All Aboard!

Not many people know this, but I spend several weekends of my childhood train watching with my dad. If there was an interesting locomotive coming into town, I remember him packing me up in the car so we could drive down and see it in the rail yard. We visited several train museums and other points of interest, and trains are extremely nostalgic for me now.

My parents and.I visiting a train museum, circa mid 1990s.

I first saw a video of Union Pacific's Big Boy when it was on the west coast, not realizing it was making a trip across the country and would be traveling through our backyard. This train, owned and operated by Union Pacific, is the largest and most powerful steam locomotive in the world and is making a voyage from coast to coast in celebration of America's 250th. After checking the schedule and finding that it would be traveling through Letchworth State Park, I proposed the idea to David that we go see it!

We played hooky on a warm Thursday, arriving early as we knew crowds would be large. While many people viewed the train from the famous Glen Iris in near the Upper Falls in the park, we elected to view it from farther away at Inspiration Point, a beautiful overlook where you can see the entire bridge over the Genesee River. We arrived around 8 am, knowing the train wouldn't be arriving until just after noon. While we waited, we chatted with other enthusiasts who had traveled to see the train - one family had come as far as New Jersey to see it at the iconic park. Another man had already seen the train at a few other locations and was going to continue chasing it for a while. The excitement was palpable. Crowds began to fill in as we approached noon, and we were glad that we had arrived early to secure a good spot.

Around 12:15, we heard the famous steam whistle in the distance and the crowds began to cheer with anticipation. At 12:20, ever so slowly, the 1.2 million lb steam locomotive emerged from the tree line and chugged across the bridge, stopping just past the halfway point for a photo op. Cameras clicked and everyone took turns making sure everyone had a great view of it before the steam engine started up again and the train slowly made its way across the rest of the bridge. We have seen plenty of trains cross the bridge during our visits to the park, but this was one to remember.

Here's a few of the shots we took today. Enjoy!

The iconic Norfolk Southern Railway bridge over middle falls

A plane flies overhead to view the train

Big Boy emerges from the tree line

Steam bellows from the front of the train, but dissipates quickly in the warm afternoon sun

Pause for plenty of time for photos