Huge steam locomotive to roll through the area again

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

When Union Pacific’s historic Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive passed through Continental in early June, it was estimated that between 6,000-7,000 people flocked to the small Putnam County village to get a glimpse of it. Continental is a village of roughly 1,100 people, which made traffic, parking and actually getting near the train challenging.

Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive with a distinctive Hancock Long-Bell 3-chime steam whistle, will be back in Continental next Wednesday, July 15. It’s scheduled to make a 30-minute whistle-stop between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. near Oak St. and Main St. The time is approximate but regardless, officials believe Wednesday’s stop is expected to attract even more visitors to the village.

The stop is part of the train’s coast-to-coast trip.  After stopping in Continental, Big Boy will continue westbound into and through Paulding County, including Payne, but there will be no stops anywhere in Paulding County.

Those planning on seeing the massive locomotive in Continental or anywhere else as it passes in northwest Ohio should stay back at least 25 feet from all railroad tracks. This includes drones. Keep in mind that railroad tracks, trestles, yards and right of way or private property.

According to Union Pacific’s website, this is the first time Big Boy has steamed across the Mississippi River and through the Ohio Valley since it was built in Schenectady, New York, and delivered to Union Pacific Railroad in 1941.

Big Boy launched its 2026 coast-to-coast tour on April 10 from downtown Sacramento near historic Milepost 0 – the site where Central Pacific began construction on the nation’s first transcontinental railroad in 1863.

Big Boy is being accompanied by several historical passenger cars from Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, along with two commemorative locomotives:

• No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln locomotive, which commemorates the country’s 16th president and Union Pacific’s founder.
• No. 1776 – America250, which features the emblem of the America250 Semiquincentennial Commission, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the nation’s 250^th anniversary.

More information about Big Boy No. 4014, including a trip tracker, can be found here.