Why the focus on steam railroads? The answer is actually pretty straightforward. Steam locomotives are responsible for virtually everything we have in our lives today. Steam locomotives were the first machines built by humans that could move, at will, under their own power. The steam engine took us from the Stone Age to the Industrial Age and right on into the Space Age in 150 years. They were responsible for the development of our industries, they facilitated our westward expansion, they gave us the ability to travel....they even helped us win wars. Without them, our modern society would not exist.

Here's a little factoid that puts this all in perspective. By 1869, people of European and African descent had already been living in this country for 250 years, yet folks were still living in primitive wooden buildings, traveling largely on foot and by horseback, cooking over open fires, and lighting their homes by candlelight. On May 10th, 1869, two steam locomotives met at Promontory Summit in Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. One hundred years and two months later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the moon. Pretty cool, eh?

Today, if steam locomotives were animals, they'd be on the endangered species list. There are probably 180 steam engines left in the US, which are still capable of operating. You can count the number that actually operate on any given day on your fingers. My goal with this site is to document what's left of this important piece of our heritage, so that folks who don't have the opportunity to travel like I do can see it in all its glory. I also hope that some young people will take an interest, and maybe pick up the torch and carry the legacy of these machines on into the future. :o)

Kevin Madore