Steam Train Excursions: Train Talk Ep. 4

And welcome to Train Talk. Today, we are going to talk about mainline steam excursions. But first, let's go back in time. For well over a century, steam locomotives ruled the rails. They were the primary means of power for trains from the 1830s all the way until the introduction of diesel-electric locomotives in the 1930s and 40s. Steam locomotive design changed greatly over this time period from the small locomotives that opened the frontier to the monstrous superpower machines that were built at the very end of the steam era. These last steam locomotives built from the 1920s up to the early 1950s were some of the biggest and most powerful steam locomotives built in the world. They pulled passengers and freight up to the very end. By the late 1950s, the steam era had drawn to a close. The railroads of the United States had completely dieselized as it was turned. Some small operations survived running steam locomotives for tourist trains on privately owned railroads and museums, but it looked as though steam locomotives would never return to the mainlines of the United States. But then, something amazing happened. Feeling nostalgia for the big mighty steam locomotives that now sat dormant, people got together to restore some of them with the hopes that they would one day return to the mainline. This was largely driven by the Union Pacific Railroad restoring their own locomotive number 844 to run in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969 and later the American Freedom Train which crisscrossed the country from 1975 to 1976 in celebration of the 200th birthday of America. Groups were formed and through thousands of hours of volunteer work and millions of dollars, many steam locomotives were brought back to life to pull special fan trips over the national rail network. Today, many mainline steam excursions are run across the country each year. These trips are often quite complicated and take a long time to plan. Typically, there are three different ways that mainline steam excursions can occur. Let's take a brief look at all three. Railroad steam programs are typically the easiest way for steam excursions to occur. In this situation, the host railroad either owns or leases steam locomotives to run on their tracks. This is typically done as part of the railroad's public relations program. While in years past, several railroads have either sponsored trips or owned a steam locomotive fleet of their own, the Union Pacific is currently the only major railroad to have a steam program. They own three steam locomotives that are stored and maintained in Cheyenne, Wyoming and they typically make several trips each year. Currently, they are working on restoring one of the biggest steam locomotives ever built, the Union Pacific Big Boy. Preservation groups are essential to keeping mainline steam alive today. Volunteers get together to restore and maintain these giant machines. With the exception of Union Pacific, all steam locomotives that run on the mainline today are cared for by preservation groups. Many of these groups not only work on the locomotives, they also organize excursion trips. These trips take months and often a year or more to plan due to the complexity of working with one or more host railroads. In addition to the host railroads, arrangements must be made for passenger cars and insurance coverage for the trip. Usually, Amtrak must be involved to provide a modern diesel locomotive used to supply electricity to the passenger cars and for extra power and braking on steep grades. Using a modern diesel locomotive as a backup to the steam locomotive usually lowers insurance costs as well. The third and final way that a mainline steam excursion can occur is if it is planned by a trip organizer or railroad club. In this situation, an outside group will plan an excursion and then arrange to have a steam locomotive pull the train. This is similar to excursions planned by individual preservation groups, but adds another level of complexity in that an additional group is involved with planning the trip. There are advantages to this however, such as easier promotion for the trip if the trip organizer is well known. The future of mainline steam excursions is always in question. These are big locomotives that require a lot of space and will maintain track to run. Because of this, it is pretty much essential that they run on the rails of the big railroads, which are under no obligation to allow these trips to even happen. And, with many rail lines nearing train capacity, it is difficult if not impossible to find time and space to run these trips between other trains. So, if you have the opportunity to ride behind or see a steam locomotive running out on the mainline, take it, because you never know when you may not have that opportunity again as it fades into the history books. Thank you for watching this episode of Train Talk. If you have any questions or comments about mainline steam, be sure to leave a comment in the comments section. Until next time, I'm Mike Armstrong. I'll see you down the line! Thanks for watching!