World’s largest steam locomotive stops in Denison: Locals are greeted by Jay Leno!

September 5th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Denison, Iowa; Updated by Radio Iowa) – The world’s largest steam locomotive puffed its way into Denison, Wednesday, with celebrity motoring buff Jay Leno in the cab of the engine. The former “Tonight Show” talk show host and star of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” stopped long enough to visit with some Denison locals and take some snap shots during Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014’s Stop in Denison. Chad Stephens says it was surreal to see a celebrity in town.

“He was checking everything out and taking pictures and I wasn’t going to pass up that opportunity. I got my picture taken with someone with a net worth of 450 million dollars, so that’s pretty cool,” Stephens says. Stephens is a volunteer firefighter and a Leno fan. “It was kind of neat after watching him on T-V for a lot of years and seeing some of his shows and the automobile collection he has, it was kind of cool to see him in Denison, Iowa,” Stephens says.

Big Boy Number No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in 1941. It was retired in 1961 and returned to service in 2019. It made a trip through Iowa that year, and now it’s rolling through once again. The railroad has special agents and security detail that follow the train.”

Big Boy travels from Boone to Cedar Rapids today (Sept. 5). In the middle of that trip, the train will stop in Belle Plaine around 12:15 p.m. Big Boy will leave Cedar Rapids at 9:00 a.m. Friday. (Two of the photos below are from our sister-station KDSN in Denison)