“I’ve been up here for 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Cresson Borough President Ed Lebo said as Front Street was packed with people from near and far. Those in attendance estimated the crowd at about 6,000.

Starting in Philadelphia to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the train has made its way west this week, notably stopping in Altoona for four nights before its departure Saturday morning for a stop at the Horseshoe Curve then through Gallitzin to Cresson.

From 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. the locomotive stopped at the tracks for rail fans to take photos and get looks at the world’s largest steam locomotive before it pulled out for its next stop in Leetsdale.

To celebrate the Cresson stop, food trucks and local businesses set up tents along the street, mirroring past town festivals. Nearby storefronts joined in, selling breakfast, snacks and tasty treats.

Nadia Mazzara, 7, of Altoona smiles while watching the Big Boy locomotive leave Cresson Saturday morning. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

Lebo said the borough shut down Front Street Thursday night, blocking off entrances with barriers, while a few Cambria County employees cleared weeds. They also developed a flow plan including work schedules, designated spots and accommodations.

Thanks to additional work done by borough police Chief Mike Novak and borough Secretary Roberta Soisson, the event was a success, Lebo said.

Concerning the amount of people in attendance, he said “We had no clue on what to do, what to predict,” mentioning a previous locomotive that rolled through the town brought in about 1,000 people. So, they planned for between 1,500 and 15,000 people.

“We have very little to offer up here, coming from a small town, but what we do have, we hope everybody’s enjoying and comes back,” he said.

Some out-of-towners booked their rooms months ago at the Station Inn Bed & Breakfast, according to owner Alex Lang, who was seen wearing a bright yellow staff shirt and a headset.

As the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 train pulls away, several boys plug their ears to diminish the noise. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

To accommodate a wider audience, they also sold tickets for their “Big Boy Watch Party” so people could view the train from the porch or cool off downstairs. Both local residents and visitors bought tickets for the party.

Looking at the atmosphere Saturday morning, Lebo said they were excited to share the event with diehard railfans and those just interested in trains.

“What’s cool about this is just how much of the general public is excited to see a train,” he said. “So for us crazy people, we love to see that like, ‘Hey, this is kind of what we’re into.'”

Employees working in the Yard Office Lounge, in the lower level of the Station Inn, were seen preparing continental breakfast Saturday morning for those staying overnight. Friday night, manager Chelsea McMaster said they were busy serving Big Boy themed drinks.

Friday was their busiest evening to date, she said.

Baldwin, Maryland resident Greg Karwacki holds his daughter, Sophia, 4, on his shoulders to watch the Big Boy locomotive leave Cresson on Saturday morning. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

“You can’t see a train anywhere else like you can see right outside,” she said.

Keeping up with the train theme, Becky Strunk had an extra truck filled with Vale Wood Farms ice cream to accommodate the crowd at her caboose-shaped ice cream shop, Frosty’s Caboose, near the end of Front Street.

“I don’t know if you can prepare for this many people. I think you just do your best,” she said.

They also offered Big Boy-themed sweet treats, including Train Wreck nachos, a Chuga Chuga Choo Choo Sundae and an M&M train for little kids.

People staying at the Station Inn this week visited the caboose, fascinated by the traincar-shaped business.

Greensburg resident Jessie Glover wears his blue overalls, red bandana and conductor hat in anticipation of the Big Boy locomotive Saturday morning. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

Seeing the positive reaction to the Big Boy’s arrival, she hoped for the community to restart annual or biennial festivals, as they haven’t had an event like that in a while.

“I’m hoping that the community will gather back together doing this stuff again,” she said. “I love talking to the people coming together and working.”

Big Boy in a small town

The Big Boy locomotive coming through Cresson wasn’t just a community affair; people from out of town, out of county and out of state were milling about Front Street.

Railfans Lou Capwell of Topeka, Kansas, and Bill Schnierle of Canton, Ohio, were volunteering at the Station Inn to help with the crowds.

People wave goodbye to the Big Boy locomotive as it leaves Cresson and rolls toward Leetsdale on Saturday morning. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

Capwell has been coming to the Station Inn for about 30 years now, driving 1,000 miles to hang out with his train-loving friends a few times a year. He drove to Cresson on July 8, which was his birthday.

Understanding the town’s usual crowd, he said it was exciting to see all types of people come together to watch a train roll to a stop in the area for 30 minutes.

“It’s only half an hour this thing is here, and that’s a big thing to think about,” he said. “You’re going to see it. You blink, and it’s gone. Everybody is here just for that one fleeting instant.”

Likewise, Schnierle said it was great to see railfans and those interested in trains come out and see the Big Boy.

He was a part of a group that chased the locomotive starting in Annville through Mexico and Barree.

Schnierle said he’ll keep chasing the train until Struthers, Ohio, which is near his hometown.

While his friends are from all over the country, he said they continue to meet at the Station Inn, talk about trains and spread information to new fans.

“We’re 100 feet from the main line,” he said. “That’s a big attraction.”

Two new railfans, Francis Tarr, 6, and June Tarr, 4, were excited to see the Big Boy locomotive as they traveled with their parents from Pittsburgh that morning. Francis wore a conductor hat with pins from different places they’ve visited.

Their father, Travis, suggested coming to Cresson instead of visiting a bigger town in Pennsylvania.

“This was a nice place to go because it was a beautiful, little small town to see it go by in,” he said.

Danny Anderson, assistant English professor at Mount Aloysius College and Ebensburg resident, said it was unusual to see so many people taking an interest in his small town.

“We are very isolated from the rest of the world, it seems like,” he said. “Now this major event is coming to visit us, and it feels special, especially with the train history of the region.”

He decided to visit Cresson Saturday morning because his 87-year-old mother-in-law wanted to see the Big Boy roll through the town. She’s been watching the adventure on the news, so Anderson said they made a whole day out of the train sighting.

Greensburg resident Jessie Glover took it one step further and dressed as a conductor, complete with bright blue overalls, a red bandana and a conductor’s hat. He wasn’t channeling a specific look, but something along the lines of a steam engineer, he said.

As a railroad enthusiast, he wanted to see the train because “it’s the biggest and the best.”

When the locomotive stopped at Cresson Memorial Park, Davidsville resident Lei Hennessy-Owen remembered her grandfather’s occupation of running another Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive.

Growing up in Colorado and Utah, she said her grandfather was from Sweden, settled in the Rocky Mountains and worked as an engineer on the Rio Grande and the Union Pacific with her two uncles.

Saturday was a special moment for Hennessy-Owen because the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 train is the last operating engine of its kind. There are eight Big Boy locomotives still in existence, but only 4014 remains in operation.

Hennessy-Owen said the crowd in Cresson didn’t disappoint.

“I think people get it,” she said. “Look how many people are here.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.