With steam blasting from its sides, and a mighty roar of the whistle, enthusiasts, curiosity seekers and history buffs on Wednesday watched a restored Union Pacific locomotive depart Evanston, Wyoming, on a journey marking a seminal moment in America’s history.

"It’s an amazing piece of machinery,” said Chris Cannon, a self-described train buff visiting from Fredericksburg, Virginia. "For years, people were saying one would never be rebuilt, and now, here it is.”

The "Big Boy” locomotive, developed in the 1940s as the world’s largest steam-powered engine, returned to the rails to commemorate the creation -- and construction -- of a rail system from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Called the "Transcontinental Railroad,” it spawned the American rail industry, linked the industrializing East with the developing West, and helped to build a country recovering from a period of devastating Civil War.

On the eve of the railroad’s 150th anniversary, the Union Pacific No. 4014, just one of 25 "Big Boys” ever produced, thundered from southwest Wyoming to Ogden, Utah, as spectators gathered along the route to catch a glimpse.

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