North American Steam Excursion Stars

Discussion in 'Loco Suggestions & Proposals' started by Buynot, May 22, 2020.

  1. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    Since the demise of revenue steam service on North American railroads in the late 50s, many class 1 railroads, tourist lines, and preservation groups have been able to keep the legacy of steam locomotives going through mainline excursions. While several of the more popular locomotives are already in the game, such as UP 844, SP 4449, SP&S 700, NKP 765, etc. the vast majority aren't represented in Train Simulator, and I believe that should change. So with that being said, here's a list of locomotives that I think would fit into Train Simulator quite well.

    ATSF 3751
    Atchison Topeka, and Santa Fe #3751 is a 4-8-4 built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1927 and was used primarily on passenger trains in revenue service. The locomotive initially rolled out of the shops as a coal burner with 73 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 210 PSI, and a tractive effort of about 66,000 lbs. In 1936 it was converted to burn oil, and received an enlarged tender two years later. In 1939, the locomotive was present at the grand opening of Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, being the first regularly scheduled train to arrive. In 1941, it rolled back into the shops for upgrades. When it came back out, it had new 80 inch drivers, and a boiler pressure of 230 PSI (tractive effort roughly stayed the same). It made its last revenue run in 1953, with the Northbound running of the San Diegan. Following this run, 3751 was placed in storage in LA and officially retired in 1957. From 1958 to 1986, the locomotive was placed on display in San Bernardino. In 1981, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society was formed to restore 3751 to operational condition, and was able to purchase the locomotive for $1 in 1985 (yes, you read that right, ONE WHOLE DOLLAR!). The 3751 was moved to the Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana for restoration and returned to operation in late 1991. Since the late 1990's the 3751 has operated on numerous excursions throughout the California and the Southwestern US (though it did venture all the way out to Chicago in 1992). At the time of writing this, 3751 is undergoing an FRA mandated rebuild and was set to return to service sometime in early 2020, however, Coronavirus has thrown a wrench into that plan.
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    ATSF 2926
    Like 3751, 2926 is a 4-8-4 built by Baldwin. The locomtive rolled out of their shops in 1944 and was one of the last steam locomotives built new for the Santa Fe. The 2926 was used almost exclusively on fast passenger trains throughout the southwestern US. The locomotive came equipped with 80 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 300 PSI, and about 80,000 lbs of tractive effort. The 2926 made its last run on Christmas Eve, 1953, and was donated to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1956 for display. In 1999, the locomotive was sold to the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society and moved from its display site in 2000. In 2002, work began to restore the locomotive to operation. As of today the work is still ongoing. Like 3751, 2926 was set to return in 2020, but Coronavirus may have ruined those plans as well.
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    Canadian Pacific class G's
    Surprisingly, the Canadian Pacific G class 4-6-2's are one of the best surviving classes of steam locomotives in North America, with 7 (I may be wrong on that) of them having operated in excursion service. These examples include 1201, 1238, 1246, 1278, 1286, 1293, and 2317. With the exception of 2317, all of these locomotives are G5 class locomotives, and were intended for use on commuter trains.
    The G5s were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works, and the CP's Angus shops in 1944. They were equipped with 70 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 250 PSI, and a tractive effort of 34,000 lbs. 2317 was a G3 class locomotive and was also assigned to commuter runs in revenue service. 2317 was built by the Angus Shops in 1919 and is equipped with 75 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 200 PSI, and a tractive effort of 42,500 lbs. All of these locomotives were retired by 1960. Locomotives 1246, 1278, 1293, and 2317 were all purchased by F. Nelson Blount in the mid 1960's and all were eventually restored to operation to pull trains for Blount's newly founded Steamtown USA in Bellows Falls, Vermont. In the 1980's the locomotives were moved with the rest of Blount's collection to Scranton Pennsylvania, where Steamtown is located today. After the move, the locomotives were sold off or traded one by one to new owners, leaving 2317 as the only CP 4-6-2 remaining at steam town. In 2010, 2317 went down for her FRA mandated 15 year rebuilt, and it waiting for her turn in the shops. 1246 was among the first of the locomotives to be sold off after being deemed unfit to operate on the new line in Scranton. It is now on display on the Naugatuk Railroad in Connecticut. 1278 was then traded to the Gettysburg Railroad, and in return Steamtown got Canadian National 3254. 1278 continued operating on the Gettysburg Railroad until June 1995, when her crown sheet failed after years of poor maintenance. It has not operated since and is now on display in the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio. 1293 did not operate at Steamtown after the collection had moved to Scranton, and was sold in 1996 to Jerry Jacobson, owner of the Ohio Central Railroad. There, he restored 1293 to operation and used it on the OC's steam program, where they ran steam trips basically whenever they wanted to, just for fun. The fun came to an end in the late 2000's though, as Jerry had sold the OC and used the funds to built the Age of Steam Roundhouse. The new owners have not been to keen on steam operating on the OC, however 1293 did see some use in 2012 for that year's Steam in the Valley on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Today, 1293 remains in the AOSR with 1278 and also requires an FRA inspection if it wants to run again. Locomotives 1201, 1238, and 1286 did not go to Steamtown. 1201 remained North of the border for her excursion career. It was donated to the Canadian Government in 1966 and then given to the National Museum of Science and Technology and was restored to operation. It went on to operate on several mainline trips throughout Eastern Canada until its fire was dropped in 1990, and remains on display at the museum. 1238 and 1286 were sold to Rail Tours Inc. in 1964 for use on mainline trips in Pennsylvania. They were sold again in 1968 to the Red Clay Valley Railroad in Delaware, and after 5 years of operation there, they were sold once again in 1973 to the Allegheny Central Railroad, the predecessor to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. After several years of operating on the AC, they were sold to the Virginia Central Railroad. In 2015, they were sold back up North to the Prairie Dog Central Railroad, and are currently awaiting restoration.
