Last of the private steam locomotive collections? Even had a Big Boy... the Blount collection

looks like a Big Boy http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/12/big-boy-used-coal-so-fast-that-shovels.html

In the late 50's a seafood company founder began collecting steam locomotives... can a guy collect anything bigger? Has anyone? I doubt it.

Anyway, he made a small tourist attraction and called it Steamtown, moved it a couple times but didn't get very close to any major cities... he stuck it in Vermont.

Anyway, he died in 1967, at the age of 47 and without setting up a modicum of management to keep the trains in good condition, so they were sold off, neglected, and falling apart. The company that ran the collection moved from Vermont to Scranton, PA in 1984 after about 20 years of barely surviving, and went bankrupt in 1986

Congress was quick to make it a national park, and the park service now runs the train attraction as a learning center about 1850 to 1950 steam locomotives.

Read a bit more about it from the souce of my info: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6160936&postcount=20825

Russian locomotive graveyard

For the whole gallery see http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/10/15/old-locomotives-from-a-storage-facility/#more-19715

Logging trucks, trains, and look at the size of those logs!

Above via http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/

Driving the model T cars onto the tree trunk is wild, but a team of horses? Did they think about how they were going to get those horses to back up the whole way off that tree trunk?

that train on top of the bridge is cool... but what the freak! How long did it take them to make that bridge? And they had to have it pretty level for that train, believe it.

from http://www.barnorama.com/big-trees/

The Camelback locomotive design, used in conjunction with the exceptionally wide Wooten firebox, not safe though

The "Camelback" design, which straddled the cab over the center of the boiler, allowed the exceptional width of the Wooten firebox, which burned lower BTU anthracite coal from Eastern Pennsylvania.

The Locomotives in the picture were also called "Mother Hubbards" among other names. They were discontinued from freight service because if a side rod broke, it would wipe out the cab and if on the engineer's side, the engineer also. In yard service they were much safer because of the lower speed which was not so likely to break a rod and sling it through the cab.
photo from http://www.shorpy.com/node/9335?size=_original

The Big Boy, used coal so fast that shovels couldn't feed it fast enough, so they built a conveyor belt direct from the coal to the firebox

photos from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=927

In the woods of Maine are the neglected remains of two locomotives

The Eagle Lake and West Branch (ELWB) Railroad Locomotive #1, was built in June 1897 at Schenectady Locomotive Works (4-6-0 stamped #4552), it was originally a steam locomotive but later converted to burn crude oil to eliminate the forest fire threat caused by cinders. Number 1 was purchased by Great Northern in 1926 and used to haul pulpwood in the Allagash area from 1927-1933.

ELWB Locomotive Number 2, and its tender, were built in December 1901 at Brooks Locomotive Works (2-8-0 stamped 4062). Number 2 was also used as a steam locomotive and later converted to burn crude oil. It was purchased by Great Northern in 1928 and used as the main engine for hauling pulp cars from 1928-1933.

The railroad tranferred logs and crossed over the northwest arm of Chamberlain Lake where it reaches toward Allagash Lake. In September of 1933 both locomotives were relatively obsolete and not worth the cost of transporting them back out of the Allagash area. They were both on the Eagle Lake end of the tramway and the entire railroad was abandoned in place.

Read all about it http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/history/allagash/rr.htm

Haulers of heavy loads... locomotives

The above load was 100 tons, looks like the tires are solid rubber, and the trailer appears to be the same in the above and the below photo

photos from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=931

Happy holidays, and merry chistmas everyone

I believe the above image was taken by Scooter McRad http://scootermcrad.blogspot.com/ last year, and is one of the best hot rod Xmas photos I've come across

images from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=750

Wow, lowering a train body down onto the chassis. Amazing, just one of those things I've never given a moments thought to how it was made

Does that just blow your mind and make you wish you could hang around and watch while that happens?