Trains pulled by 261 usually feature the distinctive Skytop Lounge Cedar Rapids, created by the noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens, and built by the Milwaukee Road shops for "Hiawatha" service in 1948. This car, completely upgraded in 2004, and an interior restoration in 2014, is equipped with 24 Rota-Cline seats, 12 seats in the Solarium, and one drawing room/kitchenette. It is commonly paired with a 54-seat full length dome, Super Dome #53, built by Pullman-Standard for Milwaukee Road in 1952.


Here is a list of the cars now owned by Friends of the 261. All are painted in the Milwaukee Road's famed "Hiawatha" orange and maroon unless otherwise noted.


The "Glenbrook" is a , Mogul type, narrow-gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1875 for the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company's narrow-gauge railroad.


The "Glenbrook" and its sister, #2, The "Tahoe" were built to haul cordwood and lumber from Glenbrook, Nevada on the east shore of Lake Tahoe to Spooner Summit, at the crest of the Carson Range. At the summit, the logs and lumber were put in a flume which carried it to the south end of Carson City. There it was loaded onto flatcars of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad which carried it to Virginia City for use in construction of the town, as mine timbers, and as boiler fuel.


The area was fairly well logged out by 1890 and the Bliss family, the owners sold The "Tahoe" to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNG). In 1899, they took up the two lines and moved all of the equipment and rails to Tahoe City, California, on the northwest shore of the lake. From there they built a new railroad about to the Southern Pacific Railroad station at Truckee, California, just east of Donner Pass. The new line, the Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation (LTR&T) carried freight and passengers and connected with the lake steamer SS Tahoe. The Bliss family sold the LTR&T to the Southern Pacific in 1926. The larger road immediately converted its new branch to standard gauge.


The Bliss family had kept #1 out of the sale and stored it at Tahoe City until 1937 when they sold it to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, which used it largely for parts for "Tahoe". The NCNG shut down in 1942, but Hope Bliss convinced her family to buy the locomotive back from the NCNG and presented it to the Nevada State Museum and to the Nevada State Railroad Museum where it underwent major work. It was announced that it would go back into service in May 2015 and was unveiled to the public on 23 May 2015.


The "Glenbrook" was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.


Great Northern Railway 1355 is a standard gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909 for the Great Northern Railway in the United States. It was built as a 4-6-0, Ten-Wheeler, type, but it had an extensive rebuild in 1924 when it became a 4-6-2, Pacific, type. During its career, it pulled both freight and passenger trains, including the Great Northern's crack Empire Builder and Oriental Limited.


It was built as one of 25 class E14 Ten-Wheelers and passed its inspections at the GN's Dale Street Shops in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 19, 1909. It spent its first ten years near Hillyard, Washington and then in 1919, was sent to Spokane, both in passenger service.


On February 19, 1924, it returned to the Dale Street Shops for a major rebuild. It's not clear whether this was actually a rebuild or virtually a new engine. New parts included a Belpaire firebox, longer boiler, type A superheater, new solid leading wheels, a Delta trailing truck which made it a 4-6-2, new brakes, and one of its four conversions between oil and coal fuel. It left the shop on May 29 and was sent to the Willmar, Minnesota division for passenger work.


The following January, it was back in the shop to receive a booster engine on its trailing truck. This was removed in 1929. It was renumbered again, to 1355, in April 1926 and converted from coal to oil. It was then dispatched to the Butte, Montana division, where it principally handled the Oriental Limited. It spent the last two years of its working life, 1953–55, hauling iron ore on the Mesabi Range.


In late 1954, the city of Sioux City, Iowa asked the Great Northern for a steam locomotive. Sioux City was at very southern end of the GN's operations and in July, 1955, 1355 was delivered to the city. In 1995, the locomotive was moved to the former Milwaukee Road Shops and Roundhouse, where it has undergone extensive cosmetic restoration.


It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451.


Reading 2124 is a preserved American class "T-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive that was built by the Reading Company in January 1947 using parts from "I-10sa" class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive number 2044, which was originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924.


The locomotive that became 2124 was originally built as Reading Company class "I-10sa" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive number 2044 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924. Starting in 1945, Reading began building a new class of 4-8-4 "Northern" type locomotives using the boilers and fireboxes from the I-10sas, designating these new locomotive the T-1 class. 2044 underwent this rebuild in late 1946 and emerged in January 1947 as the number 2124.


For the majority of its working life, the 2124 was used on freight trains, primarily coal trains throughout various parts of the Reading's network before being retired from active service in 1956.


The 2124 was brought back into service in October 1959 to pull a series of railfan excursions known as the "Iron Horse Rambles." In December 1959, shortly after the beginning of the Iron Horse Rambles, 2124 was filmed at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal for the Mark Robson film, From the Terrace. In 1963, 2124's flue time ran out and it was retired from active service and was sold to locomotive collector and owner of Blount Seafood, F. Nelson Blount for his Steamtown, U.S.A., museum in North Walpole, New Hampshire, later relocated across the Connecticut River to Bellows Falls, Vermont.


The 2124 was displayed in Vermont until Steamtown moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, during the winter of 1983–84. In 1986, Steamtown was taken over by the National Park Service and became Steamtown National Historic Site. 2124 was placed on display near the entrance to the park and was one of the first things visitors would see upon entering the park. In 2010, the 2124 was removed from its longtime display spot and moved into Steamtown's back-shops in order to have its asbestos insulation removed. The 2124 also received a cosmetic restoration in 2019 and was returned to the parking lot display track.


Great Northern 2584 is a 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in March 1930 for the Great Northern Railway (GN) as a member of the S-2 class.


The locomotive was built for fast passenger service and was assigned to pull the Great Northern's mainline passenger trains such as the "Empire Builder" and "Oriental Limited". It was then retired in December 1957 and donated to the Havre depot in Havre, Montana for display in May 1964. It is the sole surviving Great Northern S-2 Class "Northern", the sole surviving Great Northern "Northern" type and the largest surviving Great Northern steam locomotive.


In late 1956, 2584 made its final run and was stored in a roundhouse in Superior, Wisconsin and had its journal boxes painted red and sat there for years.


On August 9, 1945, No. 2584 was involved in a wreck, however, the locomotive was undamaged, as the rear of its train was rear-ended by sister locomotive No. 2588 at 45 mph. No. 2584's tender, however, had suffered from a hot box and has stopped at Petersburg, North Dakota and again at Michigan, North Dakota prior to the wreck. After the hot box and accident were resolved, both 2584 and 2588 were returned to service.


2584 was retired in December 1957 and on March 21, 1958, the Great Northern had decided to hold it for historical purposes and it was eventually repainted to its original Glacier Green paint scheme. On May 15, 1964, the locomotive was put on display at the Havre depot in Havre, Montana and was dedicated there. As of today, it still resides there on display. It also has a marker describing the locomotive and the S-2 class in general on the engineer's side of the locomotive's tender.


759 was built in August 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, better known as the "Nickel Plate Road". The 759 was one of 80 2-8-4 Berkshire type steam locomotives built for the Nickel Plate between 1934 and 1949 for fast freight duties. The Nickel Plate had 4 sub-classes of 2-8-4s corresponding to which order the locomotive was in, these were designated S through S-3, 759, is a member of the third order of 2-8-4s, classified S-2.


Much of 759's original career on the Nickel Plate is obscure at best, but it is known that in May 1958, 759 entered the Nickel Plate's Conneaut, Ohio shops for a complete overhaul which turned out to be the last overhaul of a steam locomotive on the Nickel Plate. After the overhaul was completed, 759 was never fired up and instead was put into storage.


759 was purchased by steam locomotive enthusiast, F. Nelson Blount on October 16, 1962 and subsequently moved to Steamtown, U.S.A. in North Walpole, New Hampshire with the rest of his collection. It would later be moved across the Connecticut River to Bellows Falls, Vermont.


In 1967 a commodities broker from New York named Ross Rowland, who had previously leased another one of Blount's locomotives, made a deal that would return the 759 to service for steam powered fan trips hosted by Rowland's High Iron Company. 759 was taken to the Norfolk & Western Railroad's former Nickel Plate roundhouse in Conneaut, OH, the same place the 759 was last serviced. After a short restoration and subsequent testing, 759 pulled its first excursion for the High Iron Company on August 30, 1968 when she pulled a 15 car excursion to Buffalo, New York.


In 1969, 759 was painted blue and gold for a special train celebrating the 100th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike. This train, dubbed the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, would take 759 as far away as Omaha, Nebraska. After returning home from the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, 759 was returned to her Nickel Plate Road livery and ran two excursions for Steamtown, one of which was to Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown's future home.


The 759 would join the rest of the Steamtown collection in 1984 when it was moved from Bellows Falls, Vermont to Scranton, Pennsylvania. After the move to Scranton, 759 would be placed on display in the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western rail yard with the rest of the collection. In 1988, Steamtown and most of its collection became part of the newly formed Steamtown National Historic Site.


Nickel Plate Road 759 is now a static display at Steamtown, more often than not being on display inside the refurbished DL&W roundhouse. 759 is easily seen from the walk way Steamtown put inside the roundhouse to allow visitors to see the work going on. It is also the largest locomotive in the roundhouse with only a foot or two of clearance at either end making it notoriously difficult if not impossible to get a photo of the whole locomotive.


759 was one of the two American built steam locomotives considered by Steamtown to be restored to operating condition, the other being Boston and Maine 3713, which was ultimately chosen over 759, most likely due to clearance issues on the turntable (in order for 759 to fit, all of the safety railings that surround the turntable pit in the areas open to visitors have to be removed).


In 2010, 759 was among the several steam locomotives in Steamtown's collection to undergo removal of her asbestos insulation. Asbestos was used by railroads and locomotive manufacturers as boiler insulation. In addition to having the asbestos removed, 759 had all new jacketing (cladding in UK terminology) applied as well as her bell, which had been in storage re-installed.


