Correspondent photo / Ben Davis The Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, the largest working steam locomotive in the world, made a whistle-stop in downtown Struthers on Sunday. An estimated crowd of 20,000 lined the tracks along the Mahoning River and the downtown to experience it first-hand. Businesses set up food trucks and there were live bands, with people arriving three hours ahead of the 11:30 a.m. stop to get a good vantage point.

STRUTHERS — A crowd of approximately 20,000 gathered downtown and along the Mahoning River on Sunday to see the Union Pacific Big Boy train make a whistle stop downtown during its trip across the United States to celebrate America250.

“That was the largest working steam locomotive in the world,” said Mike McCleery, a member of the Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association.

Struthers Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller, who watched the event unfold from a downtown rooftop, said Union Pacific engineers told her it was the largest crowd they have seen so far, with their estimate being 20,000 people. She said the Struthers Fire Department’s drone footage estimated the crowd at 19,500.

“I can’t be more thankful for everyone, from the police and fire departments to the businesses and the community for its support. It was so amazing. We got so many compliments from Union Pacific. They said it was so well organized, and the crowd was huge. They wanted to stay and hang out,” Cercone Miller said.

She said she is not sure how Struthers was chosen for a whistle-stop. The Big Boy 4014 stopped at eight cities for longer periods and made more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states, including stops for the first time in Ohio, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania, according to the railroad’s website.

People also lined the Mahoning River in Lowellville to watch the train pass through on its way to Struthers.

“They have to stop every so many miles to refuel and they measured it out and Struthers ended up being one of the stops,” she said. “It just worked out.”

The event drew in several organizations from all over the county, with tents set up along State Street to allow visitors to interact with and get to know these groups. The MVRHA tries to preserve the Mahoning Valley’s railroading history, and maintains a museum at 1340 Poland Ave. in Youngstown. They came to the event to see the Big Boy and to promote themselves.

“A lot of people don’t come to the museum, so we came down here to do a little show and tell with some of our stuff,” McCleery said. “Let them know who we are, and where we are.”

Historical organizations were not the only ones to make an appearance. Many community-focused groups, such as the Struthers Rotary Club, showed up to promote themselves and support the event.

“We are a club right here in Struthers that supports the community any which way we can,” said Ryan Goist, a member of the Rotary Club. “We do tons of fundraisers. We have a fundraiser coming up in August where we’re raffling off a brand new 2026 golf cart, and we also have a rubber duck race going on.”

“There’s tons of money and things to give away, but we raise funds and give it back to the community,” he said.

Struthers Rotary Club president Lisa Daprile said her expectation of the Big Boy event was surpassed and she applauded the support shown by everyone who visited.

“The amount of people that showed up to support Struthers today has been unbelievable,” Daprile said. “We were expecting 3,000 to 5,000 people I think, and … I feel like we had way more than that.”

Maplecrest Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, also owned by Daprile, had its own tent set up for the Big Boy event to engage with the community. Maplecrest also promoted its own fundraising event on Wednesday for the Alzheimer’s Association and the Mahoning Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“We’re having a hot dog, drive-thru fundraiser,” Daprile said. “You can come by, eat lunch with us or take it to go. Hot dogs, chips and whatever to raise money for the walk for Alzheimer’s.”

Performing for everyone at the event after the Big Boy’s departure was the Youngstown rock band The House Band. Lead singer and guitarist Mark DeVicchio spoke about how he and the band were more than happy to be part of such a large event.

“This was a wonderful event that I was proud to be part of,” DeVicchio said. “We were honored that the mayor (Catherine Cercone Miller) asked us to play. And to see all those people, that mass of humanity, as I stood on the stage, in my lifetime, I’ve never seen anything like this in Struthers.”

DeVicchio also recounted how he felt when the Big Boy first pulled into Struthers, describing it as “way cooler than I thought it would be.”

“When the train pulled up and its presence was so imposing, I felt it in my heart,” DeVicchio said. “When that whistle blew, I mean, it just goes through your whole body.”

Also among the performers at the event was Struthers native Candace Campana, whose set got interrupted by the train’s arrival right on time at 11:30 a.m. She then switched gears to sing the national anthem.

The Big Boy’s arrival has been described as the largest event in Struthers’ history. The train’s next stop that will be accessible to the public will be in Rocky River on Monday. Its final destination is in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 29.