Union Pacific 4014: The Feather River Big Boy (Portola - Roseville)

In the spring and summer of 2026, Union Pacific "Big Boy" 4014 embarked on an epic coast to coast journey across the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. The train arrived in California on the former Western Pacific mainline, and after a public display at the WP museum in Portola it headed West through the scenic Feather River Canyon, once a highlight of the legendary California Zephyr. Once in the Central Valley, the train made a spirited run down to the former Souther Pacific yard in Roseville for two more days on public display. After an unpublicized appearance in Sacramento, the Western terminus of the tour, the train was supposed to begin the long trek East over the mighty Donner Pass. However, a spring storm dropped several feet of snow on the pass and forced the train to make a detour back over the Feather River Route. This was the Big Boy's first Eastbound trip through the canyon and it proved to be a real slog, as the train had to make several extended stops to allow long Westbound freights to pass and the same storm bringing snow to Donner inundated the canyon with heavy rainfall. The train would ultimately arrive in Portola hours behind schedule and well after dark, but the many railfans that suffered through the long hours in the rain were rewarded with some incredible scenes of big steam in the Sierra Nevada. I won't say I had a good time but it was certainly in interesting time that I won't soon forget, and I look forward to catching 4014 again back East.