While it is possible to restore 759 to operational condition, Steamtown has stated that they have little interest in restoring 759, citing that it is too large for their use and that another Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4, No. 765, is already operational. For now, 759 sits safely on display out of the elements in Steamtown's roundhouse, being the largest non-articulated steam locomotive at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.


The Oregon Pony was the first steam locomotive to be built on the Pacific Coast and the first to be used in the Oregon Territory. The locomotive, a geared steam 5' gauge locomotive with 9"X18" cylinders and 34" drivers, was used in the early 1860s to portage steamboat passengers and goods past the Cascades Rapids, a dangerous stretch of the Columbia River now drowned by the Bonneville Dam. Steamboats provided transportation on the Columbia between Portland, Oregon and mining areas in Idaho and the Columbia Plateau. Portage was also necessary at other navigation obstructions, including Celilo Falls.


San Francisco's Vulcan Iron Works built the wood-burning engine in 1861 for $4,000. Weighing only 8 tons and only 14.5 feet long, the "Oregon Pony" arrived in Oregon in 1862 and made her initial run on May 10, 1862 with engineer Theodore A. Goffe at the throttle. It replaced flat cars running on rails, equipped with benches for passengers and pulled by mules for 4.5 miles over iron-reinforced wooden rails for the Oregon Portage Railway. Shortly after the "Oregon Pony" was put into service, canopies were added to protect the passengers and their goods from the hot, sooty water that rained down on everything as the locomotive operates. The engine moved nearly 200 tons a day between the Cascades and Bonneville.


The railway was bought by Oregon Steam Navigation Company (OSN). The company consolidated its Cascades rail portage monopoly on the Washington side of the Columbia River and moved the "Oregon Pony" to The Dalles, where it may have been used for portages around Celilo Falls.


In 1866, OSN sold the locomotive and it was returned to San Francisco for work filling and grading the streets of that city. After the "Oregon Pony" was damaged in a 1904 fire, the owner partially restored it and donated it to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon. It was displayed at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition and afterward at the Albina Railyard. In the 1930s, the "Oregon Pony" was moved to Union Station; it was returned to Cascade Locks in 1970. The Port of Cascade Locks funded a 1981 restoration and built a permanent, covered display.


The "Oregon Pony" is currently owned by the State of Oregon and is preserved in a climate controlled exhibition chamber next to the Cascade Locks Historical Museum at the Marine Park, Cascade Locks. In February 2016, "Trains Magazine" reported that the Union Pacific Railroad donated $10000 for a new shelter for the "Oregon Pony".


A decade later, 6325 had sat in static display with very little maintenance. In 1985, fundraising began to restore the engine. The locomotive, the siding it sat on and the fence surrounding it were all sold for $1 to 6325 Turntable, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to restore it. After moving it in October 1986 from its display location to a track at Franklin Iron & Metal Co., work soon began to restore the locomotive to operable status. In 1992 the small Michigan restoration group was notified by the GTW/Canadian National railroad that 6325 would have to be moved from its current siding. With little volunteers, low money and no place to call home, the Greater Battle Creek foundation was through.


In stepped Jerry J. Jacobson of the Ohio Central Railroad System (OHCR) who purchased 6325 in 1993 and moved it to OHCR's steam shops at Morgan Run. But it wasn't until 1998 that restoration efforts began and on July 31, 2001, 6325 moved for the first time under its own power in 42 years. Jacobson sold his interest in OHCR in 2008, kept his vintage locomotives and began construction on large roundhouse, the Age of Steam Roundhouse, in Sugarcreek, Ohio, in order to house his collection. As of March 2012, No. 6325 remains in Jacobson's collection.


6325 has one surviving sister engine, GTW 6323, which is famous for being the last GTW steam engine to run on GTW rails, under GTW ownership. GTW 6323 is on display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.


GTW 6327 was another well known sister engine, the 6327 is known for being the last steam engine to run in Port Huron, Michigan, as well as pulling the last steam train there. 6327 was among the last of GTW's steam engines still operating when the railroad dieselized in 1960 and it was scrapped that year.


Soo Line 353 is a restored 0-6-0 type steam locomotive of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (“Soo Line”) B-4 class. It is now owned & operated by WMSTR (Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion) every Labor Day weekend.


In 1965, it was donated to the Minnesota Transportation Museum, where it was stored until 1972 when it was sold to the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion, whose volunteers restored it to operation in 1978 for use during their threshing show at Rollag, Minnesota.


Santa Fe 2926 is a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) class 2900 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive originally built in 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. This locomotive was part of the last group of steam passenger locomotives built for the Santa Fe railway. This class of locomotives were the heaviest 4-8-4's built in the United States and among the largest. The railroad used the locomotive in both fast freight and passenger service, accumulating over one million miles of usage before its last revenue run on December 24, 1953. The locomotive and a caboose were donated to the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1956 in recognition of the city's 250th anniversary, and placed in Coronado Park.


The city displayed the locomotive as a static exhibit in the park until it was sold to the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society on July 26, 1999. On June 23, 2000, the locomotive was moved by Messer Construction Company to a BNSF Railway rail siding just south of Menaul Boulevard. Subsequently, in May, 2002, the locomotive was moved by the railroad to its current location near the intersection of 8th Street and Haines Avenue where it is undergoing restoration to operating condition by the Society. When the restoration is completed, No. 2926 will be the largest operating 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive in the United States. Norfolk and Western 611 is currently the largest operating 4-8-4 "Northern" type locomotive.


On February 11, 2016, House Memorial 100, introduced by Don L. Tripp, and adopted by the New Mexico State Legislature recognized the Santa Fe No. 2926 steam locomotive as New Mexico's steam locomotive and a representative of the Railroads' contributions to the economic and cultural growth and stature of New Mexico.


In January 2018, it was reported that the restoration was nearing completion and that the locomotive could potentially be operational by the end of the year. As of that date, NMSL&RHS members had put in 166,000 hours of volunteer labor and spent over $2.8 million on the project.


On August 20, 2018, the boiler of ATSF No. 2926 was fired up for the first time in 63 years. The locomotive was scheduled for a test run on March 20, 2020, when it would move under its own power for the first time since 1953. However, that event and most other restoration efforts were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico.


The locomotive has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since October 1, 2007.


E.J. Lavino and Company No. 3 is an inoperable steam locomotive preserved at Steamtown National Historic Site. It was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1927 as Poland Springs Railroad No. 2. No record exists that the locomotive was ever delivered to Poland Springs. In any case, it is known to have been sold to the E.J. Lavino Steel Company of Sheridan, Pennsylvania sometime by 1949. In 1966, the locomotive was donated to F. Nelson Blount and Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont in 1966. A sister , E.J. Lavino and Company 10, is at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum.


Southern Pacific #8 is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1907.


It was originally built for the Nevada–California–Oregon Railway as their second #8, and was sold to Southern Pacific in 1929. She spent the rest of its career hauling passengers and freight along Southern Pacific's Keeler Branch. The locomotive, along with sisters #9 and #18 were nicknamed "The Desert Princesses", having served the desert areas of Nevada and California.


In 1954, an GE 50 Ton diesel locomotive was purchased, relegating steam power on the Southern Pacific's narrow-gauge line to backup duty. Locomotive #8 was retired in 1955 after 48 years of service and donated to the State of Nevada. It is now preserved and on display in Lillard Park at Sparks, Nevada.


Southern Pacific 2472 is a 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1921. SP No. 2472 is one of three surviving Southern Pacific 4-6-2 Pacific locomotives, the other two bring Nos. 2467 and 2479. The 4-6-2 designation means it has 4 leading wheels, 6 driving wheels, and 2 trailing wheels.


SP 2472 and the other "Pacific" locomotives served the "Overland Route" from Ogden, Utah, to Oakland, California. On November 30, 1929, SP's Ogden shops added a feedwater heater to the locomotive, which increased its overall weight to . SP 2472 again underwent a rebuild at SP's Bayshore shops in Brisbane, California (San Mateo County), completed on November 26, 1940, which increased its boiler pressure to and its tractive effort to .


After being replaced by the 4-8-2 "Mountain" type locomotives, 2472 and all other Pacific locomotives were sent to work Sacramento-Oakland passenger trains and San Francisco-San Jose commute trains, along with occasional freight service. This locomotive was retired from regular revenue service on February 7, 1957, during Southern Pacific's dieselization, and on April 10, 1959, 2472 was donated to San Mateo County, which put the unit on static display at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. It remained there until 1976 when a group of volunteers decided to restore the locomotive.


Restoration work was completed in May 1991 just in time to participate in "Railfair 91", which took place in Sacramento, and featured other famous steam locomotives, such as Southern Pacific GS-4 4-8-4 "Northern" 4449, Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4 844, Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 "Challenger" 3985, Union Pacific 0-6-0 4466, and British Great Northern Railway J13 0-6-0 tank locomotive 1247. In the 1990s and early 2000s, 2472 pulled several excursions and Caltrain specials such as the "Toys for Tots", and double-headed on an excursion in 1992 (during the NRHS Convention) with the 4449.


SP 2472 received Federal Railroad Administration-mandated boiler work at Hunters Point Naval Base in San Francisco, during 2005–06 when the Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM) was located there. The GGRM and all other tenants at Hunter's Point had to leave the former navy base in 2006 due to redevelopment. The initial equipment move took place in February 2006, although an extended lease on the shop building allowed work to continue on 2472 for ten more months. On December 31, 2006, SP 2472 and the remaining pieces of GGRM rolling stock completed relocation to the Niles Canyon Railway located in Sunol, California, on the east side of San Francisco Bay.


The locomotive became serviceable in February 2008, and was stored in Niles Canyon at the Brightside Yard between operations. SP 2472 has operated in Niles Canyon, usually on Memorial Day weekends and Labor Day weekends, and on other dates as announced.


