Anyone Else Fascinated By Old Locomotives?

[LE BARON]

The town of Colfax, California was known in the later days of steam for the constant parade of Cab-Forwards leading long trains of freight and passenger trains on their trips over Donner Pass. However, the Southern Pacific also sent smaller trains to serve this mountain town.

The date is 1938 and SP 2-6-0 #1795 finds herself in Colfax on the point of what looks to be a small work train. Perhaps she is making this train up or she has a special run to make. Whichever is the case, she certainly stands out from the massive engines that were so often seen marching through this small town in the Sierra.

 

[LE BARON]

The Rio Grand Southern was operating on borrowed time for the last 20 years of it's existence. That was part of the charm of the line.

Key to the extended longevity of the narrow gauge line in the Colorado Rockies was the small home-built fleet of galloping geese that had been developed to save the line money when a full train was not needed. However, these geese from time to time would break down as we see here.

The date is June 29, 1949 and RGS goose #4 has chosen to break down at Matterhorn, Colorado. Fortunately for the crew of #4 they have RGS 2-8-0 #74 nearby to call on for a tow. Here we see the crews rigging a coupling between the pilot of the steamer with that of the goose so that #4 can be towed back to the shops at Ridgway for repairs.

Such was the daily life of a struggling and dying Colorado narrow gauge railroad

 

[LE BARON]

Sure, the diesel locomotive had many advantages to offer over the older but proven steam motive power. However, even these new diesels had certain mechanical issues that could crop up from time to time. A prudent operator would hedge his bets by keeping one of his old steam pots in reserve just in case the diesel broke down.

One such cautious operator was the U.S. Plywood Corporation of Kosmos, Washington. Even after their #100 diesel arrived new from EMD, they decided to hang on to their trusty Baldwin 2-6-6-2 #11 as we see here in this 1959 photograph.

Even though diesel #100 proved to be a good unit, there were times that she would be down for some repairs and old #11 would be fired up to take over the log-hauling chores for a few days.

Finally by 1961, the logging days for the line were over and #110 and #11 went their separate ways.

 

[LE BARON]

Prairie River Bridge with Rayonier 2-8-2 #70 and 2-6-6-2 #38 on February 22, 1962.

 

[LE BARON]

The interior of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Locomotive Works in DuBois reveals the scale and intensity of early twentieth-century industrial production. Rows of heavy machinery, overhead cranes, and work platforms fill the vast space, showing how the facility was designed to handle the construction, repair, and overhaul of steam locomotives that powered the BR&P system. Workers here would have been responsible for forging parts, machining components, assembling boilers, and maintaining engines that hauled coal, freight, and passengers through western Pennsylvania and New York. The environment was loud, hot, and demanding, yet it represented the technological pride of a region where railroads played a central economic role. This view captures not only the mechanical complexity of locomotive building, but also the human effort behind it. Every beam, tool, and workbench reflects the craftsmanship and labor required to keep the BR&P network running smoothly. Facilities like this were essential to the growth of DuBois, supporting jobs and shaping the identity of the community for decades.

 

[LE BARON]

Streamlining had a remarkable way of transforming already capable locomotives into stunning icons of industrial design. By the 1930s and 1940s, railroads across the world embraced aerodynamic styling not only for performance but for the powerful visual message it sent: speed, modernity, and progress. A locomotive that was handsome in its original mechanical form could become something extraordinary once the smooth curves, tapered noses, and flowing shrouds were added. Streamlining hid the rough edges of machinery and replaced them with sculpted shapes that looked fast even when standing still. It brought a sense of elegance to heavy engineering, turning functional machines into rolling works of art that defined an era of innovation.

Whether it was the graceful skirts of a New York Central Hudson, the dramatic bullet nose of a Union Pacific locomotive, or the sleek contours of British designs like the A4 Pacifics, the result was the same: a transformation that captured the imagination of passengers and onlookers alike. Streamlined engines symbolized optimism and the excitement of travel, proving that engineering and aesthetics could work together to create beauty on rails. Even today, these designs remain some of the most admired in railway history, celebrated for their ability to elevate utility into true artistry.

 

[LE BARON]

Union Pacific 4-12-2 No. 9514, a member of the bold and innovative UP-5 class, represents a remarkable chapter in American steam locomotive history. Built in 1930 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), No. 9514 was originally numbered 9077 and later renumbered to reflect its place in Union Pacific’s expansive fleet of three-cylinder giants. These locomotives were designed for power and endurance, with two massive outside cylinders and a third center cylinder that drove a crank on the second axle—an uncommon and technically ambitious configuration. The locomotive’s 67-inch drivers and the use of “blind” center axles without flanges helped it manage tight curves, though later operational experience showed that the lateral motion devices on the first and sixth axles provided better results. Captured on film by Henry R. Griffiths Jr. in September 1948, No. 9514 is seen battling the grade of Medbury Hill in Idaho—a testament to its strength and the challenging terrain it routinely faced. These 9000-series engines became icons of Union Pacific’s steam era, admired for their size, complexity, and performance. Though they are long gone, their legacy lives on in photographs and the memories of those who witnessed their thunderous passage.

 

[LE BARON]

 

[LE BARON]

anta Fe’s 2-10-10-2 locomotive number 3003 was one of the most powerful and imposing steam engines of its era, designed to haul extremely heavy freight across the demanding grades of the railroad’s western lines. Known as a “Yellowstone” type, the 2-10-10-2 combined two massive ten-wheel engine units under a single boiler, providing extraordinary tractive effort and making it capable of moving long coal, ore, or freight trains over steep mountain routes. Locomotive 3003 was part of a small class built to handle the heaviest trains, and its enormous size, multiple driving wheels, and distinctive articulated frame made it instantly recognizable to railfans and railroad workers alike. The original photograph in your collection captures the sheer scale and mechanical complexity of this legendary machine, highlighting the massive boilers, wide firebox, and the long wheelbase required to distribute weight across the rails. While the exact date and location of this photograph remain unknown, it reflects an era when railroads pushed the limits of steam technology to meet the demands of growing industry and commerce in the United States. Locomotives like the 3003 represent the peak of articulated steam design, combining raw power with the engineering ingenuity that defined American railroading in the first half of the twentieth century

 

[LE BARON]

G4/P47 Pacific type #813 is seen departing Allentown Terminal in 1949, captured just as it crosses the Lehigh Valley passenger main diamonds at Union Street. This photograph preserves a fascinating moment in regional railroading, showing the Reading Company’s distinctive Pacific type stepping out onto one of Allentown’s most complex pieces of trackwork. A short distance ahead lay the wye that determined the train’s fate: swinging west toward Harrisburg or curving east toward Jersey City, two of the Reading’s most important passenger corridors. The consist itself tells a story as well, with the last car appearing to be a café, an amenity that added comfort and character to mid-century passenger service. Scenes like this were once everyday occurrences, but today they feel like treasured remnants of a vanished era when steam, junction diamonds, and bustling terminals defined the rhythm of travel across eastern Pennsylvania.

 

[LE BARON]

𝙍𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙨
The Canadian Pacific job out of Farnham, Quebec rolls though Newport Center, Vermont with a pair of RS18u locomotives bracketing a standard RS18. That trackcar or whatever it is looks like a relic from the steam era!