Big Boy travels from Boone to Cedar Rapids on Sept. 5. In the middle of that trip, the train will stop in Belle Plaine around 12:15 p.m. Big Boy will leave Cedar Rapids at 9:00 a.m. Friday.

Now, he has his sights set on a $700 “Big Boy,” a Union Pacific locomotive known for its unusually high number of wheels. Eberle won’t be able to fund his grandson’s hobby forever, so ...