Mike Rinkunas/photos as noted
The moment Union Pacific 4014 rolled to a stop next to Steamtown’s own Big Boy 4012 on the evening of June 14, something shifted. We knew two of the largest steam locomotives ever built, together side-by-side for the first time since the 1950s, would captivate railfans and families, but we had no idea of the magnitude.
ABOVE: Three night photo sessions sponsored by the Iron Horse Society and conducted by Peter Lerro and Railfan & Railroad Magazine’s Steve Barry were held Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, June 27-29. Each session, attended by 45 intrepid photographers, was completely sold out. A pair of US Military GIs keep a vigilant eye out for any late night suspicious activities while a pair of Union Pacific Big Boys simmer behind them, awaiting the call of duty to haul needed supplies for the war effort. This was one of many scenes recreated during the Lerro “Union Pacific Big Boy” photo shoot held at Steamtown. Other scenes included railroad employee reenactors and Rosie the Riveters. — James Benetzky
The numbers still don’t feel real. Steamtown welcomed 60,844 visitors during their 2025 fiscal year (October to September). Within the first six days of the Big Boy Reunion, the Park had already eclipsed that number. By the time 4014 pulled out on July 1, the park had welcomed more than 110,000 visitors. For some perspective: Steamtown’s grand opening in 1995 drew 30,000 people over three days. On Monday, June 15, alone, attendance almost matched the entire grand opening total! They came from everywhere. Guests drove in from across the Eastern Seaboard, flew in from the West Coast, and even crossed oceans – one visitor at the Iron Horse Society’s night photo shoot had flown in from the Netherlands for the Reunion. And a huge share of the visitors weren’t passionate about trains, at least not yet. They were families, many with small children, seeing a steam locomotive up close for the first time in their lives.
ABOVE: A young train enthusiast enjoys the Big Boy Reunion from an aerial view, thanks to Dad’s shoulders. — Tom Nemeth
That part matters more than any attendance figure. I know, because I was one of those kids once. I was there in 1986, when Steamtown relocated to Scranton, climbing all over Bullard No. 2 and telling anyone who’d listen that I was going to grow up and become a train engineer. Turns out I did. Today I’m one of Steamtown’s volunteer train engineers, and I also founded and now lead the Iron Horse Society, Steamtown’s philanthropic partner.
ABOVE: A terrestrial view of the 26 – 4014 side-by-side photo runby at Steamtown Sunday evening, June 14. — Alex Strausser
A longtime Steamtown volunteer put it to me simply: “The potential of this Park is maddening.” He’d know – it’s the same reason he walked away from the Park for a few years. Nothing seemed to be getting done, and all that potential stayed just that: potential. He came back recently, drawn by the transformation underway under Superintendent Jeremy Komasz, and today he says the “maddening” cuts the other way – the sky’s the limit now. Watching tens of thousands of first-time visitors walk through those gates, many of them kids who’ll remember this the way I remember 1986, it’s hard to disagree.
ABOVE: The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad posed its sesquicentennial-decorated M630 1776 and Alco PA 190 along Ridge Row in Scranton to provide a photo op with the Big Boy on Sunday evening. Everyone wanted to get in on the action! — John Olejnik
None of it happens by accident. The National Park System, the City of Scranton, Union Pacific, Lackawanna County Commissioners, Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, and a long list of other agencies and partners too numerous to name, all coordinated to move and host more people over two weeks than live within Scranton’s city limits: more than 75,000 residents. The weather cooperated too: sunny skies, cool temperatures, and barely a drop of rain for the entire run.
Union Pacific’s crew deserves real credit here. Time and again, their people stopped what they were doing to answer a kid’s question, pose for a photo, or just talk railroading with a stranger. They weren’t just maintaining the locomotive – they were ambassadors for the whole hobby.
ABOVE: Big Boy 4014 shuffles past Bridge 60 Tower in Scranton on Friday evening, June 12. The train consist backed from Dupont Junction via the NS Sunbury Line and utilized the south leg of the Bridge 60 wye into Steamtown. — John Olejnik
But if UP’s crew were the visiting ambassadors, it was Steamtown’s own staff and volunteers who carried the real weight of the Reunion –showing up early, staying late, staffing the gates, and answering the same questions hundreds of times a day. They didn’t do it alone, though: NPS brought in more than 50 additional personnel from other national parks around the country to help staff the Reunion, reinforcements on top of the Park’s already deep bench of local volunteers. For NPS and the Iron Horse Society alike, that scale cut both ways: it was a two-week stress test, and it also introduced Steamtown to tens of thousands of people who’d never set foot in the Park before. A good number of them left as new supporters – future volunteers, future members, future advocates – which is exactly the kind of long-term return an event like this is supposed to generate…
