On Monday, July 9, officials from the City of Cheyenne, Cheyenne Parks & Recreation, Union Pacific Railroad, Wasatch Railroad Contractors and fans of steam engines gathered at Holliday Park for the ribbon cutting of the restored Mighty Big Boy #4004.
The 4004 is one of eight surviving Mighty Big Boy steam locomotives. The Union Pacific Railroad had 25 of these built, with #4004 being built in 1941. This Big Boy was retired in 1958 and placed in Cheyenne in 1963.
The City of Cheyenne and the community at large was praised during today’s ceremony for their gallant efforts to fund the restoration of this piece of history. A reported 25,000 visitors annually visit the steam locomotive. Last week, a tour group from Germany had the Mighty Big Boy as stop #2 on their itinerary between Rocky Mountain National Park and Mount Rushmore. With this popularity, the newly refurbished Big Boy promises to continue to be a big draw.
The City of Cheyenne Parks and Recreation department has also begun a fund raising effort to upgrade the fencing surrounding the Big Boy. Learn more of this effort here.
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