Steam Train Gallery

Click on the Locomotive Name Link Below to see more Photos or See if a Video Segment is available. 

In June-July 2004 Milwaukee Road #261 took part in the Grand Exxcursion.  The Grand Excursion commerated the 150th Anniversary of the railroad reaching the Mississippi River.  The Grand Excursion included a week of special Steam Excursions along the Mississippi River. 
Highlights Include -
      Minneapolis to Duluth Excursion June 2007 - ADDED 06-17-2007
      Fall Color Excursions - October 2006 - ADDED 10-19-2006
      Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells Trips June 2006 - ADDED 07-01-2006
      Twin Cities - Duluth Excursion May 2005 -  UPDATE 06-04-2005
NEW - Video Segments for DVD's available for most all of Grand Excursion
In June-July 2004 Canadian Pacific #2816 debuted in the United States.  The "Empress" traveled from Chicago, IL to Minneapolis, MN on Canadian Pacific Rails.  Then made a special trip for the Milwaukee Road Historical Society.  On July 2nd the #2816 and #261 were side by side in Red Wing, MN pulling separate excursions.  Then on July 3rd the #2816 and #261 pulled a mainline doubleheaded steam excursion. 
Highlights Include -
     #2816 pulls excursions between Chicago and Sturtevant, WI - Sept 2007
     #2816 travel from Chicago, IL to Portage, WI via Milwaukee, WI
     #2816 and #261 pass the same spot within 1 hr pulling excursions
     #2816 and #261 doublehead on July 3rd 
  
NEW - Video segements for DVD's available for #2816
Soo Line #1003 is a 2-8-2 Mikado which is housed right in my backyard, Southern Wisconsin.  The locomotive is kept at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, WI.  In November 2004 the #1003 pulled a "Photographers Special" and again pulled a "Photographers Special" in April 2005. 
Highlights Include

    NEW - Soo #1003 Photographers Special Oct 2007 - NEW Dec 2007
    NEW - Soo #1003 at WSOR 25th in Madison, WI  NEW 08-18-2005
     NEW - Soo #1003 on display at Janesville, WI    NEW 08-06-2005  
    July 7-8 2002 - Great Circus Train               NEW    12-31-2004
    
NEW - Video Segement for DVD available for #1003

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NEW - Sound Bytes of #261 pulling 2003 Fall Excursion and the Doubleheader.  Also hear all three of #261's whistles in Bellvue.
NEW - Sound Byte available of #2816 in Wisconsin and also the Doubleheader with #261
NEW - Sound Byte of #1003 pulling the Photo Special in Nov 2004
To Find out more about the Wisconsin Automotive Museum click on the name.  The Wisconsin Automotive Museum is home to an excellent collection of vintage autos.  One in particular is the "Kissel".  Also on display is a Lionel Train Display Layout.  Plus automotive memorabilia.  It is an excellent museum. 
In July the National Railroad Historical Society NRHS held its annual convention in Portland, Oregon.  Portland, Oregon has the distinction of being a town which is home to TWO operating steam locomotives.  The Seattle Portland and Pacific SP&S #700 at 4-8-4 Northern.  Also Portland is home to the Southern Pacific #4449 also known as the "Daylight".  SP #4449 is also a 4-8-4 Northern.   On July 6, 2005 the NRHS was able to get the BNSF railroad to allow them to operate a steam excursion using both the SP&S #700 and the SP #4449.  This would be the first double-headed Northern consist on a mainline steam excursion in quite some time.  I made the trip out to Portland to see this double-header.  The train was going to be running through the very scenic Columbia River Gorge.  
UP #844 - A 4-8-4 Northern, #844 has the distinction of being the only steam engine to have never been retired from active service.  UP #844 also is the only steam engine to use the "elephant ears" smoke deflectors giving the #844 its unique appearance. 
UP #844 calls home the roundhouse in Cheyenne, WY.  It was rebuilt between 1999 and 2005.  It now joins UP #3985 as co-ambassadors for the Union Pacific. 
Click Here to see if any Steam Excursions may be scheduled in near future.
Click here to see photos of Vintage Tractors and all if there are any Antique Tractor Shows in your area. 
In 2006 two Chinese QJ 2-10-2 locomotive were purchased by an American railroad owner on speculation that some excursion line might want them for steam excursion service.  The locomotives purchased were built in China in 1986 and were completely overhauled before coming to the US.  In order to show off the 2-10-2's the Friends of the 261 provided passenger cars for several excursions run out of the Quad Cities area on the Iowa Interstate Railroad.   The Milwaukee Road #261 4-8-4 was used to bring down the passenger cars and on Saturday Sept 16 was added to the Chinese QJ Doubleheader and a steam tripleheader ran across Illinois. 

Click on Photo or Date to see Photos from that Excursion

To ORDER DVD's featuring these Steam Locomotives Click DVD ORDER FORM

Chinese QJ's 2-10-2 Doubleheader Revenue Photo Freight on Iowa Interstate

On June 9-10, 2007 the Iowa Interstate Railroad hosted a Doubleheaded Steam Revenue Freight train from Des Moines, Iowa to Council Bluffs, Iowa and return on Sunday with another revenue freight.  The Steam locomotives were the Chinese QJ's 2-10-2's owned by Henry Posner.  Westbound the freight train was 4212 tons.  Also involved was SteamSpecials.com.  This was a chartered Photo Special.  About 35 people were involved in the photo special.  Check out photos from both days. 

Click on Date to see more Photos

Western Narrow Gauge - Shots from the   NEW Oct 2007
Cumbres & Toltec Railroad
Durango & Silverton Railroad