Joining Nickel Plate Road No. 765, above on a 2013 excursion, at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s annual open house this weekend is Jeddo Coal 0-4-0T No. 85 from Gramling Locomotive Works. Trains: Jim Wrinn NEW HAVEN, IND. — On Aug. 17, 18, and 19 the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society will host its […]
Type of Train: Steam Locomotive
Grand Canyon Railway No. 29 may get extra time in 2019 NEWSWIRE
WILLIAMS, Ariz. – The Grand Canyon Railway is asking the Federal Railroad Administration to allow 2-8-0 No. 29 to operate through the 2019 season before being taken out of service for its mandatory 1,472-day boiler inspection. According to the railroad’s petition, No. 29 would reach the 15-year mark on May 2, 2019. The petition would […]
Athearn HO scale ‘early’ Challengers
For the first time in plastic, ready-to- run models representing Union Pacific’s first two classes of 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotives are available in HO scale from Athearn Trains. Part of the firm’s Genesis series, these steam locomotives feature prototype-specific detail that rivals brass models. No shelf queens, these locomotives are also available with an ESU LokSound […]
When will Big Boy No. 4014 steam to Ogden? NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 under restoration in Cheyenne, Wyo., in June 2018. Trains: Jim Wrinn OGDEN, Utah — When will Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 travel to Ogden in May 2019? That’s the question that’s on every big steam locomotive fan’s mind. In May 2018, UP announced that both No. 4014, currently […]
Steam locomotive smokeboxes
Hammond Lumber Co. 2-8-2T No. 16 displays an extended smokebox in this undated photo. The seam is just ahead of the smokestack. Martin E. Hansen collection Q I am unable to identify any particular pattern for when a smokebox is short or when it is long. I do note, in most cases, that when the […]
Southern Pacific narrow gauge 4-6-0 No. 18 to steam in October NEWSWIRE
No. 18 at Independence, Calif., in July 2017. David Crosby INDEPENDENCE, Calif. – Southern Pacific narrow-gauge 4-6-0 No. 18 will be steamed up and operated in Independence Oct. 4-5. The locomotive was restored and is operated by the locally based all-volunteer Carson & Colorado Railway, which takes its name from the original railroad that operated […]
Investigators rule UP 844 excursion death accidental; family agrees
BRIGHTON, Colo. — Investigators say the death of a woman photographing Union Pacific steam locomotive No. 844 July 21 suggests the woman was more focused on her cellphone screen than the approaching train. In an interview, the woman’s husband agrees with that assessment, saying that he would not want the accident to deter steam excursions. […]
Kentucky Steam Heritage group forms Eastern Kentucky Railway Co. NEWSWIRE
An overview of the Ravenna car shops and rail yard facilities that will become the future site of the Kentucky rail heritage center and home to Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 No. 2716. The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. seeks approval from the Surface Transportation Board to operate its own railroad for switching purposes. Kentucky Steam Heritage […]
Maine two-foot locomotive steams again NEWSWIRE
Boothbay Railway Village S.D. Warren 0-4-0T No. 2 as it was test-fired on July 30. Submitted photo A view of the firebox of Boothbay Railway Village 0-4-0T No. 2. Submitted photo BOOTHBAY, Maine — A steam locomotive from one of Maine’s most obscure two-foot gauge railroads will return to the rails under its own power […]
N&W No. 611 to steam for the public in September NEWSWIRE
N&W No. 611 will run at Spencer, N.C., in September before returning to Roanoke, Va. Trains: Jim Wrinn SPENCER, N.C. — Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4 No. 611 isn’t pulling mainline steam trips this year, but it’s got a busy late summer lined up. The streamlined 1950 passenger engine will operate on site at […]
Bachmann HO Sound Value Baldwin 2-8-0
Bachmann HO Sound Value Baldwin 2-8-0 Removing the plastic tender shell reveals the Sound Value decoder and speaker. A wiring harness connects the decoder to the locomotive’s electronics. The Bachmann locomotive includes working front and rear knuckle couplers. Details include well-defined rivet seams, a coal load, and a separately applied tender ladder. A steam-era freight […]
O scale DCC Layout Tour: Alameda County Central Railroad Society ACCRS
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society has been at the Alameda County Fairgrounds for decades. They maintain and operate two layouts — one O scale and one HO. This video documents the O scale layout, featuring both standard and narrow gauge operations. […]