Engineer Franzen and Fireman Selinski have the 24-year-old 2-10-2 totally "dialed in" as they prepare to power out of Newton and on to Council Bluffs. Puffing past a house in the dale, it is unbe... (more)

The sun glints past the headlight of 261 as it prepares for a double-header with the 2816 the next morning. As with many of the Fall trips, an early frost came that evening, almost freezing the ho... (more)

Don Crimmin and an unidentified Amtrak conductor tromp to the pocket track's manual switch. Once thrown, the headlight will illuminate on the (then) 64-year-old beast and it will begin its journey... (more)

With 261 hovering overhead, volunteer Pat and long-time employee Jim French (eyeing the camera) hold a cable together until the electric hoist used to pull the 14,000 lb main driver engages comple... (more)

One of the oldest locomotives in operation on the railroad, this 1898 product of the Jung Locomotive Company is still used for special trips on the 83 mile system. On this morning, it was sitting ... (more)

After transferring passengers from the Trans Harz Express, this train is about to attack the 3.3% grade towards the Brocken, the highest mountain in Northern Germany. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railway... (more)

Charging upgrade with all of it's 750 horsepower, the 55 year-old 2-10-2T has its train cruising at about 25 miles per hour. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways is something worth seeing if over in Ger... (more)

Fireman David Rabber throws a scoop into the inferno. The most interesting aspect of railroading to me is the human interest, for without the dedication and preservation of labor, the entire prese... (more)

Fireman David Rabber unlocks the switch early in the morning as a thick fog lies over the yard. In the background, an SD-7 lies waiting to switch onto neighboring rails.

In a pause between shoots, crewmembers from Milwaukee Road 261 take a breather beside the locomotive. They are among the skilled crew of Railroading Heritage of Midwest America that is working to ... (more)

The evening before its last double-header with Milwaukee Road 261, CP 2816 basks in the glow of the setting sun.

What am I thankful for? All of the volunteers that keep mainline steam running. Dana Alexon is a safety officer who volunteers on all FO261 trips as an emergency medical technician. It is details ... (more)

Fireman Ambrose has 261's fire under control and the boiler pressure pegged in this image taken just minutes prior to departure. In lieu of the organization's termination of their contract with NR... (more)

This is the pride-and-joy of Braunschweig's Transit Friends, a 1923-built 0-6-0. It is certified to go on the mainline, and with a train load of early 1900's coaches, it emulates a late Prussian t... (more)

The high drivers of this express steam locomotive sit pretty outside of the main station in Braunschweig. With ICE's roaring by daily, it is a nice reminder of what used to "really" roar by. There... (more)