted of traveling to Grand Island, NE and chasing it back east towards Chicagoland and eventually Momence, IL, where I gave up the chase. Today was a scheduled maintenance day for 4014, so I took the opportunity to do some things around the Omaha area. One of my stops was Kennefick Park, which hosts two of UP's iconic locomotives - UP 4023, one of the last of five Big Boys produced in 1944 in a secondary class ordered by UP; and UP 6900, the first DDA40X "Centennial" locomotive ever built. Both act as great welcome beacons perched high above Interstate 80, welcoming travelers into the greater Omaha area and tying into the city's rich heritage as the headquarters of Union Pacific.
