Nuts when you thought you have heard enough about the Big Boy train… A mass causalty incident took place.. Sometimes history itself can become a hazard.
What was supposed to be an unforgettable stop for rail fans quickly turned into something far more serious Thursday in Berks County, when the arrival of the legendary Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive brought massive crowds and, unfortunately, a mass casualty event.
More than 100 people reportedly needed medical evaluation and treatment after heat-related emergencies spiraled out of control at the Reading Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township. Emergency crews from multiple counties flooded the area as ambulances, cooling buses, triage tents, firefighters, EMS personnel, and law enforcement responded to what quickly became a scene that looked more like an active disaster zone than a celebration.
The Big Boy, known as the largest operating steam locomotive in the world, was making a stop in Pennsylvania as part of its northeast tour. Instead, under the brutal July heatwave, the massive gathering became a reminder that sometimes even community events can become dangerous very quickly.
Images from news helicopters showed dozens of emergency vehicles spread across the station area in what looked almost like a war zone from above.
It is a strange contrast. A machine built in another era to move mountains and symbolize industrial power accidentally became the centerpiece of one of the region’s largest heat-related emergency responses.
In a summer already reminding us just how dangerous extreme heat can be across the world in a super El nino year, this was a sobering scene.
Big boys have a big boy of danger at times
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