The incredibly popular 4-8-8-4 could be on the road from late September to mid-November, according to the Camerail Club of Omaha, a reputable fan organization with long and deep ties to the UP steam program. The third leg of No. 4014’s 2019 tour will last almost two months, says the organization’s Mixed Train newsletter issue no. 7.
But there the locomotive may be headed when it leaves Cheyenne to travel to southern California and return is still unknown.
We know that the excursion for the RailGiants Museum that supplied No. 4014 to the UP is Oct. 12 and 13. That runs from West Colton, Calif., to Barstow, Calif. The most direct route there is across the Overland Route to Ogden, then through Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Nev., into the LA Basin. We also saw a “save the date” note from the Limon, Colo., heritage and railroad museum that the engine would visit in November. Limon is in eastern Colorado on the Kansas Pacific route from Kansas City to Denver. But that’s all we’ve got, so far.
All may be known soon, though. UP said earlier this week in response to a query from Trains Newswire that a full fall schedule could be issued in early September.
Right now, all you can do is wait, and hoard those vacation days.
