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Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive makes historic stop in Berks as crowds wait in heat for hours [PHOTOS]
Hat tip, Trainorders, but the report of a fatality was erroneous.
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,6192941
Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive makes historic stop in Berks as crowds wait in heat for hours (PHOTOS)
Crowds endured blistering weather to see the massive 1941 steam engine, the last Big Boy in operation.
The Big Boy No. 4014 steam engine makes an historic stop at the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, arriving to cheers for excited fans. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
Author
By David Mekeel | dmekeel@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle
PUBLISHED: July 2, 2026 at 5:55 PM EDT | UPDATED: July 3, 2026 at 7:43 AM EDT
The sound came first, long and loud.
Rolling into the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station from a distance, the distinct bellow of a train whistle instantly grabbed the attention of the hundreds upon hundreds gathered there.
A few moments later, it came again. This time louder, closer.
The members of the crowd, most who had fought the blistering triple-digit July heat for hours as they waited, stood at attention. They peered intensely at the tracks stretched out to the north of the station in Muhlenberg Township, ready for the big moment.
{snip}
Engineer Ed Dickens, right, talks with Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad founder and CEO Andy Muller in the cab of Big Boy No. 4014 at the Reading and Northern Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
{snip}
Big Boy departs the crowds at the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
{snip}
Crowds endured blistering weather to see the massive 1941 steam engine, the last Big Boy in operation.
The Big Boy No. 4014 steam engine makes an historic stop at the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, arriving to cheers for excited fans. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
Author
By David Mekeel | dmekeel@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle
PUBLISHED: July 2, 2026 at 5:55 PM EDT | UPDATED: July 3, 2026 at 7:43 AM EDT
The sound came first, long and loud.
Rolling into the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station from a distance, the distinct bellow of a train whistle instantly grabbed the attention of the hundreds upon hundreds gathered there.
A few moments later, it came again. This time louder, closer.
The members of the crowd, most who had fought the blistering triple-digit July heat for hours as they waited, stood at attention. They peered intensely at the tracks stretched out to the north of the station in Muhlenberg Township, ready for the big moment.
{snip}
Engineer Ed Dickens, right, talks with Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad founder and CEO Andy Muller in the cab of Big Boy No. 4014 at the Reading and Northern Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
{snip}
Big Boy departs the crowds at the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
{snip}
A comment at TO:
by OHCR1551
Posted: Yesterday
Things get mangled so fast these days. It's always been true to some extent, but now ...
What likely happened: kid fell, adults nearby collapsed unrelated, someone saw CPR in progress and assumed. There's no way to run the schedule in daylight without mass casualty incidents from heatstroke.
A reminder: many fans out there are new and a lot of the others are autists. Watch our brothers and sisters, because it's easy for anyone with autism to lock in on the train and forget to drink. One effective strategy I've found is to finish a free-refill cold drink, then reload with ice and cold water for the car. Load your cooler with frozen water bottles that will melt fast when you take them out. Beer won't help until you're safely at the hotel or home.
R. M.
Jacobsburg, OH
Posted: Yesterday
Things get mangled so fast these days. It's always been true to some extent, but now ...
What likely happened: kid fell, adults nearby collapsed unrelated, someone saw CPR in progress and assumed. There's no way to run the schedule in daylight without mass casualty incidents from heatstroke.
A reminder: many fans out there are new and a lot of the others are autists. Watch our brothers and sisters, because it's easy for anyone with autism to lock in on the train and forget to drink. One effective strategy I've found is to finish a free-refill cold drink, then reload with ice and cold water for the car. Load your cooler with frozen water bottles that will melt fast when you take them out. Beer won't help until you're safely at the hotel or home.
R. M.
Jacobsburg, OH