Union Pacific Big Boy 4002

The Union Pacific Big Boy was the largest and most powerful steam locomotive ever constructed. This vintage, one-of-a-kind, ½-inch scale* model of the Union Pacific Big Boy 4002, returned from a three-year exhibition at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it was enjoyed by more than 1.8 million visitors. Chief Curator at the time, Stephen E. Drew, described this Union Pacific Big Boy model in one word: “Exquisite.”

The scale model of the Union Pacific Big Boy 4002 was built in Los Angeles in the early 1940s by Alfred Herman, a prominent Academy Award-nominated art director, whose career began in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Built shortly after the Union Pacific Big Boy entered into service, this particular model by Mr. Herman is believed to be the earliest model of a Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive; as mentioned in The Big Legacy of the Union Pacific Big Boy, Why Railfans Still Love the "World's Largest" Steam Locomotive by James J. Reisdorff and Michael M. Bartels, South Platte Press, 2006.  This one-of-a-kind model exhibits the painstaking detail and superb craftsmanship that are evident in all of Mr. Herman’s work.

Included with the model are 45 wood patterns made by Mr. Herman and used to cast in brass some of the various parts for the Union Pacific Big Boy 4002 model.

The Union Pacific Big Boy 4002 model rests on a glass-enclosed aluminum trestle and measures approximately 72” (183 cm) in length and weighs 180 lbs. (81.8 kg).

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