#831 The steam train keeps my smile rolling along…

Ever since I was a small boy, I have loved train engines. I loved them all, both steam and diesel engines, but the ones that really caught my eye were the steam powered locomotives. I could sit and watch a steam train all day; I would see the full sized ones on TV and locally when they would come through for a train exposition and the HO scale models some of my friends had in their homes circling under the Christmas tree. I guess in my mind, they had more character than their diesel or electric counterparts and the steam puffing out of the top always brought a smile to my face.

steam train engine

I can still remember my first steam train set as a kid, it had 6 cars, the steam locomotive and the coal hopper; this thing was deluxe! I had to add water to the engine so a “boiler” inside could make tiny puffs of steam and the little steam whistle was nothing more than an electric whistle but it still had me believing.

Now, as an adult, I am able to travel to the local area train museums and see the real things up close and in person and, if I am there on the right day, they might even fire one up and get the whistle going. Or I can head over to Disneyland and ride a live steam engine there.

Who Doesn’t Like a Steam Train?

One of my heroes, Walt Disney shared my love for the steam train. He loved them so much that in 1950 he built The Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge, live steam backyard railroad in the backyard of his home which inspired him to build a railroad at Disneyland theme park, which opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. You can read more about Carolwood Pacific Railroad here on Wikipedia.

If you haven’t heard a real steam train in person, you won’t understand but the sound is really intense and I am sure can be heard for miles around! (Check it out here.)

steam train engine steaming

The whishing of the boiler as it releases overages of steam, the whistle blast spitting out water like that coworker that always seems to spit when they talk and just the sight of the big iron trains is enough to bring back childhood memories and invoke a sense of happiness that shows all is right with the world.

Who knows, maybe I’ll head on down to the hobby shop, or better yet, Amazon, and pick up a steam train later today. I can start building the collection to end all collections and maybe even turn my den into a train room complete with a large alpine track winding around the mountains and through the tunnels. Maybe that’s going a little too far. For now, I will stick with my happy memories and the Nevada State Railroad Museum over in Boulder City.

Have you ever ridden on a steam train? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.

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Isn’t it time you had your own steam train set up? Why not start today with the
Bachmann Industries #1012 Baldwin 4-6-0 Steam Locomotive and Tender?

27 Replies to “#831 The steam train keeps my smile rolling along…”

  1. Feeling Nostalgic of my country moments during 90’s. I used to travel with my parents in Assam’s Toy train. Though the Toy train was narrow gauge steam locomotive, the thrill of watching the steam and smoke puffs from locomotive was simply joyful. Thanks for getting my thoughts in flashback, Troy.

    • Ha! Glad I could help. I often like to think on things from the past. The trick is not to get stuck there. We must keep moving forward.
      Walt Disney said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
      Troy recently posted…#839 Fake plants create real smilesMy Profile

  2. Pingback: #822 Steam on a bathroom mirror - 1K Smiles

  3. Hey troy

    happy to see you buddy.. I always read your article and always you have something great to share.
    You are a great blogger. Well, in my childhood I love to play with train engines. My aunt sent a toy train for me on my birthday. I Miss her and her gifts. really, aunties are so nice.

    Thanks for the article Troy.
    keep it up buddy!!!

    George

  4. Feeling Nostalgic of my country moments during 90’s. I used to travel with my parents in Assam’s Toy train. Though the Toy train was narrow gauge steam locomotive, the thrill of watching the steam and smoke puffs from locomotive was simply joyful. Thanks for getting my thoughts in flashback, nate

  5. I can remember as a kid, sat at the local builders yard in Lytham Lancashire, watching the shunting going on at the Lytham Goods Yard. It was only a small yard but it had its own CLASS 2MT 2-6-2 TANK British Rail loco resident that assembled the mix goods traffic ready for departure.

    The signal box there was a small one as it wasn’t a big junction. The distinctive sound of the bell codes coming from the open widow sticks in my mind. Happy days indeed and never forgotten. Thanks for your interesting read.

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