Riding the Rails: Big Boy 4014 and Ticket to Ride

Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Train charts the restoration of a legendary locomotive.

Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Train by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Sleeping Bear Press, 2025, 40 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 6-12

They were the largest steam locomotives ever built. In the years after World War II, most of the 25 were scrapped and the remainder served as centerpieces for railroad museums. Visitors would marvel about the size and wonder what a “Big Boy” would look and sound like if it could take to the tracks again. But that wasn’t likely . . . until a handful of experts, a real “Steam Team,” gave #4014 a close look. It would take years and cost a fortune, but they believed one legendary Big Boy could be refurbished. Were they right?

“If steam locomotives could dream, Big Boy would be chugging up the Wasatch Mountains at top speed, feeling the warm of the coal in her firebox, as powerful as 7,000 horses.” That dream came true, and since 2019 thousands of spectators have seen, heard, and felt that huge hunk of steel blaze by their towns and crossroads. The lavish double-page spreads communicate a sense of the locomotive’s size, especially in comparison with the humans who put her on the rails again. Young railfans should also get a sense of the time and expertise that went into the restoration, giving Americans a whiff of the glory days of steam.

Bottom Line: Impressive, informative, and irresistible to any train enthusiast.

Ticket to Ride spins off the popular board game to form a new adventure/mystery series

Ticket to Ride:  An Unexpected Journey (Vol. 1) by Adrienne Kress. Andrews McMeel, 2025, 208 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-12

Teddy may be the world’s greatest railfan, and he’s just won the world’s greatest railfan prize: a ticket to ride the inaugural run of the Excelsior Express, a passenger locomotive featuring the very latest in rail technology while sounding and looking like a 1920s 4-8-4. It’ll be a long ride from Toronto to Los Angeles, but he’s totally up for it, especially with the model caboose he always carries with him like a good-luck charm. The ride is off to an even better start when he finds a friend—Olivia is on board for the whole journey with her rich, snobby parents. And she’s a willing audience for Teddy’s train lore.

When the Excelsior Express is rerouted to Pittsburg, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. But when it’s rerouted again Teddy has to wonder what’s going on. Especially when his lucky caboose goes missing. What’s going on?

The writing style is conversational and perhaps a little too talky, but the action will keep readers engaged and train lovers will pick up lots of interesting information. One small gripe is that most of the train crew, including conductor and engineer, are female. This is an irritating trend in many children’s books to even the score on gender roles, even though very few women have these occupations in the real world. But it’s just a story.

Bottom Line: An entertaining excursion into train lore and mystery, with most of the journey still ahead.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Two excellent picture books by noted illustrators: Locomotive and Train.
• Review: Another fun fantasy train adventure by noted novelist Rosemary Wells: On the Blue Comet.  See language issues referenced in the review.

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