Steam Trains – Page 25 – Jim Pearson Photography

Denver and Rio Grande Western 480 leads one of the daily passenger at Hermosa, Colorado

Denver and Rio Grande Western 480 leads one of the daily passenger trains as it heads back to Durango, Colorado from Silverton, CO, passing the water tower at Hermosa, Colorado, on October 14th, 2023.

According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @24mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 180.

The Conductor and Engineer carry on a conversation in the cab of Frisco 1630 at Union, Illinois

The Conductor and Engineer carry on a conversation in the cab of Frisco 1630 on September 16th, 2023, during the Illinois Railway Museums 70th Anniversary Weekend at Union, Illinois, as they wait for their next passenger run from the depot.

According to their website: St. Louis – San Francisco Railroad (“Frisco”) 1630 is the museum’s most famous steam engine. A “Russian Decapod,” it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 70mm, f/4.5, 1/1250, ISO 5000.

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee 749 at Seeman Road, Union, Illinois

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee 749 pulls onto the main after passing Frisco 1630 at Seeman Road on September 16th, 2023, during the Illinois Railway Museums 70th Anniversary Weekend at Union, Illinois.

According to their website: Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee 749 is a high-speed steel interurban coach designed for use between Chicago and Milwaukee. It is the only car of its series of Pullman-built cars to be preserved and has been completely restored by IRM volunteers to its appearance in the late 1950s.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 105mm, f/4.5, 1/200, ISO 1800.

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 help provide a dramatic night photo at Union, Illinois

Colorful light from signals along with the smoke from Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 help provide a dramatic night photo as it sits in the station at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) during their 70th anniversary weekend in Union, Illinois, waiting to depart on the evening of September 16th, 2023.

According to IRM website: St. Louis – San Francisco Railroad (Frisco) 1630 is the museum’s most famous steam engine. A Russian Decapod, it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s. It arrived at the IRM in 1967.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24 @15mm, f/4, 30 Seconds, ISO 100.

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 passes Spaulding Tower at the Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 passes Spaulding Tower as it enters the grounds of the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) on a passenger, during their 70th anniversary weekend in Union, Illinois on September 16th, 2023.

According to IRM website: At locations where railroads crossed each other at grade (i.e. at the same level), it was usually necessary to install an interlocking tower. This was a manned building, usually two stories tall for better visibility from the tower, where one or more “tower men” would operate the signals and switches governing train traffic through the crossing.

This interlocking tower was located at Spaulding, a railroad stop on the east side of Elgin, IL, where the Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific (the Milwaukee Road) crossed the Elgin Joliet & Eastern. Spaulding Tower was built by the EJ&E around 1891 and was enlarged to its current 12’x30′ footprint in 1909, when the Milwaukee Road double-tracked its main line through Spaulding.

Around the 1980s the tower was made redundant by the installation of remote interlocking equipment, and it was moved to IRM in several large pieces in August 1988. It has been restored to its 1909 appearance and is used regularly to control train movements on the museum’s demonstration railroad using a restored CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) machine located on the upper floor.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 130

Digital Art Photo – September 16th, 2023 – St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 at Union, IL

Digital Art Photo – September 16th, 2023 – St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 pulls into the depot at Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

According to Wikipedia, the locomotive was built in 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for use in Russia as a class Ye locomotive. However, it, along with approximately 200 other locomotives, remained in the United States, due to the inability of the Bolshevik government to pay for them, following the Russian Revolution.

Frisco 1630 approaches the siding at the Seeman Road crossing at Union, Illinois

Frisco 1630 approaches the siding at the Seeman Road crossing at Union, Illinois as it heads east with a passenger train, during the 70th Anniversary Weekend Celebration for the Illinois Railway Museum at Union on September 16th, 2023.

According to the IRM website: St. Louis – San Francisco Railroad (“Frisco”) 1630 is the museum’s most famous steam engine. A “Russian Decapod,” it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s. It arrived at the IRM in 1967.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, Nikon Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 1000.

Frisco 1630 pulls a mixed freight through the early morning countryside from Union, Illinois

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 pulls a mixed freight through the early morning countryside, from the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) during their 70th anniversary weekend in Union, Illinois. We were told this train would run at 7am and when we arrived at the location at 6:30am it was already approaching! Still, I like this shot I got across the fields, although I had hoped to put the drone up. Didnt even get to the crossing and they never made a second run to this point.

