Big Boy Locomotive No. 4014 travels along the Ohio River passing Emsworth Locks and Dams in Ben Avon, Pennsylvania, July 11, 2026. The Big Boy steam locomotives were commissioned in 1941 to haul heavy freight during World War II. No. 4014 is one of eight remaining Big Boys and travelled on a coast-to-coast tour in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Operating since 1921, Emsworth Locks and Dams is one of three locks on the Ohio River that use a pre-1927 system of multiple filling and emptying culverts with multiple valves. Emsworth averages about 470 commercial lockages every month, plus another 350-400 recreational craft lockages during the summer months. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is responsible for...
