Last of the Giants

[clerick]

Anyone else think it was cool when The Boys on Top Gear (real) raced a steam choo-choo against a Vincent Black Shadow and a 1946 Jaguar?

I was surprised Clarkson shoveled fast enough to even keep the boiler lit.

[Skuzzy]

I've never actually seen a Big Boy, and can only imagine how impressive it was rolling down the tracks.

I have seen this run down the tracks a couple of times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Pacific_4449

If you're ever in Sacramento the Railroad museum is worth a visit.
http://www.csrmf.org/

Skuzzy, I don't know how it is in Texas, but here in the west they haven't used the caboose in twenty years or more.

I may not be old enough to have seen steam locomotives but I do remember cabooses. When I was a kid I thought that would be the best job in the world. Getting to travel all over the country looking out the windows of the caboose with not a care in the world. 
 

I still see cabooses on many (not all) trains here.

[clerick]

I still see cabooses on many (not all) trains here.

That surprises me. Most railroads went to FRED's to eliminate the nonrevenue car and excess crew.

[Slate]

  There's still many smaller "Choo Choo's" still running. Find one near you and take a ride to support them as their upkeep takes a lot of work. Strausburg Pa. has a nice trip through some Amish Farmland.

    Nice Baldwin 2-10-0 rolling some vintage passenger cars. Big Boy is a 4-8-8-4 configuration.
 


 
Steam Locomotive Engine 90 at the Strasburg RR, Lancaster County, Strasburg, Pa Engine 90 is a Baldwin with a 2-10-0 configuration built in 1924. It is an ex-Great Western engine. It originally pulled 40 to 50 sugar beet cars on the high plans near Loveland, Colorado. It was build by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1924. It is the most powerful engine at this railroad

[PR3D4TOR]

That was one of my favorite episodes!

[Skuzzy]

That surprises me. Most railroads went to FRED's to eliminate the nonrevenue car and excess crew.

Surprises me every time I see one.  There is a local steam passenger train which has a caboose also.  It runs from Grapevine to downtown Ft. Worth a few times a day.

[Shuffler]

Piney Woods Steam Excursion http://www.texasstaterr.com/schedule.php

The Texas State Railroad, established 1881, is truly a
 
“Texas Treasure!”

Take a relaxing train ride through the pineywoods of East Texas, enjoy fun special events with your family, or experience an evening dinner train!

This historic railroad offers steam train excursions that travel 25 miles through the scenic piney woods and hardwood creek bottoms of East Texas amidst a backdrop of rolling hills, nature and wildlife.
 
Passengers board excursion trains at the beautiful Victorian-style depot in Rusk, where southern hospitality is the norm. Perfect trip for friends, families, groups, schools, and more!
 
Meet The Lone Ranger® on every steam excursion and an unruly group of robbers!

[RTHolmes]

nice, theres nothing quite like seeing/hearing/feeling/smelling a steam loco working

[flight17]

Union Pacific still uses a single Challenger Steam loco on excursions... It no longer uses Coal however, but its one of the only two Challengers left in existance. Its also the largest Steam engine still running in the world.

The train also has the Rare DDA40x Diesel Engine behind the challenger in case the challengers breaks down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_3985 according to this article, it says that it is also used sometimes for mainline frieght operations on ferry runs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OgSNQOTw2U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iy6rNMMN50&feature=related

[Shuffler]

Was looking at the videos and found this one too. It is vid on the one I posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fztkF47lVQg

[Rob52240]

Anyone Model Railroad anymore?

The Master Model Train Building Race Does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyIgwqhBZi0&t=2m15s