According to IRM website: St. Louis San Francisco Railroad (Frisco) 1630 is the museums most famous steam engine. A Russian Decapod, it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s. It arrived at the IRM in 1967.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @180mm, f/5, 1/200, ISO 9050.

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 makes its’ way east through the countryside from Union, Illinois

Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 makes its’ way east through the countryside after leaving the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) on a passenger, during their 70th anniversary weekend in Union, Illinois on September 16th, 2023.

According to IRM website: St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad (“Frisco”) 1630 is the museums most famous steam engine. A “Russian Decapod,” it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s. It arrived at the IRM in 1967.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 120

A lucky late night shot!

There was a lot of luck that went into making this image of Steam locomotive Frisco 1630 at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) during their 70th anniversary weekend in Union, Illinois.

In between the spitting rain on Saturday night, September 16th, 2023, I along with many other photographers were working on photographing the 1630 as it sat at the depot at IRM waiting for its next run. I was working with my D800 on a tripod shooting available light shots at 30 seconds each at f/4 with my Nikon 10-24mm lens, when several things happened.

I started the 30 second exposure and about 20 seconds into the exposure the train started to depart the station, resulting in the streaks you see of the headlight and marker lights on 1630. At the same time, I had a trolly come to a stop, which you see in the circle of smoke and the headlight star in the distance is from the Nebraska Zephyr waiting to enter the station after the Frisco departs. The headlight from the Zephyr illuminated the steam surrounding the scene, providing an effect that would be hard replicate, let along plan! Sometimes, I just get lucky!

According to IRM website: St. Louis – San Francisco Railroad (“Frisco”) 1630 is the museum’s most famous steam engine. A “Russian Decapod,” it was built in 1918 for export to Russia but was embargoed when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. Instead, the newly completed engine was sold to the Frisco, which used it in both freight and passenger service into the 1950s. The Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it saw use hauling freight and aggregate trains until the mid-1960s. It arrived at the IRM in 1967.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24 @15mm, f/5.6, 30 Seconds, ISO 100.

Digital Photo Art – Norfolk & Western Steam Locomotive 475 at Strasburg, PA

Digital Photo Art – Norfolk & Western Steam Locomotive 475 heads west on the Strasburg Railroad against the rising sun as it illuminates the sky behind the train and steam, with the cold November air producing a spectacular show of steam trailing over the train, as they approach the Esbenshade Road Crossing on November 7th, 2021, at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

According to Wikipedia: Strasburg Railroad (Norfolk and Western) No. 475 is a 4-8-0 “Mastodon” type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Railroad outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906, it was part of the Norfolk and Westerns’ first order of M class numbered 375-499. Today, No. 475 is the only operating 4-8-0 type in North America and the Strasburg Rail Road’s oldest operating steam locomotive.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 32mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.

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September 1, 2018 - St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 sits in the station at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, waiting for it's 8pm run, as the last light of day begins to fade from the sky.

According to Wikipedia, the locomotive was built in 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for use in Russia as a class Ye locomotive. However, it, along with approximately 200 other locomotives, remained in the United States, due to the inability of the Bolshevik government to pay for them, following the Russian Revolution.

1630 was converted from 5 ft (1,524 mm) Russian track gauge to 4 ft 8 1/2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. After being re-gauged, #1630 was sold to the USRA and was numbered 1147. Shortly after, 1147 was briefly leased for use on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In 1920, the locomotive was sold to the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, where it was used as a mixed traffic engine. In 1951, the locomotive was sold to Eagle-Picher, who used it to haul lead ore from a mine to their smelter.

In 1967, the locomotive was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, in Union, Illinois, where they began restoring it in 1972, it returned to operating condition in 1974 and made its first revenue run. Sometime after arriving at the museum, 1630 was restored from her Eagle Picher appearance back to her Frisco appearance. 1630 was taken out of service in 2004, and after more than six years undergoing repairs and a federally mandated rebuild, it was returned to operational condition on October 30, 2013.

On Memorial Day weekend 2014, the locomotive returned to excursion service. In 2016, the locomotive received a cylinder overhaul, which according to Steam department curator, Nigel Bennett, made the locomotive, "probably more powerful than she has been since her [sic] first arrival at IRM in the 1970’s." The locomotive, during Memorial Day weekend 2016, pulled 137 empty coal cars in storage at the museum as what was considered to be one of th

Digital Art Photo – St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 at Union, Illinois

Digital Art Photo – September 1, 2018 – St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 sits in the station at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, waiting for it’s 8pm run, as the last light of day begins to fade from the sky.

