KNOX — The likely once-in-a-lifetime experience to witness the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive has brought thousands of people to Knox on Thursday, July 16. As of 12:20 p.m. CT, the Big Boy is still on it’s way, delayed a half-hour later than its original 12:30 p.m. CT arrival time.
For many, the historic stop is more than just an experience.
Janie Deangelis is a Kewanna, Indiana, native but lives in Phoenix. For her, this stop is about remembering her father, who was an avid steam locomotive fan. She said some of her most precious memories involve a steam engine train.
“I remember back when I was barely able to walk that we had steam engines in our life,” Deangelis said. “And this would be a tribute to him. He would love this.”
The Henderson family drove over two hours to see the Big Boy, all for their son Hutton. Hutton is a “train lover,” Casey Henderson said.
“We thought this was maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Henderson said. “So, we’re going to take advantage of it since it was close to us.”
Henderson said Hutton doesn’t know anything about the Big Boy. According to her, he’s just excited to see a big train.
Some local businesses closed, others took Mayor Dennis Estok’s advice and are capitalizing on the event.
At Papa Farm Pizza, owner Lenny Dessauer is serving a limited, special menu with breakfast. He said that while the business is busy, it’s not much busier than a regular day. But today, they opened their storefront and set up a wood-fire pizza truck outside City Hall.
“We knew there would be 5,000 or more [people] based on what happened in Argos,” Dessauer said. “So, what we did is we kind of guessed and figured out how many people out of five- to 8,000 people, how much they would eat.”
Dessauer said they put in an extra large order to prepare.
Rabbit Coffee owner Nathan Bradley told The Tribune that having so many people come in from out of town has been “really cool.” Rabbit Coffee roasts its own coffee beans. Bradley said people have been comparing the roaster to the Big Boy.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in from out of town that haven’t seen a roaster,” Bradley said. “We’ve got a roaster behind the counter and so people get to see that, and I’ve had a few comments already that it looks like the steam engine, which was fun.”
Usually, Rabbit Coffee would staff two people. For the Big Boy, it staffed four people. Most importantly, Bradley made sure they had enough coffee roasted and supplies on hand.
We’re “just a cute little hole-in-the-wall roaster that’s in a small little town,” Bradley said. Having so many new faces come in is “kind of strange, but it’s neat.”
The Big Boy No. 4014 is running behind but those who have descended to Knox can expect the locomotive at 1 p.m. CT.
Email Tribune staff writer Juliane Balog at jbalog@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Knox is ready for the Big Boy No. 4014 with thousands already lined up
Reporting by Juliane Balog , South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Juliane Balog , South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