In Spring 2015, the Golden Gate Railroad Museum announced that they will be leaving Niles Canyon and SP 2472 would pull the last excursions in Niles Canyon on the 2015 Labor Day weekend. The relocation move of SP 2472 to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Schellville, California started on March 1, 2020 when the P-8 Pacific-type steam locomotive, along with two former Southern Pacific Railroad diesel locomotives (both in operating condition) that belong to GGRM, were towed by two Union Pacific locomotives towards Schellville. The remaining pieces of GGRM rolling stock will also be moved from Niles Canyon to Schellville at a date yet to be announced.


Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 5 "Little Buttercup" (former ATSF #2419, Santa Fe Terminal #1) is an 0-4-0 steam locomotive.


"Little Buttercup" was originally built in 1899 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as an 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive for the Santa Fe Terminal Railway as their #1. The SFT was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, operating under the moniker of the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railway, was designed to run a terminal operation in the China Basin around San Francisco, California. It was absorbed into the ATSF system in 1902, and SFT #1 became ATSF #2419. She was then moved to the shops at Needles, California to work there as the "shop goat," and was renumbered at least 3 more times till finally running with the road number #9419 in 1948.


That same year was the Chicago Railroad Fair, and Santa Fe had chosen #9419 to be their exhibition engine. She was rebuilt into a tender engine with an 1800s "Old West" style appearance with a diamond smokestack, gaining the #5 and the name "Little Buttercup," after a 4-4-0 locomotive that had previously carried the name. That one had been scrapped in 1899. After 1948, the Santa Fe had kept "Little Buttercup" in storage, along with some ancient wooden coaches, for exhibitions and special events. She was the star a few commercials for the ATSF, even starring with Randolph Scott in the 1951 film "Santa Fe" where she was driven by a Native American chief.


"Little Buttercup" was eventually donated with the rest of the ATSF's historical collection to the California State Railroad Museum in 1986, where she attended their famed "Railfair" event the same year. The locomotive is now on long-term loan to the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation, and is currently on display in their Trolley Barn at the History Park at Kelley Park.


Flagg Coal Company 75 is a 0-4-0 saddletank steam locomotive built for the Flagg Coal Company in 1930. Restored and owned by John and Byron Gramling, the engine was loaned in 2002 to the Steam Railroading Institute where it is used for demonstrations and for powering train rides and excursions. Originally numbered Flagg Coal Company 2, the locomotive's number was changed to 75 when it was sold to the Solvay Process Quarry in 1935. It never actually wore "Flagg Coal Company 75" during its service life.


Flagg Coal Company 75 has traveled around the country to operate, give demonstrations and educate the public about steam locomotive operation and history. The locomotive has made a few historic appearances, such as being the first steam locomotive to operate in Port Huron, Michigan, since the early 1960s.


Atlantic was the name of a very early American steam locomotive built by inventor and foundry owner Phineas Davis for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1832. It is in fact the first commercially successful and practical American built locomotive and class prototype, and Davis' second constructed for the B&O, his first having won a design competition contest announced by the B&O in 1830.


Built at a cost of $4,500, the "Atlantic" weighed and had two vertical cylinders. It was commissioned after Davis' entry had won the competition for a steam locomotive design, but the contract was awarded to the inventor of the Tom Thumb; when the five locomotives commissioned failed the contracted delivery, B&O bought out the patents. A few of these were incorporated in the Atlantic by Davis, whether by specification or because Davis wanted them is unclear. The locomotives he delivered before his death in 1835 were the first commercially feasible, sufficiently efficient coal burning steam locomotives produced domestically in the United States and placed into traction service.


Ox teams were used to convey the engine to Baltimore, where it made a successful inaugural trip to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, a distance of . Nicknamed the 'Grasshopper' for its distinctive horizontal beam and long connecting rods, the locomotive carried of steam and burned of anthracite coal on a trip from Baltimore. Satisfied with this locomotive's operations, the B&O built 20 more locomotives of a similar design at its Mt. Clare shops in Baltimore. Despite this success, the "Atlantic" prototype engine was scrapped in 1835 after the death of Phineas Davis. The reason was unclear.


Southern Pacific Lines number 975 is a 2-10-2 type of steam locomotive, built in 1918 by American Locomotive Company at the former Brooks Locomotive Works plant in Dunkirk, New York. It entered service on Southern Pacific subsidiary Texas and New Orleans Railroad in March 1918, where it worked until its retirement in 1957.


The T&NO donated the locomotive to the city of Beaumont, Texas, on February 2, 1957, with the project spearheaded by then Mayor Jimmie P. Cokinos. 975 is now preserved in static display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. It is one of only two Southern Pacific locomotives of this wheel arrangement to be preserved; the other is 982 moved to Union Station, Minute Maid Baseball Park in Houston, Texas in 2005.


Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 2755 is a standard gauge steam railway locomotive of the 2-8-4 type, called "Berkshire" by most US railroads, but "Kanawha" by the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O). It is one of a total of ninety built by


ALCO (which built seventy) and Lima (which built the remaining twenty, including 2755) between 1943 and 1947.


A Berkshire type was the first of the Lima Super Power locomotives in 1925 and these followed in that tradition, with all the latest equipment -- Schmidt superheater, Elesco feedwater heater, booster on the trailing truck, roller bearings, and so forth. They carried Baker valve gear, which the C&O preferred to the simpler and much more widely used Walschaerts valve gear.


It spent its nine-year working life hauling coal on the various mine branches out of Logan, West Virginia, usually to the Ohio River at Russell, Kentucky. Its last known run was from Handley, West Virginia, to Russell on January 18, 1956.


After refurbishing at the Huntington, West Virginia, shops in the fall of 1960, it was delivered to its present location in Chief Logan State Park in March 1961. It was seriously vandalized in the late 1970s or early 1980s, with the glass broken and gauges stolen or destroyed. It has been repaired and fenced for protection. The Island Creek Model Railroad Club acts as curators.


The locomotive was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 as Chesapeake and Ohio 2755 Steam Locomotive.


The Canadian National  47 is a preserved class "X-10-a" 4-6-4T type tank locomotive located at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is one of only three preserved CN 4-6-4Ts (CN  49 at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec and CN  46 at Vallée-Jonction, Quebec) and is the only Baltic-type suburban tank locomotive remaining in the United States.


The locomotive was put on static display in North Walpole after its last run and was later moved across the Connecticut River with the rest of the Steamtown, U.S.A. collection to Bellows Falls, Vermont.  47 was later moved with the rest of the collection to the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where it currently remains on static display today.


The Santa Fe 2900 Class was a series of 30 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotives built between 1943 and 1944 for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and pulled freight and passenger trains until retirement in the mid to late 1950s.


Today, six 2900s survive, with most on static display and one, No. 2926, being restored to operating condition. Once fully restored, it will be the largest operating 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive in the United States.


Being built during World War II, wartime shortages of material resulted in ordinary metals being used for their construction. This resulted in the class being the heaviest Northerns ever built. They out-weighed their nearest rivals by over 2000 pounds. They have Timken roller bearing on all axles.


Though they were designed to haul passenger trains, wartime exigencies required that they haul freight until the war ended. After the war, they hauled passenger trains such as the Scout and Grand Canyon Limited. After diesels took over, the class was retired by 1959.


The Reuben Wells is a steam locomotive in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Beginning in 1868, it operated for 30 years in Madison, Indiana, pushing train cars up the steepest "standard-gauge main-track grade" in the United States.


The "Reuben Wells" is a helper locomotive that was built in 1868. It was designed to push train cars up the 5.89% incline of Madison Hill in Madison, Indiana, the steepest segment of main-track in the United States. Weighing , it was the most powerful locomotive in the world at the time. It is long. The locomotive is named after its designer, engineer Reuben Wells.


After the "Reuben Wells" was completed in the railroad shops in 1868, it pushed train cars up Madison Hill for thirty years before it was retired in 1898. It stayed in reserve for another seven years before it was retired permanently and sent to Purdue University in 1905. In the years that followed the "Reuben Wells" was included in several exhibitions, including the Chicago World's Fair in 1933–34 and the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948–49. Afterward, it remained in Pennsylvania at Penn Central Railroad Company railroad yards. In 1968, the "Reuben Wells" was brought back to Indiana, where it was placed on permanent display at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.


No. 1309 was built from a 40-year-old design, with mechanical lubricators, stoker, and superheater, the last of a series of 2-6-6-2s that the C&O began in 1911. A very similar design, the USRA 2-6-6-2, was chosen by the United States Railroad Administration as one of its standard designs thirty years earlier during World War I.


The Chesapeake and Ohio ordered 25 of these engines in 1948 to pull coal trains. When coal production dramatically fell due to labor unrest in 1949, the order was revised to just ten engines (numbered 1300 to 1309), and 1309 became the last domestic steam locomotive built by Baldwin.


The Western Maryland's restoration, which began in July 2014, includes returning all parts to meet or exceed original specifications. The railroad claims the engine will be "better and more reliable than it was in 1949". The engine and tender were disassembled and then rebuilt with new parts where necessary. The engine's cab and floors were among the pieces replaced.


In April 2016, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 734, an ex-Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type, was taken out of excursion service, as it was about due for a 1,472-day boiler inspection required by the Federal Railroad Administration. Without a steam locomotive to operate or maintain, most of the railroad's money would be focused on 1309's proceeding restoration work.


In early January 2017, the railroad said the reassembly process at the shop in Ridgeley, West Virginia would begin that month and announced that the inaugural trip of the restored engine would be on July 1, 2017; it began selling tickets for the excursion. That schedule was not met due to funding issues. The railroad had spent $800,000 but needed a matching grant of $400,000 from the state of Maryland to continue work.


In August 2017, planned operation in November was further delayed until 2018 after corrosion was found on the locomotive's axles requiring additional work on the axles, wheel boxes, and crank pins.


