OUR PERSONAL STEAM LOYALTIES

My personal steam loyalty goes to the good old Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Saw, and heard from my bed just before falling off, Burlington steam in regular service, in the mid-50's. Mostly 4-8-4's, presumably, but did not learn the White system until a little later, so there may have been a 2-10-4 or 4-6-4 slipped into the group. Also saw an O1a 2-8-2 taking on coal at the Clyde (Cicero, IL) coaling tower along Ogden Avenue, mid-50's. After obtaining my first copy of Railroad Magazine, which provided some reconnaisance on steam's wherabouts, bleated to my poor, long suffering parents to take me to such steam outposts as Canada (CPR and CNR), Carbondale, IL (IC), Durand, MI (GTW), Leadville, CO (C&S), Durango, CO (DRGW) and Mexico City (NdeM). In early days, ages 5-6, saw much Milwaukee and C&NW commuter steam plus a C&NW R1 4-6-0 shuffling through Devils Lake State Park (WI) and a NKP 4-6-4, enroute to Canada. Also B&OCT 0-8-0's.

       Continued on in the early '70's due to the good fortune of having a wife who worked for United Airlines, to see active steam in Italy and Germany. Crossed the border from Luxembourg into Germany and was promptly greeted with doubleheaded 2-10-0's running light. Then discovered the Trier-Saarbrucken terminal, with a complete open-air fantrack fed by a turntable, filled with 2-10-0's, a 4-6-2, some 2-6-2's, all under steam. A 2-6-2 was working the hump. And another enclosed roundhouse, equally stuffed full of hot engines! A kindly employee pointed out a steam rotary snowplow and I observed a large dining hall filled with men eating lunch. It was Roanoke on the N&W in 1952. Spectacular! My wife noted the "poor housewives" and their air-dried sheets hanging in yards.......being doused with coal smoke!

          The following year, did a Scandanavian tour and ended up in Oulu, Finland, Got there real late at night and fortuitously ended up in a hotel right across the street from the town railway station. At the crack of dawn, was awakened by a working steam locomotive! Bolted from bed, went trackside and was invited to ride the 2-8-0 all morning as the engine switched around town. What a blast! Then took a gas electric train up to Rovaniemi, capital of Lapland. Found a wood burning 2-8-0 in the house, alas, dead.

        Did a fair amount of steam-era fantrip activity with CB&Q 4-8-4's, a 4-6-4, a 2-8-2 and a 2-104, GTW 4-8-4's, 4-6-2, 2-8-2, DM&IR 2-8-8-4's and 2-10-2, and D&NE 2-8-0's.

        Was most fortunate in my life experiences and will be a steam fan until my dying breath!

It would have to be IRM's Frisco 1630.  I put a lot of hours on and into that locomotive in the 80's.  I've worked to keep it operational, fired it, run it, been abused by it and even been burned by it.

However, that doen't preclude me liking other steam locomotives on a list too long to type.

Rusty

Although born & raised in New Jersey, and began "learning & working" on PRR K4s & K4sa steam out of South Amboy, N.J., my "loyalty" is with SP GS-4 #4449, and has been for the past 38+ years. 

HEY HOT WATER,

That's good to hear!  (I mean read)

I guess there was also an ongoing rivalry between the PRR K4's and the NYC Hudsons, too.

(4-6-2 vs 4-6-4) 

BAD ORDER