Steam Trains – Page 4 – Jim Pearson Photography

The Black Hills Central Railway locomotive 108 heads through the countryside

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 cant 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.

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

East Broad Top (EBT) steam locomotive 16 leads a passenger train at Rockhill Furnace, PA

East Broad Top (EBT) steam locomotive 16 leads a passenger train as they wait to depart from the depot at Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, on October 6th, 2024.

According to the East Broad Top Website: Locomotive #16 was built in 1916 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Entering the age of modern steam in 1916, the EBT received its first of three large Mikados. Unlike the previous three smaller locomotives, #16 came with superheaters, piston valves, and Southern valve gear. One story mentions #16 pulled 60 empty hoppers from Mt. Union to Rockhill in one train, literally clearing out the yard. #16 underwent an overhaul in 1955 and made only a handful of trips in early 1956 before the railroad shut down an overhaul when the EBT shut down. On February 1, 2023, the locomotive returned to service.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 110.

August 30th, 2024, Steam locomotive Nickel Plate 765 pulls “The Limited”

August 30th, 2024, Steam locomotive Nickel Plate 765 pulls “The Limited” through the countryside during the golden light of sunset as they make their way to Reading, Michigan as part of Indiana Rail Experience’s Rolling Victory Weekend.

According to their website: Rolling Victory was a three-day living history event celebrating American military, railroad, and home front history featuring vintage train rides, World War II reenactors, battles, a big band orchestra, and an immersive and educational experience for all ages in Pleasant Lake, Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 800.

August 30th, 2024, Steam locomotive Nickel Plate 765 pulls “The Limited”

August 30th, 2024, Steam locomotive Nickel Plate 765 pulls “The Limited” through the countryside at sunset as they approach Ray, Indiana on their way to Reading, Michigan as part of Indiana Rail Experience’s Rolling Victory Weekend,

According to their website: Rolling Victory was a three-day living history event celebrating American military, railroad, and home front history featuring vintage train rides, World War II reenactors, battles, a big band orchestra, and an immersive and educational experience for all ages in Pleasant Lake, Indiana.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/11, 1/800, ISO 800.

I’d been wanting to visit the Nevada Northern Railway for several years…

I’d been wanting to visit the Nevada Northern Railway for several years now and finally was able to do so during the Winter Steam Charter over the weekend of February 11-13th, 2022. I had a great trip and although drones werent allowed during the photo runbys, we chased by car on Sunday afternoon so we could grab some aerials as the train was moving between runby locations in Robinson Canyon.

Here we see Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotive #91 pulling a work train southbound through the Canyon out of Ely, Nevada as the light begins to fall behind the mountains on 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 #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.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 168 heads through the countryside

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 168 heads through the countryside at sunrise on its way to Osier, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 20th, 2023.

According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.

Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 46mm, f/3.2, 1/320, ISO 72.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 168 passes over Ferguson’s Trestle

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 168 passes over Ferguson’s Trestle at MP 285.87 at sunrise as it heads to Osier, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 20th, 2023.

According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.

Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/3.2, 1/1600, ISO 100.

In this week’s Saturday Infrared Photo, we find The Valley Railroad Company 97 headed toward Chester, Connecticut

In this week’s Saturday Infrared Photo, we find The Valley Railroad Company 97 headed toward Chester, Connecticut with a passenger train on October 9th, 2024 with an old car stopped at the crossing, as part of a two-day photo charter conducted by Dak Dillion Photography.

According to Wikipedia: The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 10mm, f/5, 1/250, ISO 400.

East Broad Top steam locomotive 16 pulls through the yard in the early morning fog at Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania

East Broad Top (EBT) steam locomotive #16 pulls through the yard in the early morning fog as the fireman keeps an eye on the track ahead, at Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania on October 6th, 2024, during the museum’s Friends of the East Broad top event.

According to the East Broad Top Website: Locomotive #16 was built in 1916 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Entering the age of modern steam in 1916, the EBT received its first of three large Mikados. Unlike the previous three smaller locomotives, #16 came with superheaters, piston valves, and Southern valve gear. One story mentions #16 pulled 60 empty hoppers from Mt. Union to Rockhill in one train, literally clearing out the yard. #16 underwent an overhaul in 1955 and made only a handful of trips in early 1956 before the railroad shut down. On February 1, 2023, the locomotive returned to service.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 24-70 @24mm, f/2.8, 1/50, ISO 110.

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad steam locomotive 2102 departs the station at Port Clinton, PA

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad steam locomotive 2102 departs the station at Port Clinton, Pennsylvania on October 5th, 2024,during its first day of the year of pulling Fall Foliage Excursions.

According to their website: The Reading Company T-1 class #2102 was built in the Reading’s own locomotive shops in 1945. With drivers of 70” diameter, it weighs 404 tons, and its tender holds up to 26 tons of coal, and up to 19,000 gallons of water. After the Reading Steam era was over, the Reading Company used 2102 for the Reading Rambles on several different excursions. The 2102 has had many different owners since it was retired by the Reading Railroad. It is one of only four to survive. The other remaining locomotives are the 2100, 2101, and 2124.

The Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad purchased the 2102 in 1987, and it ran on the Temple to South Hamburg line into the early 1990’s. Once the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad became the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern, the 2102 ran over Reading & Northern’s rails for a short time before it was removed from service in the early 1990’s.