According to Wikipedia, the locomotive was built in 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for use in Russia as a class Ye locomotive. However, it, along with approximately 200 other locomotives, remained in the United States, due to the inability of the Bolshevik government to pay for them, following the Russian Revolution.

1630 was converted from 5 ft (1,524 mm) Russian track gauge to 4 ft 8 1/2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. After being re-gauged, #1630 was sold to the USRA and was numbered 1147. Shortly after, 1147 was briefly leased for use on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In 1920, the locomotive was sold to the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, where it was used as a mixed traffic engine. In 1951, the locomotive was sold to Eagle-Picher, who used it to haul lead ore from a mine to their smelter.

In 1967, the locomotive was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, in Union, Illinois, where they began restoring it in 1972, it returned to operating condition in 1974 and made its first revenue run. Sometime after arriving at the museum, 1630 was restored from her Eagle Picher appearance back to her Frisco appearance. 1630 was taken out of service in 2004, and after more than six years undergoing repairs and a federally mandated rebuild, it was returned to operational condition on October 30, 2013.

On Memorial Day weekend 2014, the locomotive returned to excursion service. In 2016, the locomotive received a cylinder overhaul, which according to Steam department curator, Nigel Bennett, made the locomotive, “probably more powerful than she has been since her [sic] first arrival at IRM in the 1970’s.” The locomotive, during Memorial Day weekend 2016, pulled 137 empty coal cars in storage at the museum as what was considered to be one of the longest revenue freight trains powered by a steam locomotive in at least 25 years as said by IRM’s Steam department curator.

Lake Superior Railroad Museum Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 at Palmers Siding

Lake Superior Railroad Museum Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive passes heads toward Palmers Siding on its way north to Twin Harbors from Duluth, Minnesota on the North Shore Scenic Railroad on September 5, 2019.

According to Wikipedia: Duluth & Northeastern 28 (also known as Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332) is a restored 2-8-0 (consolidation) locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from 2011-2017, and now operates in excursion service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, Nikon 70-300 @220mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 360.

Lake Superior Railroad Museums’ Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332

Lake Superior Railroad Museums’ Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive passes through the countryside as it heads north toward Twin Harbors from Duluth, Minnesota on the North Shore Scenic Railroad on September 5th, 2019.

According to Wikipedia: Duluth & Northeastern 28 (also known as Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332) is a restored 2-8-0 (consolidation) locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from 2011-2017, and now operates in excursion service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/8, 1/640, ISO 110.

Digital Photo Art – Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotive #81 at coaling tower, Ely, Nevada

Digital Photo Art – Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotive #81 pulls a short mixed freight past the coaling tower at Ely, Nevada during the museums Winter Photo Charter event on the morning of February 13th, 2022.

According to Wikipedia: “The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.

The museum is situated at the East Ely Yards, which are part of the Nevada Northern Railway. The site is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops and is also known as the “Nevada Northern Railway Complex”. The rail yards were designated a National Historic Landmark District on September 27, 2006. The site was cited as one of the best-preserved early 20th-century railroad yards in the nation, and a key component in the growth of the region’s copper mining industry. Developed in the first decade of the 20th century, it served passengers and freight until 1983, when the Kennecott Copper Company, its then-owner, donated the yard to a local non-profit for preservation. The property came complete with all the company records of the Nevada Northern from its inception.”

Engine #81 is a “Consolidation” type (2-8-0) steam locomotive that was built for the Nevada Northern in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, at a cost of $23,700. It was built for Mixed service to haul both freight and passenger trains on the Nevada Northern railway.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24 @ 24mm, f/5, 1/800, ISO 160.

Digital Photo Art – Nevada Northern Railway 109 head back toward the engine house at Ely, Nevada

Digital Photo Art – Nevada Northern Railway brakeman Nick Scheresky signals to the engineer on locomotive 109 to go ahead and clear the switch, as they head back toward the engine house at Ely, Nevada on February 11th, 2022.

Locomotive #109 Alco RS-3 built in 1950, 78426, 1800 (1200) hp, 1370 produced. It was bought new by Kennecott in November of 1950 for EX-Ray Mines but was never delivered to them. It was sent to Kennecott Copper Corp and was later sold to LA Department of Water and Power and now is in service at the Nevada Northern.