Restoration almost stopped in the fall of 2017 due to a lack of funding, although work on the wheels continued with donations.


The railroad announced in November 2017 that restoration had stopped. $400,000 provided by the state of Maryland had been spent and the railroad estimated it would take at least $530,000 more to complete the restoration, including $120,000 for the running gear and $115,000 for the boiler. The railroad was soliciting donations from individuals, seeking additional grants, and raising money with "freight photo charters".


In January 2018, Maryland state senator Wayne Norman proposed that Allegany County provide $530,000 to complete the restoration. The senator said there would be an economic benefit to the county in tourism, even drawing people from Europe and Asia. The county provides a $140,000 annual operating subsidy to the railroad, matched by $250,000 from the state of Maryland.


In February 2018, the restoration project suffered another setback when the railroad learned that an employee had stolen parts, including bronze bearings and wear plates, and sold them for scrap at a salvage yard. The thefts were discovered by the Allegany County Sheriff's Office after they were alerted by the scrap yard. Stolen parts included 12 original crown brasses and 12 hub liners. The parts would have to be remade as they were damaged during removal. The scrap yard had paid the employee a total of $14,662 for the parts, some of which weighed . Formal charges have been filed against the employee.


In June 2018, the boiler passed a hydrostatic test required by the Federal Railroad Administration. The boiler was pressurized to 25% above its maximum operation pressure of . Stationary test firings to check for boiler leaks occurred several months later. The restoration had cost $1.8 million as of mid-2018, including $800,000 provided by the state of Maryland. The Western Maryland Scenic General Manager estimated the final cost will be $2.4 million.


In September 2019, the project was again halted due to a lack of funds shortly after the front drivers were attached to the engine. The railroad said it would no longer make estimates of when the restoration will be complete. The total spent on the project was at $2.8 million.


In February 2020, a new Crowdfunding campaign has been announced to try and raise the remaining $390,000 needed to finish the restoration. Once the money is raised, the organizers claim the restoration can be completed in six months. In early May 2020, restoration work resumed. A successful fund raising effort promoted by Trains Magazine raised over $100,000.00 to get the work started again. The WMSR estimates they are still around $200,000.00 short of completing the work and developing a fund to cover initial operating expenses and facilities for fuel, water, and ash removal to name a few items.


On December 31, 2020, the restoration has finally been completed and the locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in 64 years as part of a series of test runs to return it to operating condition. After the WMSR completes some track work to accommodate No. 1309's extra-heavy weight, the locomotive will enter excursion service hauling tourists later in 2021.


The Santa Cruz Railroad no. 3 is a narrow gauge steam locomotive in Washington D.C.. It is one of three preserved Baldwin Class 8/18 C locomotives in the United States, the other two being the North Pacific Coast Railroad no. 12, the "Sonoma" displayed at the California State Railroad Museum, and the Eureka and Palisade Railroad no. 4, the "Eureka" which is privately owned, the latter of which it is the only operable example. It was common practice for American railroads of the 19th century to name their engines after Jupiter, "King of Gods", and other mythological figures to attract attention, thus the engine should not be confused with the engine of Golden Spike fame.


Norfolk and Western No. 1218 is a four-cylinder simple articulated steam locomotive with a 2-6-6-4 (Whyte system) wheel arrangement. The Norfolk & Western Railway built it in 1943 at its Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia and was part of the N&W's class "A" fleet of fast freight locomotives. It was retired from regular revenue service in 1959, it was later restored by Norfolk Southern Railway and operated it in excursion service from 1987 to 1991. Today, it is now on permanent static display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia and is very unlikely to run again due to several missing parts from its uncompleted 1992 to 1996 overhaul.


No. 1218 is the sole survivor of the Norfolk and Western's class A locomotives and the only surviving 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive in the world. While smaller than Union Pacific's famous and more numerous "Challenger" class of 4-6-6-4 locomotives, Norfolk and Western's design racked up unmatched records of performance in service.


During 1218's excursion career, it was the most powerful operational steam locomotive in the world, with a tractive effort of , well above Union Pacific 3985, the next-strongest-pulling operational steam locomotive, with a tractive effort of ). Since May 2019, however, No. 1218 became the locomotive with the second highest tractive effort, after Union Pacific 4014, which has a tractive effort of . Unlike diesel-electric locomotives of similar high tractive effort (for starting heavy trains) but typical for a steam locomotive, it could easily run at 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) and more.


Norfolk and Western used No. 1218 and the other class A locomotives primarily for fast freight trains, but they also pulled heavy coal trains on the flatter districts of the Norfolk & Western system, and reportedly even pulled heavy passenger trains at times.


In 1959, when No. 1218 was retired, it was purchased by the Union Carbide Co. in Charleston, West Virginia, where it was used as a stationary boiler at a chemical plant. In 1965, No. 1218 was repurchased by New England millionaire F. Nelson Blount for his locomotive collection at Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Three years later, its former owner Norfolk and Western did a cosmetic restoration on 1218 at their East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia (the same place where it was built). After that, it was put on display at the Roanoke Transportation Museum in 1971.


In 1982, the Norfolk and Western and the Southern Railway were both merged to form the new Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). On May 10, 1985, No. 1218 was moved out of the park by a pair of NS diesels to be restored to operating condition at the Norris Yard Steam Shop in Irondale, Alabama. In 1987, No. 1218 was moved under its power for the first time in 28 years and operated for main-line excursion service on Norfolk Southern's steam program. In 1989, it performed a rare doubleheader with Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 587, which was very recently restored to operation by the Indiana Transportation Museum, for the Asheville National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) convention.


In 1990, No. 1218 traveled to Saint Louis, Missouri, where it met up with locomotives Cotton Belt 4-8-4 No. 819, Frisco 4-8-2 No. 1522, and Union Pacific 4-8-4 No. 844 to participate in another rare NRHS convention, which took place at the former Union Station.


On November 3, 1991, during Norfolk Southern's 25th Anniversary of their Steam Program, No. 1218 joined Southern Railway MS Class 2-8-2 No. 4501 and Norfolk and Western J Class No. 611 to triple head a 28-car passenger excursion train from Chattanooga to Atlanta. At Ooltewah, Tennessee, No. 4501 took a few coaches for a complete round trip, turning around at Cleveland, Tennessee. Afterwards, No. 611 and No. 1218 completed the rest of the trip to Atlanta.


At the end of the 1991 season, No. 1218 returned to Irondale, Alabama for an extensive overhaul to have its flues replaced and the firebox repaired. Originally, the plan was to have the 1218 running again would be the start of the 1996 operating season, but Norfolk Southern chairman David R. Goode cancelled the steam program in 1994 due to serious safety concerns, rising insurance costs, the expense of maintaining steam locomotives, a yard switching accident with nine passenger cars in Lynchburg, Virginia, and decreasing rail network availability.


On June 11, 1988, No. 1218 struck a Dodge Ramcharger that had become stuck on the former NKP mainline while pulling a Roanoke Chapter NRHS “Independence Limited” between Portsmouth, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Indiana.


Today, No. 1218 is owned by the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia and is displayed in the museum's Claytor Pavilion. No. 1218 has been cosmetically restored, though not operational since the overhaul started in 1992 was never completed. Therefore, No. 1218 is very unlikely to ever run again anytime soon. Although the undertaking would be considerable, fans believe it to be capable of being returned to operation, with the incomplete boiler and firebox repairs being the primary scope of work remaining from the aborted overhaul. In 2007, Norfolk Southern pulled Nos. 1218 and 611 to its Roanoke Shops for the shops' 125th Anniversary celebration.


N&W Class J No. 611 resides at the museum when it is not running excursions or at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC, where it was restored to operating condition in 2015. The Virginia Transportation Museum owns No. 611 and operates the excursions as Norfolk Southern no longer operates a steam program, though they continue to recognize the excellent corporate public relations that derive from the excursions and have been very cooperative in coordinating such trips. In the meantime, No. 1218 continues to sit on display inside a shed, next to another former N&W steam locomotive, G-1 class No. 6.


Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 113, also known as CNJ No. 113, is an 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive originally built in June of 1923 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The locomotive was designed solely for yard service and could only operate at slow speeds due to the locomotive not having any leading or trailing wheels, but only six driving wheels (thus the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement). No. 113 currently performs passenger excursion services and some freight assignments on Reading Blue Mountain & Northern operated tracks. It is owned and operated by the Railway Restoration Project 113 Organization out of Minersville, PA.


Work to restore the locomotive to operating condition began in 1999 and it took more than twenty years for it to fully be operational again. The total cost to restore the engine was more than $600,000 and had countless hours of volunteer labor. No. 113 was also restored with minimal protection from the elements and no heavy machinery.


Many of the parts on the locomotive had long been missing before the restoration had even started. As a result, many of the parts had to be made from scratch since there had not been any commercial builders that produced parts for steam locomotives in decades. One example is how the volunteers had to make a wooden cast of the original three-chime whistle by measuring an original CNJ whistle which was available to them. The engine was finally fired up after more than five decades of inactivity in late fall of 2012. The Railway Restoration Project 113 Organization conducted a test-run on the same day with the engine also doing some more test-runs in 2013 and 2014.


Southern Pacific 4294 is a class "AC-12" 4-8-8-2 Cab forward type steam locomotive that was owned and operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1944 and was used hauling SP's trains over the Sierra Nevada, often working on Donner Pass in California. Today it is preserved at the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM) in Sacramento, California.


No. 4294 was the last of 20 Southern Pacific class AC-12 4-8-8-2 cab forward locomotives in a larger series of 256 Southern Pacific articulated cab forwards starting with class AC-1. Articulated locomotives are essentially two locomotives sharing fire box, boiler and crew. The front locomotive has its cranks quartered 90 degrees apart. The front and rear drive axles are free to roll out of phase with respect to each other. If unloaded, the locomotive has a vertical oscillation, near 50 mph, that can lift the tires above the rails.


