Article and Photos: Tony DiBona

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My fascination for trains, particularly steam locomotives, spawned during my childhood when our family lived near the Santa Fe railroad tracks in the Little Italy neighborhood of downtown San Diego, California, just 120 yards from the rails. The tracks began at the Santa Fe Railroad Station and would disappear to the north and then off to other parts of our vast country.  I would hear the chugging sounds of the steam locomotives pulling their long train of passenger and freight cars up a slight incline on their way to destinations I could only imagine.

And when the steam whistle blew, the haunting sound aroused a curiosity within my little soul. I would often run down to the nearby crossing to watch the giant locomotives chugging and spewing out their steam as they passed by, while I became fascinated with the giant wheels and the machinery that made this engineering marvel alive.  To this day I still am moved by the magic of a steam locomotive.

It’s no wonder that, when the opportunity arose to be part of a group of journalists invited by the National Parks Foundation (NPF)  to join Union Pacific’s #4014 Big Boy excursion from San Antonio to Houston, Texas,  I readily took on the assignment!

A brief research revealed that the Big Boy is America’s largest operational steam locomotive ever built. It weighs one million pounds and boasts two sets of drive wheels totaling sixteen drivers and four steam boxes providing the pistons for power.

Without a doubt this would be the ride of a lifetime.

HISTORY OF THE “GREAT RACE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST”

There were twenty-five Big Boys built during 1941 for UP, with eight still existing. 4041 is the world’s only operative Big Boy out of that group. Under the capable leadership of Ed Dickens, UP senior engineer, a two-year extensive restoration project brought this venerable mechanical marvel back to ride the rails.

From its restoration depot in Cheyenne, Wyoming,  Big Boy began its commemorative trail  “The Great Race Across the Southwest”  in 2019 celebrating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad's completion. The route proceeded west from Cheyenne through the Rockies, into Southern California then eastward through the southwest deserts crossing Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The route continued northward making a large loop entering Denver with a final run to the north and back to the “barn” in Cheyenne. 4014 traveled from summer to the beginning of winter with a variety of weather conditions, ranging from hot deserts to snowbound prairies and mountains.

In concert with UP’s excursion, the NPF and their select guests would board the 4014 in San Antonio to ride a portion of the UP anniversary route to Houston, Texas. The newly restored locomotive rolled into San Antonio’s Sunset Station where our group enjoyed a tour of the train. Its heritage group of cars afforded us a peek into the elegance and comfort of rail travel from yesteryear.

ALL ABOARD IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Throngs of crowds stood in line for hours to herald the entry of the Big Boy 4014 into San Antonio’s Sunset Station. Every age group was represented, from families with young children to venerable seniors,

The first tour for the journalists included a glimpse of the locomotive cab area with its intricate array of valves, gauges, control handles and a peek into the hot box which was maintaining fire to the boiler. The coach and observation cars with their elegantly upholstered seats gave us a hint of the comfortable ride we were about to experience during our eight hour run to Houston.

In the elegantly set dining car a beautifully prepared dinner awaited us. Precisely folded napkins and classic UP dishes and silverware complimented the savory meal. A special treat was to experience the vintage bar—-right out of “Mad Men” to be sure.

Several groups of train aficionados waved enthusiastically at us as the mighty Big Boy blew its classic steam powered whistle and slowly pulled away from the Sunset Station to begin its run to Houston.

And the enthusiasm didn’t stop there. Every mile along the tracks, crowds of spectators armed with cameras followed our trek. We learned that many school children were given time off to witness the Big Boy chug through their town. Many devotees of steam locomotives chased the train along the route for days to get into a new position ahead of its arrival at another photo spot. It was a rare spectacle for us to witness the enchantment of the fans alongside the tracks, frantically waving with pride.

BIG THICKET NATIONAL PRESERVE

We rolled into Houston’s Amtrak depot, but this monumental adventure was not quite over.  Our hosts introduced us to the Big Thicket National Preserve, a 1.5 hour drive from Houston, a lesser known but fascinating national park due to its diverse ecosystems.

It carries a reputation among scientists around the world as the biological crossroads of North America because of its four distinct vegetation sites:  hardwood forest, swamp, desert and prairie.

With our National Park guides we were placed aboard a canoe and treated to an exploration of the preserve’s bayous and waterways, gliding past majestic cypress trees with their flaring bases, interesting vegetation including St. Bernard water lilies, and abundant bird species.

Later, a short guided walk through the Sundew Trail further demonstrated the diversity of the area. Pitcher plants, a carnivorous plant with an appetite for the insects that thrive in this marsh, are interesting to view. Walk through forests of majestic long leaf pines, which can reach a height of 110 feet. Native Americans used their long needles in basket making.

The National Park Service established the Big Thicket National Preserve  in 1974 and it is now recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

National Park Foundation and Union Pacific Railroad

In the 19th century, access to the remote locations of our newly established Western parks for the early travelers was once provided by the railroads, which brought passengers to spectacular areas such as the National Parks of Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion and Death Valley. Through the years, rail passenger service gave way to the more profitable freight service, and the development of highways and personal autos soon became the preferred manner of exploring the parks.

The Union Pacific Railroad recently joined the National Park Foundation (NPF) as a corporate sponsor to promote the “Find your Park” program. Founded in 1967 and operating as a dedicated non-profit charity for our national parks, the mission of the NPF is to commit its support for the preservation and conservation of our national park system and to oversee  programs such as “Bring Kids to Parks.”