Driver Spotted A Peculiar Locomotive That Could Drive On The Highway

What does a locomotive need to function? Fuel and rails to ride across, right? But when this person was driving down I-65 outside Lafayette in Indiana, what he saw defied all conventions!Show more

The driver said online: "I was traveling I-65 in Indiana when I saw the train on the entrance ramp. I later found out it has something to do with Purdue University Boilermakers."

Contrary to popular belief, the burly boilermaker Purdue Pete is not the official <a href="https://rumble.com/v47419-funny-gorilla-mascot-in-action.html" target="_blank">mascot</a> of the university, but rather this fancy contraption. It is called The Boilermaker Special and it is the official mascot of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The mascot resembles a Victorian-era railroad locomotive and is built on a truck chassis, therefore enabling it to ride across asphalt roads, rather than your run-of-the-mill rails. It is operated and maintained by the student members of the Purdue Reamer Club.

After not having a mascot for so long, one pharmacy student suggested they should adopt one that will represent the school’s engineering heritage. The initial idea was for the mascot to be a "mechanical man", but after some deliberation, it was decided that a locomotive would suit them much better and the first Boilermaker Special was introduced in 1940.

Fans go wild when they see the mascot driving on their streets, so much so that, apparently, they stick their heads out of their car windows to take a <a href="https://rumble.com/v3b6y0-cheerful-ups-deliveryman-poses-for-selfie-with-household-dogs.html" target="_blank">selfie</a>, mid-drive! That is why The Boilermaker Special issued a PSA on its Twitter profile, saying: "When you see me driving on the highway please don’t stick your head out the window and try to take a selfie with us. Eyes on the road!"