‘Big Boy’ passes through Ashtabula County

BY BOB ETTINGER and ERIC HRIN
Gazette Newspapers

ASHTABULA COUNTY – With the hiss of warm, pressurized air being released and the clanging of a bell, the Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” announced its approach.
Moving slowly, steam blasting from its sides and exhaust flowing through a smokestack, “Big Boy” was welcomed in Geneva on Monday, June 8, by a crowd waving, cheering and taking photos and video before making its way to Ashtabula.
“It was an amazing experience, and I am thankful Main Avenue was part of this historic journey,” Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said. “We had a few hundred people gathering at various spots in the city. It was not moving as fast through Main Avenue as it was in other parts of the county, which gave us an outstanding view of 4014. You could really appreciate its size and the power of the engine. We are looking forward to seeing it again in July (on its return trip).”
Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” departed from the Norfolk Southern railyard in Conneaut as crowds cheered and waved on Tuesday, June 9.
“The magnitude of the engine, the wheels, the people, the excitement of the people who were engaged in it, that was worth everything, and then the smiles on kids’ faces,” Neil Simpson, owner of Simpson Family Jeeps, said. “Our Jeep community members distributed American flags that the kids could wave as the train came through. I was talking to other people along the way and Union Pacific employees were handing out vests and visors and other fun things. That changes our culture. That changes a kid. That creates a positive experience for everybody. Absolutely, it was awesome.”
The Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” passed through Ashtabula County on its historic cross country journey this week.
Crowds of people welcomed the train into Geneva on Monday afternoon.
Kelsey Awai, manager at Scribblers Coffee Co. in Geneva, said there was a big increase in customers as they waited for the train to arrive.
She said so many train spectators came into Scribblers that the business ran out of ice and its signature chicken salad. Seating was also in demand.
“We had no more seats left,” she said. “It was pretty crazy.”
All the customers – which she guessed numbered about 100 – surprised her.
“I thought there would be a little bit, but then there was an influx of people,” she said. “Everybody was parking and then coming over here and waiting for the train to get here.”
She saw the train herself.
“It was really cool,” she said. “I don’t what I was expecting. My boss told me it was very large.”
Chris Shipman, owner of Scribblers, took some video and photos of the train.
“It was phenomenal,” he commented.
He estimated that about 500 people showed up to see the train.
“It was packed,” he said.
Rob Frederick of Akron was among the many people in Geneva who saw the train pass by.
“I thought it was very cool,” he said.
He liked watching the train go by.
“It just made you feel good,” he said. “It made you feel like a real American.”
Another spectator in Geneva, John Carlton of Rome, enjoyed the experience of seeing the train.
“I never saw a steam locomotive running before, only on TV or YouTube,” he said. “I thought it was pretty nice.”
Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” then went onto Ashtabula where spectators watched along the train tracks before chugging its way to Conneaut, departing the morning of June 9.
Crowds gathered along the railroad tracks throughout Conneaut to watch as Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” made its departure.
“This is a historical thing, World War II, built then to haul military equipment over the mountains, and it’s the biggest one in the world,” Dan Simcox, of Conneaut, said. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to see that.”
With no public viewing platform in Conneaut, businesses that owned property along the Norfolk Southern tracks, like Simpson Family Jeeps, hosted watch parties to allow the public front-row seats to see the historic engine make its departure.
“I’ve been following the ‘Big Boy’ travel from west to east at this point and I recognized that there was no public access,” Simpson said. “Union Pacific was very specific about setting up opportunities for people to gather and view, and we have a large following within the Jeep-specific community. I wanted to make sure that, for this tri-state region, that our community was able to come in and specifically be able to see the train for all that it is and have this collective moment, which was super cool.”
The plan evolved to allow others onto the property for the event.
“The flyer that I had created got picked up by a couple of public sites and, as long as people were communicating and positively engaging, I was happy to share our space with everyone,” Simpson said. “I reached out to a couple people to make sure that our space would be available and we could park Jeeps and park individuals who didn’t have to race around. They were from out of town and they knew they had a safe place to come to Conneaut to engage in this together.”
“Big Boy” has caught the attention of an entire nation.
“I think it’s because of the size of it and the publicity that it’s getting, and we’ve never done anything like this as far as trains are concerned, and it was just a good father-son experience,” Howard Kepple, who traveled to Conneaut from Pittsburgh, with his son, David, said.
For people like Simpson, “Big Boy’s” visit was a glimpse into the past.
“I’m an enthusiast of anything with engines and wheels,” Simpson said. “I like anything that’s bigger than life, and this is one of those moments where we, as a nation, get to come together. It’s something that’s totally unifying, just a great piece of our heritage. The railroad built America, and then an opportunity to see the last existing largest train in the world operational, that’s just a cool thing that creates core memories.”
Simpson was happy to witness a piece of living history.
“Who we are (at Simpson Family Jeeps), we are all about revitalization of vintage American iron,” Simpson said. “We do restorations, full nut and bolt frame-off restorations of old vintage jeeps. These passenger cars, we always talk about how the Jeep has a story to tell, the passenger cars, the rail system, it has a story to tell. The people who rode in there, the hopes and dreams as they went from west to east and east to west and, not just their stories, but then the care of the restoration from our standpoint, we know what goes into doing a quality restoration to make any of the train cars able to make people happy doing this was spectacular.”
Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” exceeded the expectations of its admirers.
“One hundred percent (it lived up to expectations),” David Kepple said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“Big Boy” is hauling a number of old passenger cars on the journey.
Witnessing the train carried admirers back in time.
“It takes you back to what it would’ve been like, especially when the steam’s hitting you as it’s going past,” David Kepple said. “It’s pretty wild.”
Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy” will pass through Ashtabula County during its return to the west coast after visiting Philadelphia on July 13.