The locomotive rolled into the train station at about 5:11 p.m., but fans were milling about the Railroader’s Memorial Museum long before that.

Altoona Police Department Officer Christy Wasser, who helped with crowd management on her bicycle that afternoon, said the crowd was both excited and pleasant.

“Something big like this coming to Altoona, I’m excited,” she said.

Railroad fans gather on the platform to watch the Big Boy train come into Altoona Wednesday evening. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

Over the next three days, she anticipates a crowd of 50,000 railroad enthusiasts in the area. While patrolling the area, she gave out golden stickers resembling police badges to nearby children, encouraging them to speak with officers if needed.

Knowing that many people in the crowd aren’t from the area, she hoped that visitors saw that Altoona is a small city with big hopes.

John Trent, a former engineer for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, traveled from Chambersburg with his wife to see the Big Boy in Altoona. To explain his excitement, he showed off his Horseshoe Curve shirt featuring an artistic rendering of a train.

It’s the biggest train he’s ever seen in his life.

“Big Boy was equivalent to about two or three engines,” he said.

The crew of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 locomotive drive the drive back to Rose Yard on Wednesday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Likewise, Gettysburg resident Charles Briney missed the locomotive in Harrisburg but was excited to watch it come through Altoona with his family.

As a model railroader enthusiast, his love of trains began in high school, so it was somewhat of a dream to see the Big Boy in real life.

“Big Boy is one of those trains that you really want to have in your layout,” he said. “And the opportunity to get to see it in real life is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

As the engine roared into the station, museum volunteer Joseph Frew recorded its entrance while waving his hat and exclaiming “Woo!” from behind the fence.

“Everybody is so excited to see this large steam locomotive, the largest operating steam locomotive in the world, coming through this area,” he said.

Railroaders Memorial Museum volunteer Joseph Frew waves his hat while recording the Big Boy pulling into the Altoona train station. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow.

Being a rare occasion, he wanted to see the train any way he could.

There were many young adults and children in the crowd as well, including Pittsburgh residents Chase Chelpanoff, 14, and Nolan Bytnar, 9. They were both wearing custom Big Boy-themed T-shirts.

Despite living on opposite sides of Pittsburgh, Chelpanoff and Bytnar stayed friends through their mutual love for trains.

“I love Big Boy,” Bytnar said. “It’s fun to see and catch and chase. It’s just a fun experience (for) a railfan.”

“Plus, it’s the biggest steam engine in the world, and this is the first time ever it’s running on Pennsylvania rails in Altoona,” Chelpanoff added.

Two Railroaders Memorial Museum volunteers stand on a stationary train while documenting the Big Boy coming into Altoona. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow.

It was Chelpanoff’s second time seeing the train, as he and his parents watched it leave Enola earlier that day. They left immediately after and arrived in Altoona at about 2 p.m.

According to his father, Jeff Chelpanoff, his son planned the entire trip, including hotel reservations.

“We’re the chauffeurs, and we go wherever he tells us to go,” he said.

After the train departed for Norfolk Southern’s Rose Yard, Railroaders Memorial Museum volunteer Beth Anne Keates expressed her enthusiasm for the train being in the city.

She’s written a few books about trains, including the “Union Pacific Railroad Heritage,” which is available at the museum.

The locomotive lets off steam while rolling into Altoona's train station Wednesday evening. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow.

A resident of West Chester, she arrived in Altoona at noon Wednesday to volunteer, and she plans on volunteering at the Horseshoe Curve on Saturday.

“In most of the history I’ve been studying for the Union Pacific Railroad, I always used to say that it was never going to get this far east, and believe it or not … it’s actually here,” she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-8946-7414.