BIG SANDY, Texas — "Unbelievable, it's American made, this big ol' hunk of steel," Cameron Fulp said.
The people who had waited hours in the sun finally got to lay their eyes on the metal beast.
"It was big and just huge," Levi Roach said.
After a long day of anticipation, the iconic "Big Boy" steam engine train rolled into Big Sandy.
"To see the last of its kind, coming through here, over 1 million pounds of steel, the way my mother and father used to travel," Jim Dax said.
There were thousands of people who traveled from across East Texas and Louisiana to see the largest operating steam engine in the world. For kiddos like Chance Smith, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
"I'm really excited cause like I said it's going to be the first big boy I've ever seen and it's the only time we’re going to get to see it," Smith said.
Big Sandy had a great setup for all who came to be able to take in the magnificence of the "Big Boy."
"It brings people to our little town, we want to show folks what we have, and how much fun we can have, this is like a carnival with no Ferris wheel," Big Sandy Mayor Linda Baggett said.