where is the 1800s steam??

[oltmannd]

The General and the Texas are both on display in GA (from the famous Civil War chase...) 

[cprted]

The Kettle Valley Steam Railway (Summerland, BC, Canada) trains are pulled by ex-CPR 3716, built in 1912. Its almost 19th Century.



http://www.kettlevalleyrail.org/

[vsmith]

Come to Colorado where at the Colorado Railroad Museum, former D&RGW #346, built in 1881, has just been placed back in service after an extensive overhall. It will operated on several weekends this season -- check their website: crrm.org.

Former Rio Grande Southern Engine #20 is currently being rebuilt in Pennsylvania and will join the 346 at the museum in Golden. 

In Durango former D&RGW 315 has also been rebuilt by an all voluntier crew. It will operate several times this summer.

Sadily, C&S 2-6-0 Number 9 was back in service but only for one season and is now awaiting repair. See my story at http://www.railroadphotoessays.com/forum/showthread.php?t=791

Two more former D&RGW narrow gauge 2-8-0s operate regularly at Knotts Berry Farm in LA.

Glen 

#346 and 315 are the two C clas 2-8-0s I referred to, forgot about #9 and shame on me the two C-19s at Knutts Berry Farm

There are also several Shays Heilsers Climaxs and other such engines scattered across the Country, dont forget the K at the Huckleberry RR back east or the tiny two footers still running in Maine and at the Cripple Creek RR

[gbrewer]

Come to Colorado where at the Colorado Railroad Museum, former D&RGW #346, built in 1881, has just been placed back in service after an extensive overhall. It will be operated on several weekends this season -- check their website: crrm.org.

Former Rio Grande Southern Engine #20 is currently being rebuilt in Pennsylvania and will join the 346 at the museum in Golden. 

In Durango former D&RGW 315 has also been rebuilt by an all voluntier crew. It will operate several times this summer.

Sadily, C&S 2-6-0 Number 9 was back in service but only for one season and is now awaiting repair. See my story at

The Return of Colorado & Southern Number 9

Two more former D&RGW narrow gauge 2-8-0s operate regularly at Knotts Berry Farm in LA.

Glen 

 

 

 

 

 

[vsmith]

There were no railroads around in 1800

The first public carrier to be powered by a steam locomotive was the Camden and Amboy and was chartered in 1830

The few very early steam engines are museum pieces, the Stourbridge Lion, the John Bull, the Lafeyette, none of them are going to run on a tourist line, but the John Bull is STILL operational after over a century and a half!

Now that said, there are still a few steam tourist operations out there running some very old equipement, maybe the best known being the Denver & Rio Grande survivor lines out west, while most of the steam roster at both the Durango & Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec are 20th century vintage K-27s & K-36s, the Durango and Silverton recently restored a 1880's vintage C class 2-8-0, the COlorado State Rairoad ALSO restored a 19th century C class 2-8-0 recently, and the Georgetown Loop operates a Hawaiian plantaion 2-6-2, also 20th century, way out west at the Virginia and Truckee RR museum, they have a schmorgasborg of vintage operable 19th century steam engines, and the Nevada Northern in Ely has a vintage 4-6-0. Other engines still survive but generally, to find 19th century built engines anywhere but in a museum will be very very rare, there just often too old, rare, or too expensive to restore.

Remember this is the 21st century even a good used 20th century engine is going to be 60-100 years old. Even these operating survivors need daily TLC thats costly and laborious, so not alot of companies are going to want to commit to a very old engine if its a costly drain on their bottom line.

Check out the Virginia and Truckee, might be what your looking for.

[wisandsouthernkid]

where is the 1800s steam is it not around anymore or is it just me not looking hard enough for it because i have not found any on any tourist lines why is that? is it that they are not reliable and fail easily or is it other things?