Four Days with a Giant: Chasing Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 Across Northeastern Pennsylvania
By Michael S. Oher, TCA #18-73531 Summer 2026 e*Train
Part I – Nicholson to Nesquehoning
There are train trips, and then there are adventures you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
Most railfans can point to one excursion, one locomotive, or one weekend that stands above all the others. It’s rarely just about the train. Instead, it’s the people you meet, the places you visit, the conversations you have while waiting trackside, and those unexpected moments that no amount of planning could ever create.
For me, that weekend came in June 2026.
When Union Pacific announced that Big Boy No. 4014 would travel across Northeastern Pennsylvania before arriving at Steamtown National Historic Site for the Big Boy Reunion, I knew there was no way I was going to watch it from a single location. This wasn’t simply another excursion. This was the world’s largest operating steam locomotive traveling through one of America’s most scenic railroad regions.
I wanted to experience all of it.
Joining me was my good friend Michael Macina (TCA #26-79557). Before the weekend was over, we’d connect with fellow esteemed American Flyer collector Dave Bauer (TCA #11-66427), spend time with Eastern Division Assistant Social Media and Marketing Chairman Caleb Easter (TCA #24-77822), and eventually meet the man responsible for bringing Big Boy back to life, Ed Dickens.
None of us realized just how remarkable the next four days would become.
Nicholson – More Than a Viewing Location
Friday afternoon found me driving into Nicholson, Pennsylvania.
Normally, Nicholson is exactly what you’d expect from a quiet northeastern Pennsylvania town. But on this particular weekend, it had become something entirely different.
It had become a railroad community.
Long before Big Boy ever arrived, people had already claimed their spots.
Motorhomes stretched along the roadsides.
Campers filled every available parking area.
Families unfolded lawn chairs.
Camera tripods dotted the hillsides overlooking the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.
Every few minutes, another railfan arrived, introducing themselves to strangers as though they’d known each other for years.
And perhaps that’s one of the things I love most about this hobby.
The trains may bring us together, but it’s the people who make these trips memorable.
Beneath the magnificent Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, I met up with Mike.
Towering nearly 240 feet above the valley floor and stretching almost half a mile across the countryside, the viaduct is one of America’s greatest railroad landmarks. Completed in 1915 by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, it remains every bit as impressive today as it was over a century ago.
If there was ever a stage worthy of Big Boy, this was it.
As the evening wore on, the atmosphere became almost festive.
People grilled dinner beside their RVs.
Children tossed footballs in open fields.
Scanner radios crackled with reports from farther up the line.
Photography tips were exchanged.
Stories about past excursions flowed freely between people who, in many cases, had only just met.
Mike and I didn’t arrive with a camper.
Instead, we folded down the seats, climbed into the backs of our cars, and spent the night sleeping there beneath the viaduct.
Was it comfortable?
Not especially.
Would I do it again?
Without hesitation.
Because looking around at hundreds of fellow railfans who had done the same thing—some in motorhomes, others in tents, and still others sleeping in their cars—it became clear that none of us were there for comfort.
We were there for history.
Saturday Morning – The Wait
Before daylight, Nicholson was already awake.
Coffee brewed outside campers.
People quietly packed camera bags.
Conversations became shorter as everyone glanced toward the tracks.
Everywhere you looked, there were smiles.
No one complained about the early hour.
Nobody minded the cool morning air.
The anticipation was simply too great.
Then something happened that instantly became one of the most talked-about moments of the weekend.
Without warning, heads turned skyward.
Flying over the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct was what can only be described as a homemade flying machine—a hang glider powered by a box fan attached to a lawn chair.
As unbelievable as that sounds, there it was.
The wing resembled a giant American flag, while another American flag streamed proudly behind it in tow.
For several unforgettable minutes, cameras that had been carefully aimed toward the tracks suddenly pointed toward the sky.
The crowd laughed.
People applauded.
Some simply shook their heads.
It was patriotic.
It was completely unexpected.
And somehow it perfectly captured the spirit of the weekend.
Then another sound interrupted the laughter.
A deep exhaust bark echoed across the valley.
The conversation stopped instantly.
Thousands of eyes returned to the railroad.
Big Boy was coming.
As Union Pacific No. 4014 emerged onto the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, silence fell over the crowd.
The world’s largest operating steam locomotive slowly crossed one of America’s greatest railroad bridges while thousands stood quietly taking in the moment.
No photograph could truly capture it.
No video could adequately reproduce the sound.
It was one of those experiences that simply had to be lived.
As the locomotive disappeared into the distance, applause broke out across the valley.