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    Canadian Pacific Hudsons
    Like the G class Pacifics, the CP's hudson type locomotives have fared very well in preservation. There have been 3 CP 4-6-4s that have operated in excursion service. Those 3 locomotives are 2816, 2839 and 2860. 2816 is an H1b Class Hudson, built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930 and saw use on Passenger trains until retirement in the late 50s. It was equipped with 75 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 275 PSI, and a tractive effort of 45,254 lbs. After retirement, 2816 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount in the mid 60's and placed on display in Steamtown, and moved with the rest of the collection in the 80's. In 1998, the locomotive was sold back to CP for restoration and use on their steam program. From 2001 to 2012, 2816 operated on trips all throughout the CP system until being pulled from service as a result of a certain someone who will remain unnamed. Today 2816 remains in storage in Alberta and requires an inspection if it ever wants to run again. 2839 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1937 for passenger service. 2839 and 2860 came equipped with all the same stats as 2816. 2839 was retired in the late 50s and sold to a volunteer group in the 1960's who restored it to operation. It was then used by the Southern Railway on their steam program from 1979-1980. Today the locomotive is on display at the Nethercutt museum in California. 2860 was built in 1940 and was retired in 1956. It was later reinstated from 1957 to 1959 before being retired again. It was restored to operation in 1974 by BC Rail for use on excursion runs, and was later retired in 1999. It was restored again for excursion runs between 2006 and 2010. Today 2860 remains on display, awaiting a restoration.
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    Cotton Belt Route 819
    This 4-8-4 was built by the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad, better known as the Cotton Belt, in 1943 for use on freight trains. It was equipped with 70 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 250 PSI, and a tractive effort of about 61,500 lbs. The 819 only saw 10 years of service, as it was retired in 1953, and placed on display in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1955. It remained on display until 1983, when it was moved back to the Pine Bluff shops for restoration. In 1986, it returned to operation, and pulled many mainline trips along her former home rail until being pulled from service in 1993. Today she remains on display in the Pine Bluff Shops, undergoing a very slow restoration.
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    Frisco 1522
    St. Louis San Francisco (Frisco) 1522 is a 4-8-2 built by Baldwin in 1926. In revenue service it saw use primarily on passenger trains/ It was equipped with 69 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 200 PSI, and a tractive effort of 54,085 lbs. It was retired and placed into storage in 1951. In 1959, it was donated to the Museum of Transportation in 1959 and placed on display. In 1985, the St. Louis Steam Train Association leased the 1522 and began restoration work on it. The 1522 was returned to service in 1988. During its excursion career it operated on several excursions throughout the southern end of the Midwestern US, and headed up several BNSF employee appreciation specials in the late 90's and early 2000's. Sadly, in 2002 the 1522 was removed from excursion service due to rising insurance costs, and was placed back on display at the Museum of Transportation, where it remains today.
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    Milwaukee Road 261
    Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific (Milwaukee Road) 261 is a 4-8-4 built by ALCO in 1944 for use in passenger service.It came equipped with 74 inch drivers, walschaerts valve gear, a boiler pressure of 250 PSI, and a tractive effort of 62,119 lbs. The locomotive was retired in 1954 and donated to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The locomotive was moved to the museum in 1958. The locomotive would remain there until 1991, when the 261 was selected for restoration by North Star Rail. It would return to operation in 1993. Between 1993 and 2008, 261 would head up numerous trips all along the northern Midwest and East Coast. Bewteen 2008 and 2013 the locomotive would undergo its FRA mandated 15 year rebuild. 261 would return in 2013, and continues to operate several times per year.
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    Norfolk and Western 1218
    N&W 1218 is a Class A 2-6-6-4 type locomotive, built by the N&W in their Roanoke Shops in 1943. 1218, like the vast majority of the N&W articulated locomotives, saw use on heavy coal trains in the mountains of Virginia until it was retired in 1959. It was equipped with 70 inch drivers, baker valve gear, a boiler pressure of 300 PSI, and a tractive effort of around 126,000 lbs. From 1959 to 1964 1218 was used as a static boiler in Charleston, West Virginia. In 1965, 1218 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount and moved to Steamtown. In 1971, 1218 was moved to the Roanoke Transportation museum after a cosmetic restoration. It would remain there until 1985, when it was aquired by Norfolk Southern for use in their steam excursion program. It would operate in their program until 1991, when it was pulled from service for maintenance. In 1994 the program was ended, and 1218 was placed back on display in Roanoke where it remains today.
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    I've been working on this post for like 2 hours now, and I don't really know how to end this off. Feel free to add on to this list of you want! What do you guys think? Are these good choices?
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2020
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  2. mali_buda

