When did the last steam locomotive operate in revenue service?
According to an article in the Winter 2006 issue of CLASSIC TRAINS,
J. David Ingles says that the last Class 1 to operate standard gage steam
in everyday operation was the Colorado & Southern, which last operated
its 2-8-0 # 641 on Oct. 11, 1962. Second to last was Lake Superior &
Ishpeming in "summer" of 1962.
In a letter to the editor in the Spring 2007 issue of the same magazine,
Les Beckman reports that the last daily revenue steam locomotive was at
Northwestern Steel & Wire, in Sterling, IL, in 1980.
My [ father | grandfather ] used to work for a railroad.
I am trying to research his life. Do you have any information about that
railroad or its employee records?
You would not believe how many times I am asked this question. I am
beginning to think that everyone had a grandfather who worked for the
railroad. I am not a historian so I am unable to answer your questions. My
best advise is to locate that railroad's historical
society. They often have good historical documents that may help you.
If you are looking for information about or a photo or about a specific
locomotive, David Treemarcki
has an excellent collection of Morning Sun, Kalmbach and Four Ways West
railroad books. He is often able to identify a locomotive from its picture
or provide a picture from its description.
How does a steam locomotive work?
As its title suggests, the web site: How a Steam Engine
Works has some good information on how steam locomotives work. The site:
Railway Technical
Web Pages describes many steam locomotive appliances in great detail.
Railroad
Definitions is another good page. How Steam Engines Work
has more good information. This
page contains animations of many different types of internal combustion
engines.
I have a [ bell | whistle | builder's plate | other appliance ]
from a <insert your railroad line here> steam locomotive. Can you
tell me anything about it?
Usually, the best way to find information about things like
this is to post as much information as you know about it to one
of the railroad bulletin boards or the railroad newsgroup.
If you are looking to identify a locomotive from a builder's plate,
Tim Moore can help you.
If you are looking for information on steam whistles, visit The Voice of the Iron Horse
or Steam
Whistles. If you want to donate it, I'm sure a local railroad museum
would be interested in it. If you just want to sell it at the best price,
you may want to list it on eBay or on Railroad Memories. For whatever
reason, there doesn't seem to be any web sites or even web pages devoted
to steam locomotive bells. If anyone knows of any, please let me know.
I want to build a scale steam locomotive. Where can I get plans
to the original locomotive that I wish to replicate?
Detailed plans such as this are hard to obtain. I have never seen any.
If detailed drawings created by the original steam locomotive builders still
exist, they would be in the possession of whoever now has their records.
The Steam Locomotive Builders page lists the current
disposition of the historical records for each of the three primary builders.
Links to other steam locomotive builder forums are listed at the bottom
of that page. The C&O Historical Society
has drawings of most of their locomotives. You may also want to check SteamCad. There you will find
2D AutoCad drawings of some of the more famous and well known American
steam locomotives.
The California Railroad Museum has
an extensive collection of original plans for many types of railroad
equipment. You have to know exactly what you are looking for and there
is not much detail about this on their web site. They prefer to copy
material for you (at a charge) and mail it to you.
Where can I find a railroad [ video tape | hat | poster | book ]?
The first place to check would be your local
hobby shop or local railroad museum. They often sell these items.
These types of products are also advertised in either TRAINS
or Model Railroader magazines. Here
are some web sites to check.
Where can I find information on <insert your railroad line
here> locomotives?
Check this page under Railroad Lines and Historical
Societies. Also, David Treemarcki
has an excellent collection of Morning Sun, Kalmbach and Four Ways West
railroad books. He will most likely be able to come up with some information.
Why don't you have any photos of <insert your favorite locomotive here>?
Most of the photos found in the Virtual Tours section of my web site
were taken by me. If I don't have photos of your favorite locomotive, it
probably means that I have not visited it yet (or maybe I have, but have not
scanned the photo or written any information about it yet). I will always
welcome information about any steam locomotive from you.
What was the [ fastest | oldest | first ] locomotive?
This page on important
milestones in railway development may answer your question. This page
also has some good information on steam locomotive development.
How can I get copies of the pictures on your web site?
I have collected the pictures on my web site over many years. They come
from many sources which include:
- My own personal photograph collection
- Old postcards or calendars that I have found at railroad flea markets
- Photos that other viewers have sent to me
- Rare out-of-print books
The only pictures that I can provide are from my own collection and I will
only do so under certain conditions.
Can I create a link to www.steamlocomotive.com?
Sure, why not.
I want to [ buy | sell ] a steam locomotive. Do you know of anyone who [ has | wants ] one?
A few are listed here.