According to Wikipedia: “The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 280mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 360.

Digital Photo Art – Nevada Northern Railway engine 93 at Ely, Nevada

Nevada Northern Railway engine 93 sits quietly chuffing away, as beams of sunlight stream through the engine house windows as a crewmember works on the engine, after another day of work at Ely, Nevada on February 11th, 2022.

Locomotive #93 is a 2-8-0 that was built by the American Locomotive Company in January of 1909 at a cost of $17,610. It was the last steam locomotive to retire from original revenue service on the Nevada Northern Railway in 1961 and was restored to service in 1993.

According to Wikipedia: “The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 14mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 1000.

Digital Art Photo – Black Hills Central Railway locomotive 108 heads through the countryside, Keystone, SD

The Black Hills Central Railway locomotive 108 heads through the countryside as it makes its first trip of the day in stormy, wet weather of the forest to Keystone, South Dakota on my birthday, May 30th, 2022! I for one can’t recall a better way to spend the day then chasing a steam locomotive and they later in the day riding it with family! Despite the wet and rainy weather, it was a great day, and I even got the drone up a few times! A big shout out to Cory Jakeway for all the help on finding my way around on the railroad and railfanning with me!

According to their website: Locomotive #108 joined its nearly identical twin, #110, at the beginning of the 2020 season following a four-year restoration. It is a 2-6-6-2T articulated tank engine that was built by the Baldwin Locomotives Works in 1926 for the Potlatch Lumber Company. It later made its way to Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and eventually to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington.

The acquisition and subsequent restoration of locomotive #108 completed a more than 20-year goal of increasing passenger capacity which began with the restoration of #110 and the restoration of multiple passenger cars. Both large Mallet locomotives (pronounced “Malley”) can pull a full train of seven authentically restored passenger cars, up from the four cars utilized prior to their addition to the roster.

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for images from this 3,600-mile trip!

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 13mm, f/3.8, 1/400, ISO 250.

The American History Train, being led by Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive 765 at Pleasant Lake, IN

The American History Train, being led by Nickel Plate Road (NKP) steam locomotive 765, sits next to the old New York Central Depot on September 24th, 2022, at Pleasant Lake, Indiana.

NKP 765 was pulling the American History Train between Pleasant Lake from Angola, Indiana during the annual American History Days Festival. It took guests back to the 1940s for a living history experience. The passengers then got a 45-minute layover at Pleasant Lake where they visited with WWII reenactors, listened to live music and much more.

According to Wikipedia: Pleasant Lake depot is also known as the New York Central Railroad Depot and is a historic train station located at Pleasant Lake, Steuben Township, Steuben County, Indiana. It was built in 1882 by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, and is a one-story, rectangular, Gothic Revival style frame building. It has a gable roof and is clad in board and batten siding.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 as the Pleasant Lake Depot.

Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class “S-2” 2-8-4 “Berkshire” type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the “Nickel Plate Road”.

No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service and is owned and maintained by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1996.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.

Mike Hughes, the fireman on Nevada Northern Railway #81 keeps a watchful eye at Ely, NV

Mike Hughes, the fireman on Nevada Northern Railway #81, keeps a watchful eye as they move through the yard at Ely, Nevada on February 11th, 2022. during the museums winter photo charter event.

Nevada Northern No. 81 is a “Consolidation” type (2-8-0) steam locomotive that was built for the Nevada Northern in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, at a cost of $23,700. It was built for Mixed service to haul both freight and passenger trains on the Nevada Northern railway.

According to Wikipedia: The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 100.

Nickel Plate Road (NKP) 765 leads the American History Train at Pleasant Lake, IN

Nickel Plate Road (NKP) 765 leads the American History Train as sits in the station at Pleasant Lake, Indiana on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad on September 24th, 2022.

NKP 765 was pulling the American History Train between Pleasant Lake from Angola, Indiana during the annual American History Days Festival. It took guests back to the 1940s for a living history experience. The passengers then got a 45-minute layover at Pleasant Lake where they visited with WWII reenactors, listened to live music and much more.

According to Wikipedia: Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class “S-2” 2-8-4 “Berkshire” type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the “Nickel Plate Road”.

No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service and is owned and maintained by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1996.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 110.