In the 1940s, they thundered across the United States, 25 600-ton steam locomotives called Big Boys. These mammoth engines were built to pull trains transporting soldiers and freight, supporting the war effort. When less-expensive diesel-electric engines became popular, Big Boys were pulled from service, either scrapped or sent to museums as exhibits. Big Boy 4014 pulled her last train in 1959. She spent most of her retirement at an outdoor train museum. People came from around the world to visit, marveling at her size. But in 2013, a different group of visitors came to see her. May 9, 2019, would be the Golden Spike Celebration, the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Could Big Boy 4014 be restored in time for the celebration?

Marsha Diane Arnold is a multiple-award-winning author with more than one million children's books sold. She has been called a "born storyteller" by the media. One of her favorite childhood activities was poring over seed catalogs with her grandma Emma. Whether in straight rows or jumbly, Grandma Emma's gardens were a colorful wonder in the midst of Kansas wheat fields. Marsha now lives in Southwest Florida, and from time to time plants seeds that surprise her, as they did Badger. Learn more at marshadianearnold.com.