Then something remarkable happened.
Within seconds, thousands of people sprinted back toward their vehicles.
The chase had begun.
Pittston – Everyone Had the Same Idea
Traffic leaving Nicholson might have frustrated most motorists.
Not one railfan seemed to care.
Every vehicle heading south had the same destination.
At each stoplight, you could glance over and immediately recognize another photographer by the camera gear piled in the passenger seat.
People waved.
They smiled.
They compared GPS routes through open windows.
There was no competition.
Only shared excitement.
Every one of us wanted to witness history together.
Crestwood – Two Giants Meet
If Nicholson provided the anticipation, Crestwood delivered the moment everyone would remember.
By the time we arrived, fellow American Flyer collector Dave Bauer (TCA #11-66427) and Eastern Division Assistant Social Media and Marketing Chairman Caleb Easter (TCA #24-77822) had joined us.
Standing trackside with friends made the moment even more meaningful.
Then came something very few railroad enthusiasts will ever experience.
Reading & Northern No. 2102 appeared.
As Big Boy approached, the two legendary steam locomotives briefly ran side by side.
Twin whistles echoed across the valley.
Steam filled the morning air.
The crowd erupted.
For those few fleeting moments, nobody worried about camera settings or perfect composition.
We simply watched.
Everyone knew they were witnessing history.
That single scene alone made the trip worthwhile.
Jim Thorpe – A Perfect Setting
From Crestwood, the chase continued toward Jim Thorpe.
Few places in Pennsylvania showcase railroading quite like Jim Thorpe.
Nestled among steep mountains and the Lehigh River, the town almost feels frozen in time.
Watching Big Boy roll through that landscape felt less like watching an excursion and more like stepping back into the golden age of American railroading.
Every overlook was crowded.
Every bridge was lined with spectators.
Strangers shared viewing spots and exchanged stories while waiting for the whistle to echo through the valley once again.
Nesquehoning – A Celebration
By evening, we reached Nesquehoning.
After an entire day of chasing trains, photographing history, and racing from one location to another, the pace finally slowed.
Nobody seemed eager to leave.
Instead, railfans gathered around Big Boy, swapping stories from the day’s chase.
Some compared photographs.
Others laughed about barely making the next crossing.
It felt less like the end of an excursion and more like a reunion of friends.
Then, as darkness settled over town, fireworks suddenly illuminated the sky.
The bright colors reflected beautifully across Big Boy’s massive black boiler while cheers echoed throughout the crowd.
Standing there with Caleb and thousands of fellow railfans, I realized something.
This weekend had already become about much more than one locomotive.
It had become about the people.
And somehow, the best was still yet to come…
Part II – The Journey North
As spectacular as Saturday had been, most people would have been perfectly content to pack up their cameras, point their cars toward home, and spend the next several weeks reliving the memories through photographs.
For us, the adventure wasn’t over.
Big Boy still had miles to travel before reaching Scranton, and so did we.
Sunday morning found us back on the road long before the locomotive moved. One thing had become clear over the previous twenty-four hours—we weren’t just chasing a train anymore. We had become part of a rolling community.
By now, we recognized many of the same faces we’d first met beneath the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.
There was the photographer from Ohio, whom we had talked to on Friday evening.
The father and son who had been standing beside us in Nicholson.
The couple traveling in the motorhome who somehow managed to beat us to nearly every location.
Everywhere we stopped, familiar vehicles appeared.
People waved.
They laughed.
Someone would ask, “Where are you headed next?”
Another would reply, “We’ll probably see you there.”
And more often than not, they were right.
Although thousands of people were spread across dozens of miles of railroad, it somehow felt like one traveling family.
Jim Thorpe – Steam Through the Mountains
Our first major stop of the morning brought us back to Jim Thorpe.
If Saturday had been about anticipation, Sunday felt different.
There was less nervous excitement.
Instead, there was appreciation.
People weren’t worried about getting “the shot” anymore.
They were simply enjoying the opportunity to see Big Boy one more time.
Jim Thorpe may be one of the most beautiful railroad settings anywhere in the East.
Historic buildings line the streets.
The Lehigh River winds through town.
Mountains rise on either side of the railroad.
Watching Big Boy work through that landscape almost felt natural, as though the locomotive had somehow returned to an era where steam still ruled the rails.
People filled every bridge and overlook.
Families waved as the locomotive rolled by.
Children covered their ears just before smiling as the whistle echoed through the valley.
Everyone seemed to know they were witnessing something special.
Pittston – Familiar Faces
By the time we reached Pittston, one thing had become impossible to ignore.