The cab forward design was useful in the long tunnels and snow sheds of Donner Pass and other mountainous regions where it kept smoke, heat, and soot away from the operating crew, allowing them to breathe clean air in such enclosed spaces. It entered service on March 19, 1944 and was retired from active service on March 5, 1956.


The SP was convinced to preserve one of the class and donated No. 4294 to the City of Sacramento, California, where it was put on outdoor display October 19, 1958 at the SP station next to the "C. P. Huntington", the railroad's first locomotive. Construction for Interstate 5 necessitated a move for the locomotive and it was stored in the SP shops until May 1981. At that time it was moved again, this time to its current location, the California State Railroad Museum, where it remains on static display.


Had it not been for the negotiating efforts of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in the 1950s, No. 4294 likely would have been scrapped along with all of the other SP cab forward locomotives. As a result, No. 4294 is the only SP cab forward that has been preserved.


At one time, it was hoped that No. 4294 could be restored to operating condition. According to CSRM personnel, the biggest impediments toward such a project are the estimated costs and the current policies of both Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway in regards to operations. The cost of such a restoration is estimated between $1 million and $1.5 million, an amount that the museum feels would be prohibitive given the current prospects for its eventual operation.


No. 587 was originally built for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad (LE&W) and originally numbered as 5541. When LE&W was bought by Nickel Plate Road in 1922 the NKP spent the next 2 years consolidating and standardizing the locomotive number system. In 1924, LE&W 5541 was renumbered as NKP 587. Its cylinders were replaced with Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) castings during its late 1943 overhaul.


NKP No. 587 served on the NKP railroad for 37 years on the route from Indianapolis to Michigan City. The locomotive remained relatively unchanged from its original design and operated until March 1955 when it was retired.


On September 9th 1955, NKP 587 was donated to the city of Indianapolis and put on display in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to being put on display, the locomotive's original tender was switched with another NKP steam engine No. 639, because the tender on 639 was in need of repair and 587's original tender was in good mechanical condition. No. 587 was originally equipped with the 16-ton, 10,000 gallon tender used behind USRA 2-8-2s, but in the 1930s, it received a larger 16RA tender used on many NKP engines. This tender carried 19 tons of coal and 16,500 gallons of water. It is identifiable by having a six-wheel truck under the coal bunker and a four-wheel truck under the water cistern.


In 1934, Lima Locomotive Works delivered 25 22RA tenders to the NKP for Mikados. These tenders were nearly identical to those behind the Berkshires (2-8-4) built by Lima.


In 1955, another Mikado, No. 639 was shopped with a 22RA tender on which the stoker was inoperable, and the railroad switched tenders to keep the No. 639 running. No. 587 was displayed in Indianapolis's Broad Ripple Park with the larger 22RA tender in 1955. No. 639 was retired in 1957 and displayed in Bloomington, Illinois with No. 587's 16RA tender.


NKP No. 587 remained in Broad Ripple Park until October 1983. At that time the city of Indianapolis was interested in building a new public library in the park, but the only available location was where the 587 was displayed.


A group of people called "Friends of 587" did a feasibility study and determined that the locomotive was a good project for restoration. The locomotive was then leased by the Indianapolis Parks Department to the Indiana Transportation Museum.


From October of 1983 to September 1988 the Indiana Transportation Museum leased a work area at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops. During restoration the museum was surprised to find that when the welds holding the fire box doors closed (for safety purposes) were removed there were still ashes in the ashpan. This indicated that the locomotive was simply pulled from active service and stored until being donated to the city of Indianapolis.


Restoration consumed many thousands of volunteer hours and nearly $250,000 in donated money and materials. NKP No. 587 returned to active service on September 17, 1988 by pulling an excursion train from Indianapolis to Logansport, Indiana.


No. 587 was operated by the Indiana Transportation Museum and was considered its crown jewel. It was used primarily to pull the museum's fair train from Fishers, IN to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, IN and other special events.


In 1989, No. 587 teamed up with N&W 611 to pull the annual Independence Limited from Rocky River, Ohio to Roanoke, Virginia over a 4 day period from June 17th through 20th, with 587 being added at Bellevue, Ohio. On July 16th of 1989, 587 joined 611 and Norfolk and Western 1218 to led a tripleheader from Roanoke to Lynchburg, Virginia for the National Railway Historical Society(NRHS) Convention held in Asheville, North Carolina. The 587 led two excursions for the Convention, one of them with 1218. In October 1988-89 and 1993, The 587 made runs down to Bloomington, Indiana along with a side trip over Tulip Trestle, 20 miles west of Bloomington.


The locomotive was inside ITM's shop undergoing additional work. It was lifted several inches off its supporting trucks and running gear to allow access to the leaf springs and bushings without the need to drop all the drivers. The bushings will be removed and replaced as most have worn thin from years of use.


In 2008, the ownership of No. 587 was officially transferred from the Indianapolis Parks Department to the Indiana Transportation Museum.


In 1988, 587 was featured in a program by Berkshire Productions, that out lined its History, Restoration, Initial test runs along with it's 1988 Excursion season with Trips to Logansport, Indiana along with Trips down to Bloomington Indiana and a trip over Tulip Trestle. the 587 also was featured in the Popular series I Love Toy Trains that reused footage from the Berkshire Productions program.


In 2000, No. 587 was selected as the starring locomotive to appear in the children's movie "Old 587: The Great Train Robbery". In the film, a group of kids find the locomotive in a scrapyard. With the help of the locomotive's old engineer, they rescue the 587 from being cut up for scrap, and they donate her to a museum.


Most railroads called their 4-8-4s "Northerns", which is short for the railroad first using the 4-8-4 type, Northern Pacific Railroad. The workers of the C&O could not see naming these locomotives "Northerns" as the railroad was based in the southeast. The famous Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a major resort on the C&O mainline, was the inspiration for the name "Greenbrier" applied to these 4-8-4s.


After just one year of revenue freight service, No. 614 was retired again and it was placed in storage with a group of other C&O steam locomotives in the form of a ‘scrap line’ in front of the C&O diesel shops in Russell, Kentucky where it remained for almost two decades.


In 1975, No. 614, as well as 2-8-4 Kanawha No. 2705 and 2-6-6-2 No. 1309, were sent to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and were cosmetically restored for static display, although in 2014, No. 1309 was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland and restored to operating condition on December 31, 2020.


In 1992, Rowland's vision of the "21st Century Limited" was taking shape. To give the public an idea of the train, one side of 614 was decorated in a futuristic way with a blue streamlined shrouding and centered headlight. The 614 also came back to its former home at the B&O Railroad Museum for temporary display. In 1995, 614 was moved to the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in New Hope, Pennsylvania for a complete overhaul. It was then used for a series of popular excursions between Hoboken, New Jersey and Port Jervis, New York in conjunction with New Jersey Transit (NJT) between 1996 and 1998.


The 614 was required to pull 26 cars at 79 mph on some sections, and maintain speed up several hills. During this time, the 614 was equipped with cab signals, 26L brakes, speed control and an MU stand. The 614 was moved to storage on the Reading and Northern Railroad in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. In 2000. Rowland put the 614 up for auction at the NJT maintenance facility, but no buyers were interested. The locomotive is still maintained by Iron Horse Enterprises, the most recent servicing of the locomotive being in 2006.


Southern Pacific 1237 is an S-10 class 0-6-0 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The locomotive was put in service August 31, 1918, and retired August 19, 1956, it was donated to the City of Salinas, California by the Southern Pacific Railroad, in the summer of 1957. 1237 is an oil fired yard switcher.


The locomotive is stationed east of Amtrak Depot in Salinas, California. The Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad Club cares for the locomotive and has done a static restoration of it.


Southern Pacific Railroad 2467 is one of 15 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921 for the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), designated the P-8 class. No. 2467 was retired from service in 1956. On July 25, 1960, the locomotive was donated to Oakland, California, where it was placed on display at the Harrison Railroad Park. In July 1990 a restoration began by the Project 2467 Inc which later merged into the Pacific Locomotive Association. In June 1999 it was returned to operation and made an appearance at Railfair 1999. Although serviceable, SP 2467 is currently on static display while on loan from its operator, Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc., to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.


Southern Pacific 2467 has two surviving siblings. P-8 class Southern Pacific 2472 is owned by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum and once operated on occasional services at the Niles Canyon Railway until 2015. It is now at the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. P-10 class Southern Pacific 2479 is owned by the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation and is undergoing restoration to operating condition at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, California.


New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999


New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999 is a 4-4-0 “American” type steam locomotive built for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1893, which was intended to haul the road's Empire State Express train service. It is claimed that in 1893 No. 999 was the first in the world to travel over 100 mph, although some dispute the accuracy of this record.


New York Central's Chief Superintendent of Motive Power & Rolling Stock, William Buchanan, had designed a class of 4-4-0 locomotives known as the Class "I", which were already capable of reaching high speeds, so it was simply a matter of making some modifications to an existing design. In 1893, locomotive #999 rolled out of the New York Central's West Albany Shops.


The 999 was mounted on diameter driving wheels rather than the driving wheels mounted on other engines of the class, and was the first of its kind to have brakes mounted to the front truck. The bands, pipes, and trim were highly polished; the boiler, smokestack, domes, cab, and tender were given a black satin finish, and "Empire State Express" was applied to the sides of the tender in high gold leaf lettering.


One contemporary magazine stated: "The information as to this seemed at that writing to be authentic, but since then a good deal of doubt, in which we share, has been thrown on the stated performance. We were misinformed as to the use of the speed indicator on the engine for one thing, and a careful consideration of all the conditions make the speed given improbable."


