Who doesn’t love a good train book?

Marsha Diane Arnold is a multi-award-winning author of twenty-four books, including Galapagos Girl., Lights Out., and Badger’s Perfect Garden. Her books have received awards, earned starred reviews, made lists, and been translated into different languages. But most importantly, readers love her books and Marsha loves to visit schools to share them with readers. With a heart for nature, history, and stories of quiet power, she brings both imagination and soul to every book she writes. Marsha grew up in the country, about a mile from the railroad tracks, where she could hear those lonely train whistles echo through the night. So, it’s not surprising her newest picture book is about a very special train. Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team steams into bookstores May 1, 2025. You can learn more about Marsha at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

BIG BOY 4014 is a nonfiction picture book about the true story behind the restoration of one of the world’s largest locomotives.  Big Boy #4014 was resting outside at a train museum in California when it was decided that she would be the best candidate to restore for the Golden Spike Celebration, the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. This book tells the story of that historic restoration and all the problems and triumphs that ensue.

(Sidenote: While called Big Boys because of their size, these trains are referred to as “she” by their engineers and crew. Just like Marsha, I will be referring to the train as she in my interview as well.)

Welcome back Marsha!

Me: This is an incredible book all about the big boy steam trains.  I wasn’t expecting that from you. It feels so different from your love of animals.  It’s a fascinating turn in subject matter. When did you develop a love of trains?

Marsha: Actually, I wasn’t expecting this book from me either!

Animals and wildlife will always have first place in my heart. But I’ve also had an affection for trains for a very long time. I often share that when I lived on a farm in Kansas, I was just a mile from the train tracks – and I loved hearing that whistle blow. I spent summers with my grandparents in Colorado. More train tracks ran right behind their apartment. My cousin and brother would put pennies on the tracks to see how flat they would be after the trains sped over them. I have lots of train stories, and I suspect many people, especially those my age, do too.

Me: What gave you the idea for this specific story? When did you first learn about this train and its story?

Marsha: I don’t recall the exact moment I heard about Big Boy 4014. We writers might be watching television, listening to a podcast, or reading when something suddenly reaches out and grabs us. I suspect that’s what happened with Big Boy 4014 – I’m quite sure it was soon after her restoration in May 2019.

Soon after she was restored, Big Boy 4014 went on two excursion tours, The Great Race to Ogden and The Great Race Across the Midwest. The Great Race to Ogden was for the 150^th Golden Spike Celebration held in Utah. A few months later, in January 2020, my editor Barb McNally wrote to my agent, Karen Grencik, asking if I’d be interested in writing a train story. We decided against it at the time – it would mean a lot of work – writing “on spec,” plus deadlines – I don’t do well with those. My agent agreed, saying “gears and cranks are not our thing.” But I knew about Big Boy 4014, and I’m sure this got my “wheels turning.” I wrote my agent that “the Big Boy locomotive tour really caught my imagination” and that the footage on YouTube “gave me goosebumps.” I may have said “no,” but I was on my way – slowly – which is my preferred modus operandi.

Me: Your writing in this book just sings and it’s obvious that this is a passion project. I love your use of repetition. It’s almost like I can hear the train moving in those repeated refrains. I love that! What gave you the idea to repeat phrases throughout the story?

Marsha: Children love rhythm and repetition in stories. When I read my books during school visits, those are the parts that capture them.

I was a bit worried about how to keep my young readers’ attention in a serious nonfiction book about a train. This was not a Thomas The Tank Engine story. I knew I wanted rhythm, like the rhythm of a train on the tracks. I knew I wanted some repetition, like a dutiful train following the tracks, day after day.

Me: Not only do you use repeated refrains, but there’s also a circular frame.  AND you’re able to help the reader to imagine the hopes & dreams of a train, without once dipping into fantasy and removing your story from nonfiction!  How in the world did you manage all that?  How many revisions did it take to get this manuscript this tight?

Marsha: I’ve always loved a circular frame in my books. If I can, I’ll come back to the beginning; I’ll let the ending echo the beginning. So harmonious!  I’ll repeat a phrase or return to the same scene. I think this gives our young readers a sense of closure and unity. That’s what I did in Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team too. The last sentence on the first double-page spread reads, “If steam locomotives could dream, Big Boy would be chugging up the Wasatch Mountains at top speed, feeling the warmth of the coal in her firebox, as powerful as 7000 horses.” The last sentence in the book reads: “I’m chugging up the Wasatch Mountains at top speed, feeling the warmth of the oil in my firebox, as powerful as 7,000 horses.” The only real difference is “oil” instead of “coal,” since Big Boy 4014 was converted from coal to oil during the restoration.

