MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP, Pa. — In Berks County, train enthusiasts and onlookers struggled with the 100-degree heat while waiting for Big Boy to roll through.
Union Pacific’s Big Boy locomotive rolled into the Reading Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township a little more than an hour after it was expected. That left people standing in the extreme heat for a longer period time.
Huge crowds of people huddled for hours in whatever shade they were able to find as they waited for the much anticipated Big Boy steam locomotive.
The heat got the better of a lot of people. First responders say they stopped tracking medical calls for heat-related emergencies on scene and began reporting them to Berks County dispatchers.
At one point, first responders say there were six calls at once, including a cardiac arrest, and they ran out of ambulances to transport patients.
Others were treated on scene.
People say at least 20 people suffered from some sort of medical emergency.
The Union Pacific Big Boy is going full speed ahead to parts of our area, including Berks and Montgomery counties.
Birdsboro cafe hosts party for Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” train arrival
Being the only operational Big Boy, it was rebuilt and put back on the tracks to commemorate America 250.
The train was in Jim Thorpe until 9 a.m. Thursday.
It was scheduled to make stops through Hamburg, Leesport, and Muhlenberg Township. It was then scheduled to head to Pottstown.
This is a developing story. We will have the latest update coming at 5:30 p.m. on WFMZ-TV.