Over 3,000 gauge scale replicas (most of which were made by the Cagney Brothers and thus were referred to as "Cagneys") were sold at $1,500 each and shipped to amusement parks as far away as South Africa and Thailand; one such unit, nicknamed the "Little Puffer" is in service today at the Fleischaker Zoo in San Francisco, California. Manufacturers of electric train sets began putting No. 999 on their locomotives.


After the fair the engine continued to pull the "Express" between Buffalo and Syracuse. When the engine was sent to other parts of the road it was found to be slippery and hard to handle when pulling more than five cars. It was rebuilt with the same 70 inch drivers as the other engines of the class. In the 1920s it was given a new boiler and tender, operating local and branch line trains until 1924, when it was restored for exhibition at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's "Fair of the Iron Horse" the following year.


Once there, while its preservation was assured, the engine was displayed outside where exposure to elements had taken its toll over the years. In 1993, the museum underwent a major renovation. This project included a cosmetic restoration of number 999, and it was placed inside the museum's main hall. As displayed, the locomotive features its later 70" drivers as opposed to the original 86" drivers.


Robert Dollar Co. No. 3 is an operating steam locomotive on the Niles Canyon Railway. It is notable for having been the last wood-burning locomotive built for an American company.


The No. 3 was built new by the American Locomotive Company for the Walter A. Woodard Lumber Company in November 1927. The Woodard Company assigned the 3 to its sawmill in Cottage Grove, Oregon.


In 1942, the sawmill, and the locomotive along with it, was sold to J. H. Chambers & Son. They kept it for just four years before selling to facility and locomotive to the Lorane Valley Lumber Company in 1946. In 1951, the locomotive was sold again, to the Robert Dollar Lumber Company. The Robert Dollar company converted the locomotive to burn oil, and finally donated it to the San Francisco Maritime Museum Association.


The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park ended up not having much use for a locomotive, and she was leased in 1973 to the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association (it was eventually donated). The Western Railway Museum began restoration of the engine in 1979, but this project was not finished, and the disassembled No. 3 was donated to the Pacific Locomotive Association (Niles Canyon Railway).


Restoration on Robert Dollar Company No. 3 was completed in February 2007, and she has been operating in regular excursion service ever since. In a special event in 2009, she operated side by side with Southern Pacific 2472 and Union Pacific 844.


Robt. Dollar No. 3 - Niles Canyon Railway


Santa Fe 2913 is a 4-8-4 locomotive, part of the Santa Fe Class 2900. It was built in the 1940s and is on display in a park in Fort Madison, Iowa, having been donated to the town upon retirement. It is currently undergoing cosmetic restoration.


Florida East Coast Railway Locomotive No. 153


The Florida East Coast Railway Locomotive No. 153 is a historic Florida East Coast Railway 4-6-2 ALCO steam locomotive in Miami, Florida, USA.


Due to age and damage by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, she is currently out of service. On February 21, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is located at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, 12400 Southwest 152nd Street, Miami, FL.


Pere Marquette 1225 is a class "N-1" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in October 1941 for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio. No. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives, the other being 1223, which is on display at the Tri-Cities Historical Society near the ex-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) coaling tower in Grand Haven, Michigan. It is perhaps most famous for serving as the basis for the locomotive in the 2004 film, "The Polar Express".


The Pere Marquette Railway used No. 1225 in regular service from the locomotive's construction in 1941 until the railroad merged into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; it remained in use on C&O's Michigan lines until 1951. Slated for scrapping, 1225 was acquired by Michigan State University in 1957 and placed on static display.


In 1971, work began to restore No. 1225 to operational status, an effort that culminated in its first excursion run in 1988. The locomotive, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used on excursion trains over the former Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, now Great Lakes Central Railroad.


No. 1225 was built in 1941 by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM). PM ordered this type of locomotive in three batches from Lima: class N in 1937 (PM road numbers 1201–1215), class N-1 in 1941 (numbers 1216–1227) and class N-2 in 1944 (numbers 1228–1239). 1225 cost $200,000 to build in 1941 ($ in current dollars). The build was complete on December 6, 1941, and delivered to the Pere Marquette.


The locomotives remained on the roster through the PM's merger into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; class N locomotives were renumbered to 2685–2699, class N-1 to 2650–2661, and class N-2 to 2670–2681. Part of the merger agreement, however, included the stipulation that locomotives that were acquired and fully paid for by PM would remain painted for PM after the merger. Although all the Berkshires received new numbers, only class N engines were repainted into standard C&O livery and renumbered. The majority of the class N locomotives were scrapped between 1954 and 1957, but class N-1s 1223 and 1225 were both preserved.


For the first part of its service life, 1225 was used to shuttle steel and wartime freight between Detroit, Saginaw, Flint and northern Indiana steel mills.


Baker received the gift of the locomotive in 1957 when it was brought to campus. The locomotive remained on static display near Spartan Stadium on the Michigan State campus in East Lansing, Michigan for more than a decade. While on display, a child by the name of Chris Van Allsburg used to stop by the locomotive on football weekends, on his way to the game with his father. He later stated that the engine was the inspiration for the story, Polar Express.


The students fired up the boiler in 1975 and blew the 1225's whistle for the first time in two decades. The MSU Railroad Club had looked to engine 1223 at the State Fairgrounds for parts. The Michigan Railroad Club, then custodians of that engine, objected, so needed parts were fabricated. As of 2016, 1223 is preserved in a lakeside park in Grand Haven, Michigan.


In 1976, Chuck Julian talked to Dr. Baker about the locomotive. He asked Baker if he understood what members were asking in 1970, when they said that they wanted to restore the locomotive. Baker said that he fully understood. He thought that he would rather students be known for being involved in restoring a locomotive than known for protesting the war.


In 1977, Dr. Edgar Harden became the University Interim President. Chuck Julian, as President of the MSU Railroad Club, went to his reception and made an appointment to see him. Harden was asked about the engine's future. The Railroad Club had fired the engine and it was nearing operability. Harden said that the University was not interested in running a locomotive and if it was, it would be run by all university employees. He said that if the Railroad Club wanted to run the engine, it should form a 501(c)(3) corporation and then he would give the club the engine.


Dr. Harden said that if the Club could find another place on campus that was suitable, it could move the engine to it. He assigned Ted Simmons and the head of the Landscape Arts Department the task of working with Chuck Julian to find a place. They visited several places. Ted Simmons was not willing to give up a siding at Power Plant 65 for the engine. The Club would need to build one if it wanted one. The Club would not be able to build a cheap structure. If the Club or later the Trust wanted a structure, it would need to be built by contractors after the university approved the design.


This set Club members to looking for a new site. Several were looked at. The Ann Arbor Railroad had gone bankrupt at the time and the State of Michigan became the owner of its assets. Hank Londo spoke to his state Senator and arranged for the new Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation (MSTRP) to lease the Owosso engine shop. The engine and all of its equipment were then moved there. This was a great place to move because the engine shop had a lot of equipment that would be useful in restoring the engine.


The MSU Railroad Club and supporters of "Project 1225" formed the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation in 1978. Chuck Julian, then president of the MSU Railroad Club, became the Trust's first President. Soon after, the MSTRP was given ownership of 1225 by Michigan State University. The MSTRP moved 1225 to the former Ann Arbor Railroad steam backshop in Owosso in 1983.


1225 moved under its own power on November 30, 1985 for the first time since its retirement in 1951. The first excursion service occurred in 1988 on a 17-mile trip between Owosso and St. Charles, Michigan. In August 1991, 1225 along with NKP 765 pulled a 31-car passenger train during the National Railway Historical Society's annual convention in Huntington, West Virginia.


The Trust started using the name, Steam Railroading Institute because it was thought that this name better represented the goals of the organization. The official name is still Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation. The SRI name is registered as a DBA (Doing Business As), with the State of Michigan.


The flue failing was later repeated on December 5 of that year, so in January 2010, 1225 went down for its required 15-year inspection, and it was found that the firebox sheets had deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. That program was largely completed through small and large donations of funds and labor by the organization's supporters. Approximately $900,000 had spent on 1225's FRA overhaul and on October 20, 2013. 1225 will run again for another 15 years until 2028 when its next overhaul work is due.


As of 2014, 1225 operates excursion trains over the Great Lakes Central Railroad (formally Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway) several times per year, including operations that leave Owosso and going to locations such as Alma, Clare, Mt. Pleasant, and Cadillac, Michigan. Since 2004, 1225 has hauled winter weekend excursions to Ashley, Michigan between Thanksgiving and the middle of December, due to copyright issues, as the "North Pole Express."


No. 643 is the sole survivor of the H-1 class 2-10-4 of the BL&E, which were the world's most power steam locomotives with a rigid frame. It is also the closest and the last locomotive that resembles a CB&Q "Colorado" type. The size concerns that plagued its restoration ensured that No. 643 has held the dubious honor of being the only steam locomotive to be restored to operating condition without actually moving.


Upon arrival of the SC-1 class in 1916, the latter stole the B-4's title as the largest and most powerful consolidation ever built. No. 14 was possibly reassigned as a dock switcher in the docks in the Marquette division, and the locomotive operating in the mainline became less and less common, especially after being involved in a wash-out wreck roughly two months after the SC-1s arrived.


In 1963, the railroad sold twelve of their consolidations, as well as some of their passenger cars, to the Marquette and Huron Mountain Tourist Railroad. This was intended to give the old consolidations another chance on life for use in excursion service. However, there are no known records of the 29 pulling any trains for that railroad. Only some of its distant sister engines, Nos 19, 22, 23, and 24, were known to pull tourist trains there between Marquette and Big Bay. Instead, No. 29 sat with the rest of the 2-8-0s in the form of a 'scrapline', facing an uncertain future. The M&HM was shut down in 1984 when the line's owner passed away, and the remnants of their active roster were also retired.


In 1985, No. 29 was among a few of the 2-8-0s that were sold to the Ishpeming Steel Company for storage. Just a few months later, it was sold again along with No. 22 to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin for static display.


