Ever since I was a small boy, I have loved train engines. I loved them all, both steam and diesel engines, but the ones that really caught my eye were the steam powered locomotives. I could sit and watch a steam train all day; I would see the full sized ones on TV and locally when they would come through for a train exposition and the HO scale models some of my friends had in their homes circling under the Christmas tree. I guess in my mind, they had more character than their diesel or electric counterparts and the steam puffing out of the top always brought a smile to my face.
I can still remember my first steam train set as a kid, it had 6 cars, the steam locomotive and the coal hopper; this thing was deluxe! I had to add water to the engine so a “boiler” inside could make tiny puffs of steam and the little steam whistle was nothing more than an electric whistle but it still had me believing.
Now, as an adult, I am able to travel to the local area train museums and see the real things up close and in person and, if I am there on the right day, they might even fire one up and get the whistle going. Or I can head over to Disneyland and ride a live steam engine there.
Who Doesn’t Like a Steam Train?
One of my heroes, Walt Disney shared my love for the steam train. He loved them so much that in 1950 he built The Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge, live steam backyard railroad in the backyard of his home which inspired him to build a railroad at Disneyland theme park, which opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. You can read more about Carolwood Pacific Railroad here on Wikipedia.
If you haven’t heard a real steam train in person, you won’t understand but the sound is really intense and I am sure can be heard for miles around! (Check it out here.)
The whishing of the boiler as it releases overages of steam, the whistle blast spitting out water like that coworker that always seems to spit when they talk and just the sight of the big iron trains is enough to bring back childhood memories and invoke a sense of happiness that shows all is right with the world.
Who knows, maybe I’ll head on down to the hobby shop, or better yet, Amazon, and pick up a steam train later today. I can start building the collection to end all collections and maybe even turn my den into a train room complete with a large alpine track winding around the mountains and through the tunnels. Maybe that’s going a little too far. For now, I will stick with my happy memories and the Nevada State Railroad Museum over in Boulder City.
Have you ever ridden on a steam train? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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Bachmann Industries #1012 Baldwin 4-6-0 Steam Locomotive and Tender?