We were seeing the same people over and over again.
The railfan who had camped beside us in Nicholson was now standing only a few yards away.
The couple we had spoken with in Jim Thorpe pulled into the parking lot just behind us.
People greeted each other like old friends despite having met only the day before.
That’s one of the wonderful things about railroad excursions.
Strangers become friends almost instantly because everyone shares the same passion.
Between train movements, conversations turned toward favorite railroads, collections, layouts, and stories from previous excursions.
The locomotive may have brought us together.
The conversations kept us together.
Moosic – The Final Sprint
As Big Boy worked its way north, excitement began building once again.
Everyone knew the locomotive was nearing Scranton.
The pace quickened.
Cars left the crossings almost immediately after the train passed.
Navigation systems recalculated routes.
Friends texted one another with updates.
“He’s moving.”
“Traffic is backed up.”
“We’ll see you in Scranton.”
The chase that had begun beneath the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct was nearing its conclusion.
The Radisson – A Different Kind of Memory
Sometimes the most memorable moments are the ones you never plan.
After following Big Boy into Scranton, we found ourselves near the historic Radisson Lackawanna Station.
Originally built as the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad’s passenger station, the magnificent building seemed like the perfect backdrop for one final photograph.
Then we rounded the corner.
There it was.
Big Boy.
No photographers running from crossing to crossing.
No frantic race to stay ahead of the train.
Just the locomotive.
Standing there, only a short distance away, I finally had the opportunity to appreciate its incredible size without distraction.
Photographs don’t prepare you for it.
Neither do videos.
You have to stand beside Big Boy to understand its scale truly.
But what I’ll remember even more than its size was the heat.
Even after traveling hundreds of miles, the locomotive still radiated warmth.
Standing beside it, you could actually feel the heat coming from the massive boiler.
It transformed the experience.
Big Boy wasn’t simply something to look at.
It was alive.
Steam drifted lazily into the air.
Metal quietly ticked as it cooled.
Visitors spoke almost in whispers.
There was an unspoken understanding among everyone standing there.
After two days of chasing the locomotive across Pennsylvania, none of us were in a hurry anymore.
We simply stood there and appreciated the moment.
Sometimes, railroading moves at seventy miles per hour.
Sometimes it teaches you to slow down.
Scranton at Night
As evening settled over Scranton, the city itself seemed to embrace the excitement surrounding the reunion.
Restaurants buzzed with conversations about Big Boy.
Hotel lobbies were filled with photographers downloading memory cards full of images.
Everywhere you looked, someone wore a railroad shirt or carried a camera.
It felt less like a city hosting an event and more like the railroad community had temporarily taken over.
We found ourselves replaying the weekend’s highlights.
The homemade flying machine over Nicholson.
Big Boy crossing the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.
The incredible side-by-side run with Reading & Northern No. 2102 at Crestwood.
The fireworks in Nesquehoning.
Finding Big Boy behind the Radisson.
Each story somehow became better with every retelling.
Yet we all knew one more day remained.
Monday would bring the Big Boy Reunion itself.
If the crowds we had already encountered were any indication, it was going to be something unlike anything we had ever experienced.
We had no idea just how right we were.
Part III – The Big Boy Reunion
When we arrived at Steamtown National Historic Site on Monday morning, it became immediately clear that this wasn’t simply another railroad event.
It was something much bigger.
Long before we reached the entrance, traffic slowed to a crawl.
Parking lots filled quickly, and people streamed toward the museum from every direction. Families carrying folding chairs, photographers with backpacks full of camera gear, longtime railroaders wearing hats from railroads that disappeared decades ago, and children seeing Big Boy for the very first time all shared the same destination.
Then we saw the line.
It just kept going.
And going.
And going.
The line stretched for nearly two miles through the streets of Scranton before finally reaching the entrance to Steamtown. It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed at a railroad event.
By the end of the day, an estimated 30,000 people would pass through the gates.
Think about that for a moment.
Thirty thousand people.
Thirty thousand individuals from every corner of the country had come together because of one steam locomotive.
For anyone who has ever heard someone say that railroad enthusiasm is fading, they only needed to stand in that line for a few minutes to realize how wrong that assumption is.
A Celebration of Railroading
Once inside the grounds, the atmosphere was impossible to describe without smiling.
Everywhere you looked, there were conversations.
A grandfather pointed toward Big Boy while explaining steam locomotives to his grandson.
Parents lifted children onto their shoulders for a better view.
Collectors compared photographs from the weekend’s chase.
Model railroaders discussed layouts.
