NICHOLSON, WYOMING CO. (WOLF) — The Big Boy is finally in NEPA.

In Nicholson, thousands came to see the Union Pacific No. 4014 cross the Tunkhannock Viaduct Saturday morning, and for everybody there, this is more than just a train crossing. It’s a patriotic celebration and history in the making.

“I don’t think it’s just the enthusiasts,” said Ted Mackenzie, flanked by his son Paul and his grandson Ian. “It’s everybody! I mean, everywhere we’ve gone, there’s got to be hundreds of thousands of people chasing after this train.”

Some camped out for hours, others like the Mackenzie family – three generations of train chasers – followed the train for hundreds of miles from their home in Connecticut, to Buffalo, New York, and down to Nicholson.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but it was the, it’s absolutely the biggest around,” said Mackenzie. “And people in this country respect that kind of thing, more than I think a lot of people realize.”

The family said that they had grown up learning and following trains for years and now, it’s become a family hobby. They took a camper down to a field that faces the viaduct and set up shop waiting for the train. For Ted, it’s a look back to his youth.

“We’d come by the North Platte River in a 49 Plymouth, in 1954/55,” Mackenzie explained. “And I’d be hanging out the back window, my fist out the window, pulling it down. The engineer would be blowing the whistle. Mile after mile, 80 miles an hour and pulling 100, oh, probably a mile of boxcars. Unbelievable. So, it’s quite a treat for me to see it again running.”

As the foggy morning turned into a sunny day, people came out of the woodwork and scattered around town. Setting up their cameras, drones, or campsites, they crowds waited with bated breath, tracking the Big Boy on Union Pacific’s website.

Around 10:10 a.m., the Big Boy emerged on the viaduct. Slowly chugging along, it stopped in the middle of the bridge for a photo op, blew smoke, and let the whistle loose, even the engineers popped out to wave to the crowd hundreds of feet below. Then, it started up and got back on track.

The train was only visible on the viaduct for about 15 minutes – but to the onlookers, the view was priceless.

Some had seen the train before and relished another chance to see it in action. Others, were thankful for the weather, and the once in a lifetime experience.

Jacob McDonell came with his parents. The Big Boy No. 4014 is his dad’s favorite train, and he could see why.

“It was just a good train,” said McDonell with a big grin on his face. “I like how it’s two of everything. Two smokestacks, two rods on each side. It was awesome.”

For Jordan Myers, who came with his partner and son at 4 a.m., the sight of the train was only made better by sharing it with his family.

“It was awesome,” said Myers. “I’ve waited 23 years to see it, and I mean the whole time it was on the bridge; I was getting goosebumps every time the whistle went off and just grinning ear to ear listening to my son, you know, giggling and laughing seeing the big train. It was 100% worth it.”

And after hours or even days of camping out, within the hour, almost everyone hit the road.

For the watchers, it was a moment of patriotic pride in American handiwork and a time when everyone could come together to sit outside and experience something truly unique.

The Tunkhannock Viaduct was only a small leg of the Big Boy 4014’s America 250 tour, but for the young and old alike, it was a truly unforgettable moment – bringing back old memories for some and starting new memories for others.

Next, the Big Boy 4014 will go on to Scranton’s Steamtown, where it will stay for the next few weeks alongside its brother, the 4012. It’s the first time two Big Boy trains will be next to each other in nearly 100 years.