When a Steam Train Rolls Past Your House

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The world’s largest operating steam locomotive rolled right past my house on Saturday. Days later, I’m still marveling at the very thought of it.

For those who aren’t familiar, Union Pacific Railroad built Big Boy No. 4014 in 1941 to support the war effort, hauling materials through a rugged Western landscape. It’s one of just eight remaining Big Boys. The others are all on display, including one that was recently restored at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA. (This is your cue to plan a trip to Northeast Pennsylvania!)

Is it just me, or was Big Boy’s coast-to-coast tour the 250th event we’ve all been waiting for? I wouldn’t call myself a railfan, but I’ve been delighted to encounter so much unabashed enthusiasm over the last few weeks. CBS got it right with its “See how this locomotive brought America together” segment. Passion for trains is not a price of entry for this event. Somehow it’s about something more.

Certainly, nostalgia comes into play. I’ve thought a lot lately about a time in the nineties when my dad heard the steam whistle of a train passing through the Beaver River Valley. He called for my brothers and me to jump into the truck, and thus began a fun Saturday morning jaunt to catch up to the train. It’s an indelible memory.

As for Saturday, this time I had a front row view from my own front porch. The neighbors on our tucked away street expected some activity, but could not have imagined what took place. We easily had 300 people lining the street to watch.

Kathi and I had an impromptu gathering on the porch. My aunt and uncle basically brought the party, lining our kitchen counter with a spread of food. There was something that was SO MUCH FUN about gathering for this one-time event. There was a buzz about the group and a handful of false alarms. (“I think I hear it!”)

I don’t know whether we were hearing the whistle echoing through the Mon Valley or we just imagined that we were. On its way to us, the Big Boy chugged alongside the Great Allegheny Passage, beneath the Rankin and Homestead Grays bridges, hugged the river bend across from Hazelwood, passed over top Page Dairy Mart, and then into the South Side. How fitting that the river valley that churned out so much steel over the years was hosting this old-time train. When the engine came into view, the whistle was cover-your-ears-loud for some. I felt it reverberating and pounding in my chest. It was exhilarating.

The train was fast. This is the part nobody prepared us for. It zipped past a stretch of the South Side that used to have a rail yard, spur tracks, and a pedestrian bridge to the mill. It passed homes and apartments that belonged to families like the Lopatas, Miskises, Zenchaks, McCreas, and Fedoreks (some of them still here). I wanted to cry.

Here’s a video taken by Kiley Koscinski next to my house and here’s a shorter one that I took. Side note: it’s amazing how quickly people are ready to pack up and go, even as the train is still passing 🤣.

I hope I’ll always remember the deafening sound of the whistle, the impressiveness of the wheels, and an energy that was akin to a carnival atmosphere. But mostly, I hope I’ll remember how a train brought so many people together. As a neighbor observed: the train was nice, but the specialness of it all was the people who gathered together to see it.

Take my Big Boy Experience Survey!

I recently attended the Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s annual PA Downtown Conference, where the thread of community was just as present. Our closing keynote speaker was Erin Barnes, founder of ioby and President & CEO of Main Street America. She focused her remarks on the importance of stories, which “bring forth the past and present in a continuous line.” She challenged us to consider which stories deserve greater care, stewardship, and attention, and to tell them truthfully. (My Deciding on Trails folks can see Chapter 11 for some similar ideas.)

Barnes also challenged us to create durable, flexible places. After all, she reminded us, “Great places do not happen by accident.” It takes a whole lot of devoted people doing enduring work. She also said, “Every downtown exists as a place and exists as a story.” I ask you, what stories are we telling about our communities?

Other key takeaways from the PA Downtown Conference include:

• Let people play! This message was shared by opening keynote speaker Spud Marshall. He talked about a group in State College that were inspired by the P-Funk Mothership to build a spaceship and have a dance party in their neighborhood. Sometimes letting people play can jumpstart community building in the most unexpected ways.

• Main Street only works if we’re getting the relationship part right. Again and again, I heard what we know and sometimes forget. Main Street initiatives are built upon people knowing and trusting each other. I’m paraphrasing Sarah Merritt of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts here, but the sentiment was shared in just about every session.

• It helps to understand our behavioral hardwiring. I participated in workshop on “unleashing the power that drives Main Street.” In it, Verdera co-founders Elizabeth Cipolla and Amanda Kochirka led us through an exploration of our own behavioral hardwiring (high patience/low patience, high structure/low structure, etc.) and how we can use the knowledge to build more powerful teams.

• Final takeaway: I need to plan a trip to Erie County this fall! I went on the Route 6 Mobile Tour to Edinboro, Union City, and Corry. These are three towns that are doing the work! I’m eager to get back.