The Locomotive That Crossed America: Chasing Trains

Hello! Good morning folks! Welcome to our breakfast table in the quaint little town of Jimthorpe in Pennsylvania. You might be wondering what that high-pitched, slightly kind of metallic, steamy noise is in the background. Well, as I'm having my chocolate milk with cream and Hershey's sauce, Big Boy is just 50 metres down the road and as well as having the pleasant sight of Amy next to me, I can rotate my head 90 degrees and have the pleasant sight of Big Boy. Having a full-on sit-down breakfast is a rare occurrence on a train-chasing day. It makes a nice change from the hurried scoffing of a croissant, for example. I have myself loading my tender with coal, but in this case it's eggs going into my stomach. We could witness Big Boy set off from Jimthorpe, but it would make it too tight to reach the next location further up the line. One that I've been really looking forward to, as we will witness Big Boy tackle one of the steepest gradients in the area. But on approach, my stomach drops at the sight of a police car blocking the entrance to the spot. But remarkably, he just drives away. My stomach is lifted. Can we walk down here at all? You can't go down here? Okay. Okay, thank you. So the location I was hoping to go to is seemingly blocked off and we had confirmation from a local police officer that we couldn't go down there and I am not looking to disagree with anything a police officer says. Is there a man walking? Yeah, there is. He's even got a fold-out chair. Unsure as to what to do, a fellow enthusiast joins us at our impromptu guardrail-side location for Big Boy's imminent arrival. Just listen to how its engines are slightly out of phase, but settle perfectly in sync due to the harmonic and steam demand effects of both engines. Powering up to the sleepy town of Nesquihoning, anyone who was asleep is now awake. Big Boy meets the Reading and Northern excursion train at Nesquihoning station. Packed full of enthusiasts and hauled by an SD40-2 and a GP38-2, liveried and numbered in celebration of America's independence from the British. This train will be leapfrogging Big Boy between here and Reading, Pennsylvania, enabling an up-close view of the brute for those on board, including David, a friend we made yesterday whilst chasing 2102 and 4014. We know he's on board, but just not sure where on the train. With co-pilot Amy remaining cool, the line clears ahead and Big Boy positions its feet in the blocks, ready for the sprint. That noise will stay with me for the rest of my life. Nice bit of drink break. It's amazing to be with so many people on the road chasing after the same thing. You know, in the UK you think probably the most well-known steam locomotive is Flying Scotsman, but you wouldn't expect this many people to be out on the roads chasing after it. And it does make me think whether in the UK we can do more to stimulate that interest in steam trains on the main line, because everyone loves a steam train, everyone would love to go out and see one, but maybe it's just about the awareness. Arriving in Tatamaca, Amy and I are gasping for a drink. You're only cash? I don't have cash. Okay, yeah, no, we only use cash. Oh, okay. Sorry. We have an ATM here. Here? If you want to use an ATM. I'll get it. What is it, three? Three bucks. Oh, that's so kind of you. Thank you. You're welcome. A lovely random act of kindness, followed by a compliment from a passing chihuahua. And now for a thought about infrastructure. It's one thing getting accustomed to the locomotives here, but another is understanding the infrastructure and getting used to it. I mean, in the UK, to be able to walk up to a train track, let alone stand on it, you'd be slapped with a thousand pound fine and potentially land yourself in a prison cell. Whereas here, people are laying pennies on the track and the train's rolling over it and they're scanning the ballast afterwards to try and pick it up. Aside from the railway infrastructure, you know, you look at the pavement we're standing on, and from an accessibility point of view, I feel like the UK does a good job at least in having accessible pavements for wheelchair users and buggy pushers. I mean, yeah, look at this, for example. Hot-footing our way to the next location, we just about have some time for some cultural enrichment. We could have gone to the Duncan drive-thru. Is it too late? Hello, please may I have a small iced coffee? No, a small iced coffee, please. One small iced coffee, please. No sugar, just milk, please. Please may I have a rocket pop donut and a mango pineapple limeade refresher. Mango pineapple limeade refresher, please. Small, small, please. That's all, thank you. That's it, thank you. Okay, it's 9.24 an hour. Oh, what is going on? We have to go through the drive-thru. Thank you, have a good day. I got called funny at the end of every sentence, which was