Lazure - Steam Trains

Electronic Design and Family Site

Steam Railroads

I grew up in a rail town: East Rochester, NY originally called Despatch due to its location on a main rail line. As a child, the prime employer in town was the Penn Central Boxcar factory commonly called the "Car Shops". A main road in town crossed the tracks that entered the factory...you literally crossed 7 tracks at that crossing. The town was built on swampy ground so that every time a train came through, my house rocked ever so slightly. That rocking became as comforting to me as being in a cradle.

Growing up in this environment led to a fascination with old railroads. Everywhere I've lived I've encountered unique railroads: the Cog Railway that visits Pike's Peak, the commuter rail that often took me to Seoul. Now, I live next to one of the larger yards in the region, an inter-modal yard that loads and unloads trucks onto rail.

I am also very lucky to have a few operating steam railroads within a few hours drive of me. I visit as often as I can and take photos whenever I'm there. Heck, I even got to see the inner workings of the Magic Kingdom railroad at Walt Disney World!

Below are photos from some of those railroads..

Steamtown National Park

Scranton, Pa

In Autumn 2010, I, my wife, my daughter, her husband, and my 3 grandsons all rode Steamtown's "Pumpkin Express" from Scranton, PA to Moscow, PA. It was beautiful and a perfect time to take some photos:

Strasburg Railroad

Strasburg, Pa

On a recent visit to Lancaster County, PA, we stumbled on this place. While exploring the railyards and station, to my wonder, a steam train pulled into the station. It was an awesome sight! They were closing on that first visit we made, but we've been back a couple of times since. We spent the night in a nearby caboose, and rode their excursion train.

The New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society Steam Engine

Rochelle Park, NJ

This gem visited my home town from its home in New Jersey; a rare appearance in this neck of the woods!

Walt Disney World Railroad

Magic Kingdom, Fl

These pictures were taken while I was on the "Disney Magic Steam Train" tour. We spent about an hour in Main Street Station learning the history of the engines and the concept that brought the railroad to life. Then we rode a special train back to the "yard" where we saw technical aspects of the trains and their operation. Then finally, we emerged back to the park to learn a bit more about the role of the conductors and the railroad's interaction with the paying public.