All Aboard for the Resurgence of Steam

                                Save our railroad 

                                Save lots of steam 

                                To make this happen we have to be a team. 

                                                                  

What's your favorite way to travel? Mine is by train because it's relaxing, it's fun to spend time with people and watch great scenery pass by. Today passenger trains are mostly run by Amtrak but there have been a variety of passenger train companies over the years.

 

             Three types of locomotives pull passenger trains steam, diesel and the electric. Lots of people, myself included, love the mighty historic steam locomotives because of the sights and sounds of them in motion The public loves to hear the whistle, clanging bell, the wheels spinning and the awesome chugging sound. Actually it's not the wheels that make the chuffing noise, it's the smokestack that makes that classic sound. Unlike a diesel, the steam locomotive has a lot of moving parts that are on the outside and it's amazing to see all that in action, when you watch it pass by. 

           The first steam locomotive was invented in England in 1804 by Richard Trevithick and it worked in the mines at the speed of five miles per hour. The first passenger train to use a steam locomotive also ran in England and the locomotive to do the job was named, "The Locomotion." Yes trains and even some locomotives have names. The historic event took place on September 27, 1825. Five hundred fifty lucky people rode that special train. The first passenger train in America departed on Christmas day in  1830  and was operated by the South Carolina Canal and Railway Company. The steam locomotive to pull the train was called, "The Best Friend of Charleston." Unfortunately its boiler blew up. 

    The first common carrier railroad in America was the Baltimore and Ohio which operated between 1830-1987. The settlers were not able to travel west by train sadly. The only way they could get to their new home land was either by walking, bumpy stage coach or by slow wagon trains. It took people many months to travel to their new destination so starting in 1866 after the Civil War, two different companies built the first transcontinental railroad. The two railroads that help make the first transcontinental trip possible were the Central Pacific from Sacramento, California and the Union Pacific from Omaha, Nebraska. They would meet each other face to face on May 10, 1869 in Promontory, Utah. Later more railroads would crisscross the country and that meant many more people could travel and also live different places. 

 

    Many new types of steam locomotives would be developed to make more powerful trains. Because of track size limitations, the trains couldn't become taller or wider, so they became longer and needed more powerful engines to pull them. Lima Locomotive Works came up with the idea and it's called, "The Lima Superpower Design." These big steam locomotives had operation problems around  curves, so a man named Anatole Mallet designed the articulated steam engine which is basically two steam engines in one boiler and they can turn the corner much more easily and safely. One of the biggest articulated engines of all time is the Union Pacific Big Boy which is nearly eight decades old.        

        Train ridership declined during the Great Depression, so in the 1930s steam and diesel streamlined trains were designed to get the public's attention. These trains were fancy and fast. Trains were also helpful in wars including The Civil War, World War 1 and World War 2. 

       By the 1950s, the diesel locomotive would dominate the rails because they were not as labor intensive as steam locomotives. By 1960, steam was all but gone on railroads in America. People wanted to see steam carry on, so a new type of service was offered called railfan excursions and they continue to this day. 

    I love riding trains. I have been lucky to have traveled on tourist and high speed trains all over the world like in England, France and even South Africa. I have seen lots of cool places and met many interesting people.

 

        I wanted to tell you about some of my favorites right here in this country though. The Strasburg Railroad in Strasburg, Pennsylvania is a railfan's delight because it has its own  tourist train, as well as the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, The National Toy Train Museum and The Choo Choo Barn which has an awesome train layout that has been open since 1961. The Strasburg Railroad has been chugging with steam engines since 1960. The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in New Hope, Pennsylvania is not far from the New Jersey and Pennsylvania border and it's also not far from the Black River and Western Railroad in Ringoes, New Jersey. The Essex Steam Train and Riverboat Ride in Essex, Connecticut has been in service since 1971. It has great views of the Connecticut River and while traveling on the boat, you get to see the stunning Gillette Castle and Goodspeed Opera House. Other cool tourist trains I have enjoyed are the Georgetown Loop Railroad in Silver Plume, Colorado, Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass, West Virginia, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland, Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway, New Hampshire, Huckleberry Railroad in Flint, Michigan and the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad in Fish Camp, California.

 

        Here's a funny fact about the Huckleberry Railroad. It's called that because the train was so slow that passengers could get off and pick some huckleberries along the route and then jump back on it. It's not safe in today's standards.   

 

    I'm putting together a special website, called "Steam on America," about steam trains currently being restored. Some of the engines are almost completed such as the Reading 2102, Chesapeake and Ohio 2716, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, Boston and Maine 3713, and Santa Fe 2926.  Also in Pennsylvania, there's a steam locomotive replica project. The locomotive will be a Pennsylvania Railroad T1 type steamer and it should be completed by 2030. 

   It's always very exciting to see a steam locomotive being restored to operating condition. I sure hope that more steamers can be restored or more replicas can be built in the future. May steam live on for many more years and help to keep an important part of America's history alive and chugging!