Awesome Machine

They should offer an across county trip like a cruise ship stopping at various location for exploration and sight seeing....That seems like it would be very enjoyable, with private railcars to add to the luxury feel of tripping in time...If the locations would be themed to the olden days, that would certainly add to the experience...

When I watched the video, I noticed the smoke was 'clean'. Then I noted in the specs that it was converted from coal to No. 5 oil.

Makes it a lot more pleasant for those riding in the cars behind the locomotive. As a child, I remember riding one of the Steamtown excursion trains in New England and putting my head out the window and getting a face-full of ash and cinders.

Didn't do that again.

It's just not the same without that burn of SO₂ in your nose!

I share your feelings. Saw the Allegheny locomotive in the Henry Ford museum a number of years ago. Staggering! Pose the question, "Big Boy versus Allegheny, whaddayasay?" to a group of steam power aficionados, and the reply will be, "Them's fightin' words!" I'm old enough to remember, as a child, the last of the CN (Canadian National) steam locomotives on local branch lines here in S. Ontario.(Note to my American friends: The famous tower in Toronto is the CN Tower, not the CNN Tower)

Are there any mini steam locomotives around? One like used in parks to carry people around the park but a real steam powered engine. The ones I've seen are gasoline engines in a frame that looks like a locomotive.

<...Are there any mini steam locomotives around?...>

Well, there's a Revell-kit-built one in 1:87 scale on a shelf at home. Does that count?

It only counts if it operates on steam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVHNk2VAKWw

Locally we have the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch steam railway which has run small scale engines for many years. Not quite as small as the park engines but still a great experience. We are also lucky enough to have the full size steam railway at Tenterden where you can take a trip or book a meal on the Pullman dining car. I had a trip around the workshops a couple of years ago to see the restoration work they do.

As long as a park engine or larger carries passengers, it is considered a revenue producing engine subject to taxation and local safety regulations at least here in the U.S.

Walt Disney had the Lilly Belle, a 1:8 scale live steam locomotive which ran around his property, and could be ridden. Maybe someone else can post an image (not working for me).

I think Greenfield Village in MI still uses steam locomotives to carry tourists around the village.

Yes! In Sonoma California. The Train Town there runs a real mini steam engine. In Sebastopol we have a working steam sawmill too. They are planning to fire it up again this September some time and do some milling of redwood. The lumber my house was built with came from that mill and another one like it in Cazadero.

At "steam" shows around here, and probably across the country, they often have a steam traction engine running a sawmill via belt drive--a big flat belt from at least 50' away.

Attended one on the DelMarVa Peninsula near Easton, MD one time and it was super good fun. I kinda liked the "Briggs & Stratton 5hp" sized farmyard utility engines, but yeah those portable industrial power units were mighty impressive.

Tuckahoe Steam & Gas.

https://www.tuckahoesteam.org/

https://www.tuckahoesteam.org/collectionspages/collectionssteamengines.html

One of my co-workers is an active member of the association.

Nice! And a lot of the old machinery would drive OSHA absolutely nuts. Did you notice the unguarded saw blade? Not to mention all the belts.

That hearkens back to a time when one had to be responsible for themselves.

Yes, there are people who build scale models that actually do steam. Same with steam traction engines. Also, there is, fairly close to me, south of Sugarcreek, OH, a full-scale recently (2010?) built roundhouse with something like 20 tracks where they store and rebuild steam locomotives. They have a turntable, and plenty of other stuff.

<...No other locomotive can generate such an emotional state; truly an awesome experience...>

This one does it here.

I saw it too.

Did you see the mid-size diesel freight locomotive safely hidden in plain sight (color scheme to match the passenger and service cars with no UPac waving American flag logo) amongst the seven or eight pieces of passenger rolling stock. Said engine was the proverbial Oz Wizard workhorse behind the curtain.

What you saw was a vey well planned and presented piece of industrial performance art. They fired up the big boy enough to give a "steam" show, particularly at arrival and departure, and to power rather lame whistle blows.

The reality is UPac, and for that matter any other major rail line, ripped out most of the steam line infrastructure in the 1950's and between 2000 and 2010 erased any of the remnants left behind.

Party pooper! (but you are right) Freeze frame the video at 2:08 and there is the diesel locomotive, as you say, hidden in plain sight. Nevertheless, that steam locomotive is a magnificent machine. I understand the desire to baby and preserve her.

When it stopped here in Houston is when I saw it. And yeah I was disappointed and a little PO'd. The reality is that for UPac to transcontinental, both north & south, east & west, with any steam locomotive, they by necessity have to give a faux experience. To do "the real" would be taking a logistical nightmare. There is no (zero, nada, kaput) steam infrastructure, in particular water supply and tankage. You would have to set up watering stations roughly every 150 miles connected to municipal or industrial water supplies; that my friend comes with all sorts of social and economic issues.

But they still do it! They may get the local fire department to fill the locomotive/tender tank. I believe that insurance regulations require them to have a modern diesel locomotive along just in case, But the steamer is usually doing the work. I think insurance also requires upgraded trucks on all the cars. All this takes lots of $$$, so it doesn't happen very often.

Did you see any smoke coming out of the Diesel?

I never thought about the "faux" experience, but you are right. I wonder what % of the train is under steam and what % is under diesel. Definitely infrastructure would be a nightmare to implement. #5 fuel oil might not be readily available along the route. Water can be provided by fire stations. Keeping operating costs down would be a big factor. I did notice as the train passed me, the whistle was a bit anemic and there was not much smoke from the smoke pipe; yet it was still impressive. I imagine if it was running all out, it would be much more impressive.

Coming into Houston Station it was full bore. 2 days later I watched it pass my studio/ shop. My front door is about 100yds clear view to the UPac main southern line and about 3/4mile from the Station. Lot's of freight locomotives EVERY day and from the comparative loaded sound I'd say the diesel was doing at least 70, if not 80,% of the work. As for the firehouse water supply; a substantial amount of our business comes from municipal sources. For the contractual/ getting things done, simply arrgh. A colleuge-competitor of mine just finished a large project with a major city's (not named Dallas) fire department in the North Texas Metroplex, quote "Never f'ing again, for no amount of money".

Oh, there is a major thoroughfare grade crossing 200yds from the studio, and yes it was a pretty lame whistle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_4014

Check out the satellite view of Arkadelphia, TX.

34°06'49.2"N 93°03'11.2"W - Google Maps

Yes, that's 4014!