Former railroad employees shared stories from careers spent on the rails.
People who had never met before found themselves talking like old friends.
That may be the greatest part of this hobby.
Trains break the ice.
Friendships do the rest.
Walking through Steamtown, I realized this weekend had never really been about one locomotive.
It was about the community that surrounds it.
Meeting the Man Behind the Legend
One of the moments I had looked forward to most was the opportunity to meet Ed Dickens.
For anyone who follows Union Pacific’s steam program, Ed needs little introduction.
As Senior Manager of Heritage Operations, he led the restoration of Big Boy No. 4014 and has dedicated countless hours to ensuring that one of the greatest steam locomotives ever built continues operating for future generations.
When Big Boy returned to steam in 2019, millions watched online.
Standing there at Steamtown, I had the opportunity to meet the man who made it happen.
Despite the enormous crowds surrounding him throughout the day, Ed remained gracious, patient, and generous with his time. Every person who approached him was treated as though they were the only one waiting.
It would have been easy for someone in his position to become overwhelmed by thousands of visitors.
Instead, he smiled.
He answered questions.
He posed for photographs.
He genuinely seemed to enjoy sharing Big Boy with everyone who had come to see it.
Meeting him reminded me that preserving railroad history doesn’t simply happen.
It takes passionate people willing to dedicate years of their lives to making the impossible become reality.
One Last Look
Eventually, the crowds began thinning.
The cameras slowly disappeared into backpacks.
Families started making their way toward parking lots.
The excitement that had built for months was beginning to wind down.
Before leaving, I found myself stopping one last time to simply look at Big Boy.
No camera.
No rush.
No, trying to find a better angle.
Just looking.
Over the previous four days, I had watched the locomotive thunder across the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.
I’d chased it through the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania.
I’d witnessed it race alongside Reading & Northern No. 2102.
I’d stood beneath fireworks in Nesquehoning.
I’d found it resting quietly behind the Radisson Lackawanna Station and felt the warmth radiating from its massive boiler.
Now, standing at Steamtown surrounded by thousands of people who shared the same appreciation for railroad history, it seemed like the perfect way to end the journey.
The Ride Home
The drive home gave me plenty of time to reflect.
The amazing thing was that my thoughts rarely centered on how many photographs I had taken or how many miles we had driven.
Instead, I kept thinking about people.
The family from Ohio we met in Nicholson, who had driven all night just to watch Big Boy cross the viaduct.
The countless railfans who welcomed strangers into conversations as though they had known each other for years.
The excitement on the children’s faces every time Big Boy blew its whistle.
The cheers that erupted at Crestwood when Big Boy and Reading & Northern No. 2102 ran side by side.
The laughter after watching what can only be described as a homemade flying machine—a hang glider powered by a box fan attached to a lawn chair—fly over the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct while towing an American flag behind it.
The quiet moments behind the Radisson when the chase stopped, and all that remained was the gentle ticking of hot metal cooling after another successful run.
The kindness shown by Ed Dickens despite spending the day surrounded by thousands of admirers.
Most of all, I thought about the people who shared the journey with me.
Michael Macina.
Dave Bauer.
Caleb Easter.
Like so many friendships in this hobby, our shared passion for railroading brought us together, but weekends like this strengthen those friendships in ways that are difficult to explain to anyone who has never experienced it.
More Than Big Boy
When people ask me about the trip, they’ll probably expect me to talk about Big Boy.
And I will.
I’ll tell them about seeing the world’s largest operating steam locomotive cross the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.
I’ll tell them about watching it race alongside Reading & Northern No. 2102.
I’ll tell them about the fireworks in Nesquehoning, the two-mile line at Steamtown, and the incredible crowds that proved railroading is as alive as ever.
But if I’m being honest, that’s not what I’ll remember most.
I’ll remember sleeping beneath the viaduct surrounded by hundreds of fellow railfans.
I’ll remember strangers becoming friends over conversations about trains.
I’ll remember waving to the same photographers as we leapfrogged each other from one town to the next.
I’ll remember standing beside Big Boy behind the Radisson, close enough to feel the heat coming from its boiler.
I’ll remember meeting Ed Dickens and thanking him for bringing history back to life.
Most of all, I’ll remember that for four days, thousands of people from every walk of life gathered together for one simple reason.
Not because they had to.
Because they wanted to.
Because railroads still have the power to inspire.
Big Boy 4014 may have been the reason we came to Pennsylvania.
The people, the friendships, and the shared experience are the reasons we’ll never forget it.
And that’s what made this more than a train chase.
It became an adventure.
