I doubt that big tow truck was free. The fine is probably to pay for it. The float was about 100 feet long because the locomotives were full size.
How sad? The float looks very detailed. Apparently, the organization behind the float can get fined for causing a delay in the parade.
The Union Pacific’s Rose Parade float honoring 150th anniversary of Golden Spike and celebrating Chinese labor used on the transcontinental railroad had an electrical fire and could not drive down the parade route. That was a shame because it looked like a cool float with two steam locomotives nose to nose. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/4002554-rose-parade-float-breaks-down-catches-fire/https://ktla.com/2019/01/01/chinese-american-heritage-foundation-float-disabled-by-small-fire-disrupting-rose-parade-route/https://asamnews.com/2018/12/30/rose-parade-float-to-recognize-chinese-transcontinental-railroad-laborers/