brilliant. You don't get that treatment from me, do you? No idea why Amy requested this blue abomination, but I ought to give it a go. Tastes like freedom. I can hear Big Boy isn't far out, and it seems the excursion train is waiting in this wonderfully composed scene. Period correct outfits, stars and stripes pinwheels, and muscular backs. Jumping back in the car, we're heading just up the line, where the excursion train has now overtaken Big Boy. It's a good thing none of the nearby enthusiasts are called David, otherwise they would have gotten a right shock. With the immense crowds, traffic inevitably limits our pacing ability, but our next location offers a tranquil vista for Big Boy's booming whistle to cut through. I will never tire of seeing this glorious machine, even if it's just freely coasting along. A stark contrast to the constipation of the adjacent road, and at 111 degrees Fahrenheit, it's a relief for our vehicular stool to be released from the congestion. So, as with schedules in the UK, it's time for lunch. Amy's been doing some research on her phone for a preferred lunch spot, and that's where we're heading now. What's it called? Temple Family Restaurant. And have you already checked their menu? I might just have to go for pancakes for lunch. I could chase Big Boy all day without consuming any fuel, but it's important to balance this with making sure Amy is happy, and has elements of the day she can look forward to. Quesadilla for me. Pancakes for Amy. Contrary to what I've just said, we are now sharing the quesadilla and the pancakes. Fine by me, as I still have my choccy milk. The prevalence of choccy milk makes me very happy here. I used to have a choccy milk every time I came back from school, and I'd just put the chocolate powder at the top, and if I inhaled and drank it too quickly, the chocolate powder would go into my lungs. But this is not powdery, but still very nostalgic. Our pancakes to go! Right, this is a very hit or miss situation, maybe. Arriving into Reading, the excursion train has already dropped off its passengers, and is shunting out of the station to make way for Big Boy's arrival. The heat is searing, so I feel it's best for Amy to wait in the air-conditioned car, with the car keys. So, I've left Amy in the air-conditioned car because, in 40 degree heat, and relatively little shade, I'd rather her be safe and sound, and cool. It seems half of Reading has come out to see Big Boy. Either sheltering under umbrellas, or braving the heat head-on, I find the nearest place for shade, and regularly check in with my internal temperature. It's David! It's a strange feeling, standing on a station platform, watching a train pull in, surrounded by hundreds of people, all feeling the same sense of awe and excitement. I've stood solo on many platforms in the UK, watching some of our greats pass by. This amount of people coming to see a locomotive is momentous, and I hope the ripples of this will bring more people to see locomotives worldwide. In the UK, it's usually often only me whooping and enjoying trains audibly, but over here it seems to be the norm. David! Yes, this is great! I was hoping to see you! This isn't just a museum piece, it's a workhorse. Its purpose in its work, no longer to haul miles of freight, but to sing the song of railway enthusiasm, captivating crowds, inspiring new generations, and, in turn, preserving the heritage industry and railway around it. I've just seen an opportunity, and I'm going to take it. I'm not talking about this sprinkler system that looks rather quenching. Oh, that was refreshing. Oh, look at this! Okay, opportunity. Activate four-wheel drive! Wow, old railway bridge. Oh yes, oh yes. Oh yeah, secret spot unlocked in the shade too. Oh yes, oh yes. Bloody hell. I'll take that any day of the week. Bye, Ed! Never would the younger version of me, with a big train book, with Big Boy in the front, have thought that I'd see the real thing. I can't quite process what I've done, what I'm seeing even now, with all the American trucks on the road and infrastructure. It just feels like I'm watching a movie. Even then, what I just said sounded a bit American. It feels like I'm watching a film. There we go. But Amy has been waiting in the car patiently with the air conditioning on. We have a five-hour journey ahead of us, heading to Virginia for another day packed full of steam action tomorrow. We're saying goodbye to Big Boy. We're closing that chapter. Tomorrow is going to be a good one. Thank you for watching. There might be a little follow-up, actually, when I see Amy in the car, just to gauge her general feeling. Actually, there will be bonus footage because I'm going to run through that fountain again, and you can feel the refreshing pleasure through your screen. Here we go. Back past 225. Did you give up on it real quick? No, no, I saw it. Well, I can just wait and we can go like half.