Road Trip March - Day 17
- Em
- Mar 29
- 4 min read
March 29th 2026 (Sunday)
Today is THE day!!! The day we get to see Big Boy 4014 live and in action!! This is something both Fred and I never thought we'd ever see!! If you are not into trains then we do apologise.
Fred was up at the crack of dawn - partly due to the ever passing trains that rumbled past our parking spot all night long, but more due to the increasing excitement he was feeling for the upcoming event of the day! We had already formulated our plan of action, and as I write this he is curently in prime position on the famous downtown footbridge at Laramie that we talked about yesterday.
The footbridge spans the complete railyard so you can get some really good photos as the trains pass underneath you. So there he is, at 8am with his camera and tripod all set up, waiting patiently for Big Boy, which isn't due to arrive until 11am! Bless him, he's so excited, like a kid on Christmas morning!
Next part of the plan is once Big Boy arrives and is idling for 30 minutes at Laramie station, we rush back to the RV, hit the road and drive for just under an hour north to Medicine Bow where we can once again watch it arrive, this time at ground level, and then finally watch it depart for the rest of it's journey across to the West Coast. That is our plan.... now lets see how we get on.
In eager anticipation of it's arrival, there are several hundred people waiting with us on the footbridge, and the atmostphere is excited and expectant. We had one teasing false alarm, when a Union Pacific diesel loco suddenly appeared just 5 mins before the estimated arrival time of Big Boy. The driver of the loco probably got a right chuckle at the hoards of people waving and taking pictures of him. Then at about 11.30am Big Boy finally appeared, the lone headlight at the front, the only beacon. A ripple of excitement and cheers went through the crowd that had gathered, both on the footbridge and at the fenceline alongside the track.
It slowly chugged its way to the station platform and stopped - what an AWESOME impressive sight it was!!! The magnificence unparalled with any other steam train we had experienced. Oh, I know there are many others that look good, or are better in different ways, but this beatiful beast will always be the one, for both of us.
So, a few more piccys taken, then it was a quick dash back to Wanda2 parked close by, and make our exit to Medicine Bow, some 58 miles away, to try to beat it there and await its arrival, but this time we'll be on the ground next to him!!! Being in a RV means we are not so nimble or quick as some fellow car drivers and there were many other vehicles doing the same thing. But we got to Medicine Bow, parked up with plenty of time, now to wait for it's majestic arrival.... once again, but this time so much closer to the action!
O.M.G!! That was awesome!! Watching it come to a gentle stop alongside the old station, to be so close, to hear it in all its beauty, the magnificence, the raw power and no fences stopping us from getting close. In addition, to be able to talk to some of the crew and watch them preparing for it's pending departure, to hear all the sounds of the steam from this 1,250,000 pounds of powerful locomotive gently simmering in the sunshine, and finally to hear that distinctive deep booming whistle - it was truly AMAZING and unforgettable!!
At one point we had a diesel loco come fast through the station and I just managed to capture a shot of the old with the new.
I only ever thought I'd be lucky enough to see it in a museum but to see it live and moving, to hear it chug chug chugging along, and to hear (and feel) that whistle - OMG that sound!! I'm a mess of emotions, joy, happiness!! I did it dad, I saw Big Boy!! And to have this moment with Fred, fellow train nerd, who is having similar emotions I'm sure. It has been an utterly fantastic day we won't forget.
Of course we have taken tons of photographs, the hardest part it choosing which ones to use. Today has been an absolute blast, I get goosebumbs just writing this and remembering the moment. It brings an array of emotions from awe to almost disbelief that we've actually done it. We travelled over 1,800 miles, driven through 9 states in a week, just so we can tick off this long wished for bucket list item. What an adventure!!
But now... adrenaline and excitement over, exhaustion has kicked in. We're shattered, it's time to return to the campsite, do some laundry, chill and plan tomorrow's journey and the start of leg 3 of our Road Trip Adventure.
Road Trip Day 17 - we've driven approximately 170 Miles today!
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