College baseball fans will get up-close look at Union Pacific's heavy hitter Big Boy

May 19 (UPI) -- The world's largest steam-powered locomotive is hitting the rails and will be featured prominently at baseball's College World Series taking place next month in Omaha, Neb.

Union Pacific's Big Boy locomotive 4014 will leave Cheyenne, Wyo., June 7 on its Home Run Express Tour, which wraps up in Omaha, where the company is headquartered.

The engine will stop at five destinations along the way.

It will then spend 11 days on display during the college baseball championship tournament, parked outside the city's Charles Schwab Field between June 15 and 25.

The 1.1 million pound locomotive was delivered in 1941, one of 25 Big Boys built to haul heavy freight during World War II, specifically to navigate Utah's steep Wasatch Mountain Range.

After it was retired in 1961, Union Pacific reacquired locomotive 4014 from a museum in 2013, restoring it to operational condition in time for the 150th anniversary marking the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 2019.

The 132-foot steam engine is almost twice the length of a traditional modern diesel freight hauler. Locomotive 4014 is the last operational Big Boy in existence today, although seven are on static display.

The iconic engine will be accompanied by several historical rail cars during its display in Omaha, before returning to Cheyenne, where it is housed. Rail and baseball enthusiasts won't have to go far, as the engine will be located a scant 150 feet from home plate.

Baseball's College World Series has been played at Charles Schwab Field, home to the NCAA Division I Creighton University Blue Jays, since 2011. The current 25-year agreement calls for it to remain the host field through 2036.

"The Big Boy is a special piece of Union Pacific's history that played a vital role in helping carry the nation through World War II, and reminds us of rail's continued role in the U.S. economy," Union Pacific senior vice president, Corporate Relations and Chief Administrative Officer Scott Moore said in a statement Friday.

"We are delighted to provide rail enthusiasts and baseball fans alike the opportunity to bask in the glory of two distinctly American passions, experiencing the rich history of rail and the thrill of a baseball game."