A Kearney, Nebraska, man who loves the giant Big Boy 4014 suffered a small fracture to his spine when he fell off a ladder trying to climb into the cab of the locomotive during its historic whistle-stop tour on Thursday.

Trevor Allen Bentley told Cowboy State Daily that he was about to fulfill a longtime dream of riding inside the cab of the world’s largest operating locomotive. 

He was climbing on the outside of the Cheyenne-based locomotive and had one more step to go on the five-rung ladder to get into the cab when he fell backward about 8 feet, landing hard on the ground.

A 16-second video posted (see below) shows the heavyset man, wearing a bright yellow construction vest, jeans and tennis shoes, gripping the handles on either side of the ladder and struggling to get up to the last step. 

After a few seconds, he slips and falls to the ground, landing on his back between the train tracks.

Three others nearby, also in bright-colored vests, were at Bentley’s side immediately. Instinct seemed to kick in as they attempt to help him sit up.

Bentley said he was able to sit up and that he wanted to get up right away.

“I felt fine,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “Obviously, I was sore. But I just wanted to get up.”

He said he was more embarrassed than anything, “because the Big Boy attracts a show.”

He guessed a few hundred people had turned out to see the Big Boy at the station.

It also was raining, a factor Bentley said likely contributed to his slip.

Ride Of A Lifetime Dashed

Bentley, who works for the online news site CentralNebraskaToday.com, had planned to ride Big Boy 4014 on its approximate 40-mile leg between Kearney and Grand Island, Nebraska, documenting the trip on video for the outlet. 

He said he had emailed Union Pacific to request the ride, which the railroad granted.

In a social media post he shared after the fall, he wrote, “A boyhood dream got dashed as I fell 8 feet off of Big Boy 4014 before I got the ride of a lifetime.”

He later told Cowboy State Daily he has been a train enthusiast all his life. He had been in the Big Boy cab before, he said, “which is why I thought I could do it.”

“I just couldn’t get that last step in,” he added. 

30-Minute Delay

Big Boy was already running behind schedule when it pulled into the Kearney station, said Bentley. His fall caused an added 30-minute delay.

North Platte resident James Burns said he frequently visits the tracks and had decided to follow Big Boy from North Platte to Kearney. 

He was at the stop, taking pictures of Big Boy 4014 when Bentley fell, though he told Cowboy State Daily he did not see the fall. He also confirmed the incident caused an approximate 30-minute travel delay.

The fall sparked a lot of speculation on social media, with comments ranging from prayers that Bentley was OK to sharper criticisms of Bentley’s attempt to climb aboard. One such criticism was his wearing tennis shoes rather than work boots.

Bentley was taken via ambulance to CHI Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and said he was released later that day.

‘No Fault of UP’

He was home resting when he spoke with Cowboy State Daily via phone Friday.

“I’m just stiff more than anything,” he said, adding that he hopes to be back to work next week. “I am just extremely lucky.”

Bentley wanted to make it clear that his fall was no fault of Union Pacific or anyone but himself. He said what happened was a total accident and that’s why he signed a waiver with UP about riding in the locomotive.

“I do not fault them in any way, shape, or form,” he said. “I don’t want to put a blemish on their tour. It was no fault of Union Pacific. It was on my own accord.”

Union Pacific publicly responded to the incident in a 16-word statement: “We are glad the person is OK and appreciate the concern we’ve heard from rail fans.”

Contact Kate Meadows at kate@cowboystatedaily.com

Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.