No. 29 received some minor to major modifications from as early as her revenue career for the LS&I in the early 1920s to as late as her excursion career for the GCRY in the mid 2010s.


No. 29 is the oldest LS&I locomotive that is preserved, as well as the only LS&I survivor to ever experience an accident. It is also the only surviving example of the LS&I’s SC-3 class.


No. 29 is the world’s only 2-8-0 to ever support a Worthington SA and the only 2-8-0 in the United States to support a Lempor ejector system.


Pennsylvania Railroad 520 is a 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in 1916 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Pennsylvania Railroad for freight duties as a member of the L1s class. In 1942, the locomotive was involved in a devastating boiler explosion incident that required construction of a new, replacement boiler. After being retired in 1957, the locomotive was saved for preservation and placed on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.


The L1s is a class of 2-8-2 steam locomotives that was developed in 1914 to replace the H9s-class. The L1s used boilers identical to the ones eventually used for Pennsylvania Railroad's famed K4s-class steam locomotives. Most L1s locomotives were moved to other duties when the I1s was introduced in 1924.


520 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in December 1916. While pulling freight from Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Conway, Pennsylvania, on November 14, 1942, during World War 2 the boiler on 520 exploded near Cresson. The explosion killed both the engineer and the brakeman, injured the fireman and conductor, and shattered windows on a nearby house. Two occupants of the house were also injured by scalding water and flying embers, which also set a rug on fire. The force of the blast derailed the tender and six tank cars. 520 was eventually repaired and placed back into service.


On October 20, 1957, 520 pulled a "railfan special" out of Baltimore, Maryland, from Enola to Northumberland, Pennsylvania. After a round trip from Northumberland to Enola, it was retired to the Pennsylvania Railroad's collection of historical locomotives. 520 was donated to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in December 1979 by the Pennsylvania Railroad's successor Penn Central. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1979.


Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 169 is a "Ten Wheeler" type narrow gauge steam railway locomotive. It is one of twelve similar locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1883. It was built as a passenger locomotive, with drivers, the second largest drivers used on any three foot gauge D&RGW locomotive. (The K-37s which were originally standard gauge have drivers.)


During its operational life it was used on all of the major D&RGW narrow gauge lines. It appears in two Otto Perry photographs on the branch to Santa Fe, New Mexico in April 1933. It was taken out of service in 1938 and then refurbished in 1939 to appear at the 1939 New York World's Fair. In 1941, the railroad donated it to the City of Alamosa and it has been in Cole Park there since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Locomotive No.169 in 2001.


No. 15's last run was on August 12, 1973, when a boiler tube blew out, scalding Andy Barbera, who was operating as the locomotive engineer at the time. Since the services of the locomotive were not needed at the time, the repairs were not done and remained undone by the time the "Steamtown Special History" was written. While in Blount's possession, the locomotive appeared in the movie "The Cardinal" (1963). "The Steamtown Special History Study" recommended that the engine be cosmetically and operationally restored, as it had served in the northeastern quarter of the United States and had been serviced, at least once, at the Lackawanna's Scranton shop.


As of March 2012, the locomotive is still displayed inoperable at Steamtown National Historic Site.


New York Central 2933 is 4-8-2 "Mohawk", (Mountain), type steam locomotive built in 1929 by the American Locomotive Company for the New York Central Railroad. The wheel arrangement is known as the Mountain type on other railroads, but the New York Central dubbed them "Mohawks" after the Mohawk River which the railroad followed. It pulled freight trains until being retired in 1955. Today the locomotive is on display at the Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri. It is the second largest New York Central steam locomotive still in existence and is one of only two surviving New York Central "Mohawks", the other, No. 3001, is on display at the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.


It was originally built for the Big Four Railroad and was numbered 6233, it was renumbered 2933 in 1936 when the locomotive was transferred to the New York Central.


New York Central No. 2933 is a member of the class L-2d. It powered freight trains until retirement in 1955.


The locomotive was used as a stationary steam boiler for the shops before it was placed in storage. After a request penned by the museum director in 1962, it was donated to the Museum of Transportation, making it the only large New York Central steam locomotive to be donated directly by the railroad.


In May 2017, the museum completed a 10 year long full cosmetic restoration of the engine.


One story says that New York Central employees hid 2933 behind large boxes in a roundhouse in Selkirk, New York, but there is little evidence to support this.


New York Central 3001 - Another surviving "Mohawk" and the largest surviving New York Central steam locomotive.


Southern Railway 385 is a preserved steam locomotive built in November 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway in the United States. It is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type of Southern's "H-4" class. It was also a sister locomotive to Southern No. 401.


In No. 385's last years on the Southern, it worked on the Richmond Division hauling branch line mixed trains. On November 17th, 1952, No. 385 was sold to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway and was renumbered to 6. The shortline put the engine on standby service in 1956 and on April 1st, 1959, the engine was officially retired.


In 1963, the locomotive was sold to Earle H. Gil Sr. who restored it to run on the Morris County Central Railroad. The locomotive ran on the MCCRR hauling excursion trains until the MCCRR's defunction on October 14th, 1978. In 1982, the Delaware Otsego Corporation (the parent company of the NYS&W) acquired the assets of the Morris County Central, including No. 385. The DO / NYS&W had early plans to restore No. 385 to operation and run her over their lines in excursion service, but this did not come to pass. After many years of subsequent storage, and taking on the sad patina of neglect, the Delaware Otsego donated the locomotive to the Bergen County Vocational & Technical High School in Hackensack, New Jersey in June 1990.


In October 1990, Joseph Supor, Jr., the founder of J. Supor & Son Trucking & Rigging Co., Inc. donated the cost of trucking No. 385 nearly 2 miles from the rails of the NYS&W to Bergen Tech, where the locomotive was lifted into place on a panel of display track in an area adjacent to the school athletic field, alongside the Hackensack River. By 1999, the direction had changed drastically at Bergen Tech, when the “Stationary Steam Course” (which had been established in 1952) was totally eliminated and all facets of the program were disassembled and removed. Reportedly, preparations were being made to immediately dispose of No. 385 by scrapping her.


At this point, Joseph Supor Sr. became aware of the dire situation and bought the locomotive at the very last minute, as it was due to be cut up within hours of his acquisition. Mr. Supor's rigging crew carefully removed No. 385 from the schoolyard and trucked the locomotive to his facility in Harrison, New Jersey.


Mr. Supor stored No. 385 with intentions of cosmetically restoring the locomotive for display at his company headquarters. Unfortunately, this never occurred, although there were many discussions on what to do to preserve this unique relic from our Nation's Industrial past.


In 2007, Joseph Supor Jr., the son of Joseph Supor Sr., donated the No. 385 to the Whippany Railway Museum in Whippany, New Jersey, where it sits on static display.


Southern Railway 542 is a steam locomotive built in 1903 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway. It is a 2-8-0 Consolidation of Southern's J class.


542 first operated in North Carolina on the Southern Railway in Statesville and Winston-Salem in 1903. It was one of 25 similar locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1903 for the Southern to haul freight.


Between April 3rd - 6th, and August 23rd - 24th, 1937, the locomotive was leased to the Atlantic and Yadkin Railway. In June 1946, the A&Y requested #542 in replacement of its sibling locomotive #531 in lease agreement. Although #542 needed $6,000.00 in boiler work, the A&Y begged to use the engine for few weeks before work is done. The Southern agreed and #542 was delivered to A&Y on June 14th, 1946 and was transferred to lease in place of #531. After the A&Y ceased operations in 1950, #542 went back to the Southern.


By 1953, #542 was rostered in Spencer as a yard goat. #542 stayed on the job until July 1953 when it retired from a revenue life of 50 years. In 1954, the Southern donated the locomotive to the Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, North Carolina for static display until it was being trade for the ex-Illinois Central 0-8-0 #1894 in 1991. Today, #542 is on static display at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina.


Nickel Plate Road No. 763 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive. It was built in August 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, as the ninth engine of its class. It is a high powered fast freight locomotive that carried perishables between Chicago and Buffalo, New York.


763 was retired from service on the NKP and is currently awaiting restoration at the Age of Steam Roundhouse.


Nickel Plate 763's career consisted of pulling fast freights of perishables between Chicago and Buffalo. Pulling trains at up to 70 MPH, these engines quickly gained a reputation as high-speed brutes on the track. In 1958, due to lowering part supplies and the demand for more cheap and efficient motive power, the Nickel Plate removed all of its S-2's from service and sat dormant. The sister engine of 763, 765 was recommissioned to provide steam heat to a streamlined passenger train, and was the last Berkshire under steam for the Nickel Plate.


Number 763 was ultimately retired at the end of 1958, and sat for nearly 2 years with the label of "stored serviceable" until 1960, when most of the Berkshires on the Nickel Plate were sent to scrap yards. Six berks were preserved, including 763. The 763 was put in a museum until in 1966, when the Norfolk & Western, NKP's new owner moved her to outdoor display at Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia.


In 1976, 763 was moved to New Jersey for a possible overhaul as it was a contending locomotive to pull the American Freedom Train. Once the engine arrived it was to be checked over and restored to working condition and double head with No. 759. However, this plan fell through and 763 was sent back to Roanoke with Southern Pacific 4449 being chosen instead.


After the AFT fall through, NKP 763 was returned to Roanoke, where it was placed on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The VMT ended up selling 763 to Jerry Jacobson, president of the Age of Steam Roundhouse and then CEO of Ohio Central Railroad for $125,000. In 2007, Jacobson returned 763 to her home state Ohio. The 763 is currently on static display awaiting restoration at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio. 763's restoration will cost more than $1,000,000.


Southern Pacific 2718 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Class C-8 steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1904 for the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP). It is one of three surviving members of its class, and one of many preserved SP 2-8-0s.