When I could, I’d use repetition, as in:

“One hauled.

One pushed.

Hauled and pushed.

Hauled and pushed.

They hauled and pushed all the way to Cheyenne…”

As for how many revisions it took – I’ve lost count! Some revisions were small – adjusting a word for better rhythm. Others worked on finding the right balance between lyrical language and nonfiction accuracy. I wouldn’t be surprised if it neared 100 revisions.

You asked how in the world I managed. I suspect, as with all writers, it comes down to years of practice, knowing how young readers engage with story, and following my instincts and love for language and rhythm.

Me: I love that. Can you tell us a little bit about your research process? I love the photo of you with the train in the back of the book. What series of events resulted in that photo? Was it part of your research? How long did it take you to research this story? What resources did you use?

Marsha: How long did it take? I felt the research was nearly as massive as Big Boy herself! I really didn’t keep track and I don’t write every day, but it stretched over years.

What resources? There are lots of railfans out there. One of my first steps was joining Big Boy and Union Pacific Facebook groups, where many railfans were happy to answer my questions. There is a wealth of information on YouTube –videos of Big Boy rolling down the tracks, Union Pacific features, and Ed Dickens, the chief engineer, speaking to crowds about every detail of Big Boy locomotives. And of course, there were magazines, DVDs, and books, many of them published by Trains Magazine, a long-standing resource for railroad enthusiasts.

What about that photo of me hugging Big Boy 4014 in the Author’s Note area of Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team? I talk a little about that in the Author’s Note. The photo was taken in June 2023, several months after I’d signed the book contract, but it was still part of the research. I’d wanted to see Big Boy on her 2021 tour, but that was not to be. When I discovered the 2023 tour would bring Big Boy into Omaha, I asked my husband to drive us from Florida to Nebraska. He jokingly describes it – just so I could take a ride on a giant train. I got to ride in the cab of Big Boy 4014! I met Ed Dickens, the chief engineer, who agreed to look over my manuscript. He and Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific employee, were invaluable in helping my editor and me put the finishing touches on the manuscript.

And I got to have my picture taken hugging a giant train because…I love trains!

Me: That’s amazing! The illustrations by Adam Gustavson are amazing! They feel like paintings that belong in a museum or a train depot! Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorite illustrations?

Marsha: Adam Gustavson is a brilliant illustrator. I was so lucky – and honored – that he agreed to illustrate Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team.

I’m so glad you asked about “favorite illustrations” – plural – because I have quite a few. First, the stunning wrap-around cover, which shows Big Boy, the mighty machine, and an elk, that wild, majestic creature.

I also love the illustration of Ed Dickens and members of the Steam Team standing before Big Boy at the RailGiants museum, knowing it was a monumental task before them, but that restoration was possible with a plan and a great Steam Team.

And lastly, I’ll choose the first double-page spread after the title page, paired with the words “If steam locomotives could dream.” The illustration sets the perfect tone for the journey, inviting readers to come inside.

Me:  Was there a fun fact you learned about Big Boy 4014 that you couldn’t share in the book? Any little nuggets of science or history that had to be left out for brevity’s sake? 

Marsha: There’s a massive amount of information about the Big Boys and their place in American history. Writing the book was about choosing a few nuggets from a mountain of nuggets!

I briefly mention in the Author’s Note that a worker at the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) wrote Big Boy in chalk on the smokebox door of the very first Big Boy – No. 4000. What I didn’t include is that the original name for these locomotives was intended to be “Wasatch” after Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, which these trains were designed to “conquer.” But the name Big Boy stuck.  

Even today, Ed Dickens, Chief Engineer and Union Pacific’s Senior Manager of Heritage Operations, will sometimes chalk “Big Boy V” on the smokebox door of Big Boy 4014. The “V” is formed from the tail of the “Y” and stands for Victory in World War II. It’s a tip of the hat to the past and the role Big Boys played in hauling freight during the war.

For those curious souls among us, here’s a short video of Ed chalking Big Boy 4014’s smokebox door.

It’s connections like this, between the past and the present, that made researching and writing Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team such a joy. And now, a year and a half after the final draft, the joy continues as I share Big Boy’s story through conversations like this. Thank you so much, Jena, for having me.

Wow! That’s such an amazing journey Marsha. Thank you for stopping by my blog again today.

Dear readers, this book publishes on May 1st. Marsha’s words bring the rhythm of the train to life and will enchant readers of all ages. The paintings by Adam Gustavson are every bit as epic in their delivery as they should be for such an epic train and a glorious story. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss this one!