SCRANTON — Stephanie Peoples described the impact of the Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 on Downtown Cosgrove’s as “insane.”
A sea of people flooded the Marketplace at Steamtown on Lackawanna Avenue as train enthusiasts crossed a pedestrian bridge from Steamtown National Historic Site next door last month.
The locomotive brought droves of tourists to downtown Scranton as it parked alongside Steamtown’s own Big Boy, No. 4012 during its roughly two-week stay in the city from June 15-30.
“Business was definitely doubled,” said Peoples, co-owner and cook at the eatery.
Downtown Cosgrove’s at The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton Tuesday, July 11, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Eric Flesher, of Olyphant, eats breakast at Downtown Cosgrove’s on the first floor of The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Downtown Cosgrove’s at The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton Tuesday, July 11, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Bob Durkin, president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, estimates the train’s visit to the city generated between $16 million and $17 million in economic development throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
Through discussions with Jeremy Komasz, superintendent of Steamtown National Historic Site, Durkin determined about 110,000 people attended the Big Boy Reunion over two weeks.
“The park service will traditionally tell you that for every day trip visitor to a park site, they spend an average of $81 per day (in the area), and about 4% of people who visit parks stay overnight and spend an average of $500,” Durkin said.
Additionally, Durkin cited data from the American Independent Business Alliance which states, on average, 52.9% of each purchase at local independent businesses is recirculated locally.
“If someone spends $81 at a local restaurant, that money is paid to the employees and those employees then spend that money somewhere else,” he said.
In addition to a half-hour wait time for tables, Peoples said the restaurant used two cases of eggs a day to accommodate the breakfast rush while the Big Boy was in town.
“My friends come down for lunch, and one guy said, ‘I’ve never seen the mall like this,’” she said.
As customers from New Hampshire to Connecticut — and all the way from England — visited Scranton to see the historic locomotive, Peoples noted Cosgrove’s brought on additional workers to meet the demand.
“Usually we’re a one-server restaurant; we had two on for two weeks,” she said.
The influx of customers also came at an opportune time, Peoples said.
“We’re very grateful,” she said. “The Fourth of July is usually a terrible week for the restaurant business, but it definitely made up for it. We’d like to see it every year.”
Renato Luongo, owner of Abe’s Kosher Delicatessen, 326 N. Washington Ave., said the restaurant benefitted from the Big Boy visit.
“We were noticeably busier — up about 15% to 20%,” he said. “It was a big benefit because of all the construction going on around town. That slows things down a lot, so it was nice to have a little boost.”
Durkin lauded Komasz’s leadership for helping make the Big Boy Reunion a big success.
“(He) has breathed a whole new breath of life into Steamtown,” Durkin said. “From his first week on the job, he reached out to us and we’ve met a number of times and talked even more. When we first talked about this, we were excited. We were talking maybe 30,000 to 40,000 people, not 110,000.”
Durkin witnessed the excitement of train enthusiasts firsthand as he traversed through downtown Scranton during the first two days of the Big Boy’s stop.
“I was over there multiple times, just to check out the crowds, and folks were lined up all the way to West Side,” he said.
Curt Camoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Convention and Visitors Bureau, also witnessed droves of people enjoying the city and frequenting its restaurants.
“I saw a lot of happy people and a lot of full businesses,” he said.
Local hotels also saw a spike in business, Camoni said.
“The visitors bureau was collecting hotel data and we saw sellouts happening all over Lackawanna County,” he said. “The first two days Big Boy was in town, we saw a significant increase. We (also) saw a significant increase the first weekend, and we saw another significant increase the last two days.”
While Big Boy’s travels through Luzerne County created excitement, Alan Stout, executive director of Visit Luzerne County, doesn’t believe the train had the same economic impact there.
“Seeing the pictures of all the people along the side of the tracks in White Haven, Mountain Top, Pittston, and even out in Wyoming County, going over the Nicholson Bridge, was incredible,” he said. “But as far as economic impact, we didn’t hear from our hotels about it. The fact that it was parked at Steamtown for two weeks, I’m sure had a greater impact on the hotels in Lackawanna County.”
Lindsay Griffin-Boylan, president and CEO of the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, felt the arrival of Big Boy brought many visitors to Luzerne County that trickled down to area shops.
“It definitely brought a lot of people in,” she said. “We saw a lot of the visitors using a lot of our local businesses, so we were very happy about that. It was just good to see people in the valley, frankly. From Luzerne to Lackawanna, they were everywhere to watch it.”
Camoni believes Steamtown officials will continue seeking opportunities to bring more historic trains to Scranton.
“The great thing about the current leadership at Steamtown is they’re always looking for new ways to showcase the history and the preservation of the steam engine in Northeast Pennsylvania,” he said. “If they get something they think they can execute at a high level, that would be good for the area, I think they’ll take advantage of it.”