2718 spent its entire life working on the Southern Pacific for 52 years until November 1956, when it was retired and donated to Modoc County, California, where it is preserved on static display outdoors in Rachael Dorris Park, near the Modoc County Historical Museum in Alturas. While in service for the SP, 2718 was used on the route previously established by the Nevada–California–Oregon Railway (N.C.O.) between Alturas and Reno, Nevada, primarily pulling livestock freight trains, but also including passenger service between 1927 and 1938.


The "Consolidation" class is named for the merger of the Beaver Meadow, Penn Haven & White Haven, and Lehigh & Mahanoy railroads, which became the Lehigh Valley Railroad.


The Great Northern P-2 was a class of 28 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 and operated by the Great Northern Railway until the late 1950s.


The locomotives were built as passenger locomotives and the class had the honor of pulling the first Empire Builder train.


Today, two P-2s survive, No. 2507 is on display in Wishram, WA and No. 2523 is on display in Willmar, MN.


The locomotives pulled passenger trains such as the "Empire Builder" and "Oriental Limited" and was the first to pull the former. While their performance in passenger service was excellent, they were replaced by the S-2 Class of Northerns in "Empire Builder" service, regulating them to other passenger trains and freight trains. As the Great Northern dieselized, retirement of the P-2s began in April 1955 and by April 1958, all have been retired. About half of the class received roller bearings.


New Hope Railroad 40 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lancaster and Chester Railroad in Lancaster, South Carolina. Today, No. 40 is the only operating and most iconic steam locomotive on the New Hope Railroad.


In 1947, after L&C dieselized their entire roster, No. 40 was sold to the 3.7 mile long Cliffside Railroad, a short line in North Carolina. During its entire tenure on the Cliffside, the relatively diminutive 80-ton 2-8-0 was the largest locomotive the railroad owned. However, the locomotive was not used much as it was often overpowered for the small switching jobs and sharp track.


In 1962, the Cliffside Railroad sold the 40 to Steam Trains Inc., located in New Hope, Pennsylvania. No. 40 was the first piece of equipment purchased by the group, in hoping to find a branch line to run it on. No. 40 was initially moved Reading Company's yard in Wilmington, Delaware, before being moved to the Reading Company shops in St. Clair, PA with the rest of Steam Trains Inc.'s equipment. In 1966, Steam Trains Inc. was reorganized as the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad and moved all of its equipment, including 40, to the former Reading Company yard in New Hope, PA.


In 1990, the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, now New Hope Railroad, came under new ownership and 40 was rebuilt to operational condition by shop forces from the Strasburg Rail Road, returning to operation in June 1991. No. 40 is dedicated to special excursions throughout the year such as The Buckingham Valley trains, Fall Foliage, and the Santa's Steam Train in December.


On May 18, 2019, No. 40 powered four excursions over the SEPTA main line in Montgomery County between North Wales and Gwynedd Valley, PA as part of North Wales Borough’s Sesquicentennial celebrations. This would be the locomotive's first trip on the mainline since 1985.


Bullard Company No. 2 is a small tank locomotive at Steamtown National Historic Site. It spent its working life as an industrial switcher in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The locomotive joined the Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in Bellows Falls, Vermont in June 1963, and is displayed inoperable at Steamtown National Historic Site. It is among the smallest standard gauge locomotives in the world, being no larger than an average car.


John Bull is a British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and it became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operated it in 1981. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, the "John Bull" was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad in New Jersey, which gave "John Bull" the number 1 and its first name, "Stevens". (Robert L. Stevens was president of the Camden and Amboy Railroad at the time.) The C&A used the locomotive heavily from 1833 until 1866, when it was removed from active service and placed in storage.


After the C&A's assets were acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1871, the PRR refurbished and operated the locomotive a few times for public displays: it was fired up for the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and again for the National Railway Appliance Exhibition in 1883. In 1884 the locomotive was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution as the museum's first major industrial exhibit.


In 1939 the employees at the PRR's Altoona, Pennsylvania, workshops built an operable replica of the locomotive for further exhibition duties, as the Smithsonian desired to keep the original locomotive in a more controlled environment. After being on static display for 42 years, the Smithsonian commemorated the locomotive's 150th birthday in 1981 by firing it up; it was then the world's oldest surviving operable steam locomotive.


, the original "John Bull" was on static display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the replica was preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.


Until the railroad was completed, the locomotive was placed in storage; horse-drawn cars served the construction efforts until 1833. The C&A applied both numbers and names to their first locomotives, giving this engine the number 1 and officially naming it "Stevens" (after the C&A's first president, Robert L. Stevens). However, through regular use of the engine, crews began calling it "the old John Bull", a reference to the cartoon personification of England, John Bull. Eventually the informal name was shortened to "John Bull" and this name was so much more widely used that "Stevens" fell out of use.


In September 1836 the "John Bull" and two coaches were shipped by canal to Harrisburg, and became the first locomotive to operate there.


Stephenson built the locomotive originally as an 0-4-0. The locomotive's power was transmitted to the driving axles through pistons that were mounted under the boiler between the two front wheels and in front of the front axle. These inside cylinders' main rods were connected to a rear crank axle with a connecting rod between the two axles to power the front axle.


Due to poorer quality track than was the norm in its native England, the locomotive had much trouble with derailment; the C&A's engineers added a leading truck to help guide the engine into curves. The leading truck's mechanism necessitated the removal of the coupling rod between the two main axles, leaving only the rear axle powered. Effectively, the "John Bull" became a 4-2-0. Later, the C&A also added a pilot ("cowcatcher") to the lead truck. The cowcatcher is an angled assembly designed to deflect animals and debris off of the railroad track in front of the locomotive. To protect the locomotive's crew from the weather, the C&A also added a cab to the locomotive. C&A workshop crews also added safety features such as a bell and headlight.


After several years serving as a switching engine and stationary boiler, the "John Bull" was retired in 1866 and stored in Bordentown, New Jersey. Toward the end of its life in revenue service, the locomotive worked as a pump engine and as the power for a sawmill.


The locomotive remained on display in this location for nearly 80 years, but it was transported for display outside the museum on certain rare occasions. The most significant display in this time occurred in 1893 when the locomotive traveled to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition. The Pennsylvania Railroad, like many other railroads of the time, put on grand displays of their progress; the PRR arranged for the locomotive and a couple of coaches to be delivered to the railroad's Jersey City, New Jersey, workshops where it would undergo a partial restoration to operating condition. The PRR was planning an event worthy of the locomotive's significance to American railroad history — the railroad actually planned to operate the locomotive for the entire distance between New Jersey and Chicago.


In 1927 the "John Bull" again traveled outside the museum. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was celebrating its centenary that year in its Fair of the Iron Horse in Baltimore, Maryland. Since the locomotive's original tender (fuel and water car) had deteriorated beyond repair and was dismantled in 1910, the PRR built a replica of the tender at its Altoona, Pennsylvania, workshops. The locomotive was also refurbished in Altoona for operation during the fair. This fair was the last steam up for the locomotive until 1980.


After the locomotive returned to the Smithsonian, it remained on static display. In 1930 the museum commissioned the Altoona Works to build a second replica of the locomotive's tender for display with the locomotive in the museum. This time, however, the replica tender re-used some of the fittings that the museum had retained when the original tender was dismantled twenty years earlier.


The Smithsonian recognized the locomotive's age in 1931, but, since the museum didn't have the funds to refurbish the locomotive for full operation again, it was decided to run the locomotive in place (with the driving wheels lifted off the rails using jacks) with compressed air. The museum borrowed an 1836 coach from the Pennsylvania Railroad to display on the track behind the newly rebuilt tender, and the locomotive's 100th birthday was officially celebrated on November 12, 1931. The locomotive's semi-operation was broadcast over the CBS radio network with Stanley Bell narrating the ceremonies for the radio audience.


The PRR again borrowed the locomotive from 1933 to 1934 for the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. Unlike its earlier jaunt to Chicago, for this trip, the railroad hauled and displayed it as a static exhibit. While this exhibit was progressing, the Altoona Works were busy again building a replica; this time the replica was an operable copy of the locomotive. The replica was then operated in 1940 at the New York World's Fair, while the original locomotive and rebuilt tender returned to the Smithsonian.


The original locomotive was displayed outside the museum one more time in 1939 at the New York World's Fair, but the museum's curators decided that the locomotive was becoming too fragile for repeated outside exhibits. It was then placed in somewhat permanent display back in the East Hall where it remained for the next 25 years. In 1964 the locomotive was moved to its current home, the National Museum of American History, then called the Museum of History and Technology.


The "John Bull" had remained on static display for another 15 years, but the locomotive's significance as one of the oldest locomotives in existence, or its use on the first railroad in New Jersey, was not very plainly noted in the display's literature. As 1981 and the locomotive's 150th birthday approached, the Smithsonian started discussions on how best to commemorate the locomotive's age and significance. There was very little question that special publications and exhibits would be prepared, but museum officials were left with the thought that the exhibit could still be so much more than that.


Many superficial inspections were performed on the locomotive in 1980 and it was found to be in relatively sound mechanical condition. There wasn't a significant amount of deterioration noted in these early inspections, and when the wheels were jacked off the rails, as they had been 50 years earlier, the axles were found to be freely operable. One morning in January 1980, before the museum opened to the public, museum officials used compressed air to power the cylinders and move the wheels through the connecting rods for the first time since its last semi-operation. After the compressed air blew some dirt and debris out of the locomotive's exhaust stack, it was soon running smoothly.


Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 is the oldest and only surviving example of the class "E-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive and the only surviving original Spokane, Portland and Seattle steam locomotive. It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in May 1938. Nearly identical to the class "A-3" Northerns built for Northern Pacific Railway, it burns oil instead of coal.


After years of running second-hand equipment, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) was allowed by its parent companies, Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, to purchase its first new locomotives. These included three Northern E-1 class locomotives (700, 701 and 702) for passenger service and six Z-6 class Challengers (4-6-6-4s) for freight service.