Thousands of railfans gathered at Reading Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township on Thursday for a rare opportunity to see Union Pacific’s legendary Big Boy No. 4014 as it made its only scheduled whistle stop in Berks County during the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad’s Semiquincentennial Steam Celebration.
The world’s largest operating steam locomotive arrived in Reading about an hour behind its published schedule after traveling from Jim Thorpe over Reading Blue Mountain & Northern tracks. Despite the delay and record-breaking heat, spectators lined the station grounds and surrounding areas for hours to witness the historic locomotive’s arrival.
Big Boy departed Jim Thorpe Thursday morning before making stops in Hamburg, Mohrsville and Leesport. The locomotive then arrived at Reading Outer Station, where the public was invited to view the engine before it continued its journey over Norfolk Southern tracks to Pottstown.
The Reading stop marked the conclusion of a special passenger excursion that departed Nesquehoning earlier in the day behind Reading Blue Mountain & Northern diesel locomotives Nos. 1776 and 2026.
The extreme heat, however, created dangerous conditions for those attending the event. Reading reached 103 degrees Thursday afternoon, setting a new record high for July 2 and breaking the previous record of 102 degrees set in 1966, according to the National Weather Service.
According to Muhlenberg Township Police, the event drew an estimated crowd of several thousand spectators, in addition to more than 900 passengers arriving aboard excursion railcars. Because the locomotive’s arrival was delayed by more than an hour, attendees remained outdoors as the heat index climbed to approximately 106 degrees.
Beginning shortly before Big Boy’s arrival and continuing throughout the event, emergency responders treated a significant number of people suffering from heat-related illnesses and other medical emergencies. Patients ranged in age from infants to elderly adults. As the number of medical incidents rapidly increased, officials declared a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) to bring additional emergency resources to the scene.
Police said more than 100 people received medical treatment at the scene, while 35 patients were transported to area hospitals for further evaluation and care. Officials also reported that one patient suffered cardiac arrest and was successfully resuscitated before being transported to a hospital.
The Muhlenberg Township Police Department, Muhlenberg Ambulance Association and Muhlenberg Fire Company led the public safety response, with assistance from the Berks County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Reading & Blue Mountain Railroad Police, the Berks County Department of Emergency Services, numerous fire departments and EMS agencies from Berks County and neighboring counties. Tower Health and BARTA also provided cooling resources to assist those affected by the extreme heat.
Muhlenberg Township Police said the coordinated response demonstrated the effectiveness of regional mutual aid partnerships and thanked the many law enforcement agencies, fire departments, EMS providers, healthcare partners, businesses, organizations and volunteers who assisted during the incident.