In 2022, steam locomotive 2102 reentered service on the Reading & Northern. The locomotive has been used actively to pull both passenger excursions and revenue freight trains.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/640, ISO 200.

The Valley Railroad Company #97 pulls across an open field just outside Essex, Connecticut

The Valley Railroad Company #97 pulls across an open field just outside Essex, Connecticut with a passenger train on October 9th, 2024, as part of a two-day photo charter conducted by Dak Dillion Photography.

According to Wikipedia: The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 90.

Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6 at Hosterman, West Virginia

Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past a wetlands area at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.

According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.

Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

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

The fireman stands on the tender of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11

The fireman stands on the tender of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) as they take on water during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.

According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.

Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.

The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/350, ISO 200.

East Broad Top (EBT) steam locomotive #16 pulls a mixed freight as the engineer keeps an eye on the track ahead

East Broad Top (EBT) steam locomotive #16 pulls a mixed freight as the engineer keeps an eye on the track ahead, as they head through the yard at Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania on October 6th, 2024, during the museum’s Friends of the East Broad top event.

According to the East Broad Top Website: Locomotive #16 was built in 1916 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Entering the age of modern steam in 1916, the EBT received its first of three large Mikados. Unlike the previous three smaller locomotives, #16 came with superheaters, piston valves, and Southern valve gear. One story mentions #16 pulled 60 empty hoppers from Mt. Union to Rockhill in one train, literally clearing out the yard. #16 underwent an overhaul in 1955 and made only a handful of trips in early 1956 before the railroad shut down. On February 1, 2023, the locomotive returned to service.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @140mm, f/5, 1/640, ISO 500.

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad steam locomotive 2102 pulls away from Port Clinton, Pennsylvania

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad steam locomotive 2102 pulls away from the station at Port Clinton, Pennsylvania on October 5th, 2024,during its first day of the year of pulling Fall Foliage Excursions.

According to their website: The Reading Company T-1 class #2102 was built in the Reading’s own locomotive shops in 1945. With drivers of 70” diameter, it weighs 404 tons, and its tender holds up to 26 tons of coal, and up to 19,000 gallons of water. After the Reading Steam era was over, the Reading Company used 2102 for the Reading Rambles on several different excursions. The 2102 has had many different owners since it was retired by the Reading Railroad. It is one of only four to survive. The other remaining locomotives are the 2100, 2101, and 2124.

The Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad purchased the 2102 in 1987, and it ran on the Temple to South Hamburg line into the early 1990’s. Once the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad became the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern, the 2102 ran over Reading & Northern’s rails for a short time before it was removed from service in the early 1990’s.

In 2022, steam locomotive 2102 reentered service on the Reading & Northern. The locomotive has been used actively to pull both passenger excursions and revenue freight trains.

Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 135mm, f/5, 1640, ISO 80.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 463 makes its way across High Bridge

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 463 makes its way across High Bridge with a freight train on the way to Osier, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 19th, 2023.

According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.

Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.

According to History Colorado Website: Built in 1903 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Engine No. 463 is one of only two remaining locomotives of the K-27 series originally built for and operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.

The K-27 series was a departure from the design most prevalent on Colorado’s narrow-gauge lines, resulting in a locomotive with one and one-half times more power. The arrival of this series marked a significant turning point in the operation of the D&RGW’s narrow gauge lines that was to remain in effect until the end of Class I narrow gauge steam locomotion in 1968. The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad restored the engine to operating condition.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.

Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 approaching Hermosa, Co

Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 pull a daily passenger train through a S curve as it approaches Hermosa, Colorado on their run between Durango and Silverton, CO, on October 18th, 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: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 140.

Saturday Infrared photo, we catch East Broad Tops steam locomotive 16 in the outskirts of Rockhill, Pennsylvania,

In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch East Broad Tops steam locomotive 16 as it heads into the outskirts of Rockhill, Pennsylvania, on October 6th, 2024.

According to the East Broad Top Website: Locomotive #16 was built in 1916 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Entering the age of modern steam in 1916, the EBT received its first of three large Mikados. Unlike the previous three smaller locomotives, #16 came with superheaters, piston valves, and Southern valve gear.

One story mentions #16 pulled 60 empty hoppers from Mt. Union to Rockhill in one train, literally clearing out the yard. #16 underwent an overhaul in 1955 and made only a handful of trips in early 1956 before the railroad shut down an overhaul when the EBT shut down. On February 1, 2023, the locomotive returned to service.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @19mm, f/4.5, 1/2000, ISO 800.

A brakeman holds up a lantern at the depot next to The Valley Railroad Company #40

A brakeman holds up a lantern at the depot next to The Valley Railroad Company #40 during a night photo shoot at Essex, Connecticut, on October 8th, 2024, during a photo charter conducted by Dak Dillion Photography.

According to Wikipedia: The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.

Lake Superior Railroad Museum Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive

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 Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive

September 5, 2019 – Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive approaches the crossing at Palmers Siding at milepost 16 as it heads north toward Twin Harbors from Duluth, Minnesota. Lake Superior Railroad Museum with an excursion freight.

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, Nikon 70-300 @ 290mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 800.