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Starting in 1941, Alco Locomotive Works built 25 of the biggest locomotives that ever lived. The main reason being the Wasatch Mountains, particularly Sherman Hill. This was a stretch of the Union Pacific Railroad's mainline characterized by a continuous, steep 1.55% grade. In order to keep the tonnage moving over the hill, a helper service was a necessity. This was costly. The class 4000s put an end to that. At 6PM on September 5, 1941, the first BigBoy, #4000, was delivered to Omaha. That historical event would be forever engraved in the minds of train BUFFs around the country. From that point on, the biggest and most powerful was achieved.

BigBoy Schematic (undetailed)

Use the above links to study information on the life of BigBoy, in addition, view many photos of the marvelous locomotive. The photos of #4005, #4012 and #4017 were taken by myself. The Historical Picture Archive is made up of original photos of BigBoys in action back in the 1940s and 1950s. It is well worth the time to take this trip back in history to the days when BigBoy rode the high iron.

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This site was created by Jonathan Landon, if you have any questions or comments,
click here to contact me

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The JLS Railroad Website & BigBoy Information Center was created by:
Jonathan Landon, President of the JLS Railroad

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