    mali_buda New Member

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    Great choices Buynot, i would love to see these stars too. Also love your screenshots :)
     
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  3. JGRudnick

    JGRudnick Well-Known Member

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    I'd like to add Norfolk & Western Class J 611
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    Chesapeake and Ohio "Greenbrier" (Northern) type 614, which most commonly pulled the Chessie Safety Express.[​IMG]

    and Reading 2101 also a Northern type, which found many different uses in its career including the American Freedom Train (1975-76) and the Chessie Steam Special (1977-78), and currently resides at the B&O Railroad Museum in the Freedom train scheme.
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  4. Uncle Chuckles

    Uncle Chuckles Member

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    If you're gonna have a series of excursion stars done in TS, probably need to have ones that have ran on existing routes in the games library. (Ex: ATSF 3751 has ran on Raton Pass, both CP 2839 and UP 3985 has made appearances on the Clinchfield). Some more well known NA steam types would be a nice feature in TS.
     
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  5. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    That's a good point. I didn't really think of that when writing this out. If it wasn't for licensing issues, 3751 would probably be the best choice out of all the ones I listed because it's made trips over at least 3 routes already in TS (Raton, Cajon, and the Surfliner). 2816 would probably come second, since she's run over the CP Mountain Sub. (Canadian Mountain Passes in TS) on at least one occasion.
     
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  6. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    Maybe we could get a marketplace reskin for the Challenger into Clinchfield 676 for the existing Challenger or when Smokebox releases their own model in the near future. 247bc6230a60173b3ea64dd294db0328.jpg
     
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  7. jedi247

    jedi247 Well-Known Member

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    We can't forget the SP #4449. She resides in Portland, Oregon when not operating an excursion.
     
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  8. Uncle Chuckles

    Uncle Chuckles Member

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    We already have the 4449 (in multiple liveries) from G-Trax, on sale on Steam. The product was put out in 2013, but hasn't aged too well sadly. There were a group that was working on a massive upgrade for it but it seemed to fall apart.
     
    Last edited: May 23, 2020
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  9. steammaster4449

    steammaster4449 Well-Known Member

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    Dang. It definitely would've been great to have an upgraded GS-4 pack. Physics upgrades and new bells and whistles from Railworks America can only go so far. You also hit the nail square on the head when you said the current GS-4 hasn't aged well. But to be honest, all of G-Trax's locos and their passenger cars that're available on RWA haven't aged well.
     
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  10. steammaster4449

    steammaster4449 Well-Known Member

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    Can't talk about North American steam excursion stars without bringing up the most famous of American steam excursion programs, the Southern Railway Steam Program.


    Edit: Well then. Gotta love it when accounts get terminated.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2021
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  11. trainplayer2019

    trainplayer2019 Member

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    to be honest its literally the locomotive and tender, it sucked without passenger cars/coaches that the daylight had
     
  12. trainplayer2019

    trainplayer2019 Member

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    HECKYEAH plus some more locomotives that other people put below your post, that would be cool to see and get
     
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  13. steammaster4449

    steammaster4449 Well-Known Member

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    Bit of an update on 2926, but it's literally just waiting for the New Mexico state government to quit restricting gatherings. Once that happens, the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society, man that's a mouthful of a name, are poised to actually move the ol' gal under her own power for the first time since '53. From what I've heard, they were actually four days out from moving her once the restrictions hit, so they've probably been getting antsy with all this waiting.
     
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  14. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    I've been keeping up with the project on their website since at least 2016, most of the work they're doing on it right now seems to be either small adjustments to the locomotive or tool car work. From my understanding, if all goes well the US should start getting back to normal by late August (inb4 this ages poorly). Hopefully we'll see some test runs before the year is over!
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2021
  15. steammaster4449

    steammaster4449 Well-Known Member

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    That a new word or something?
    ;)
     
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  16. treid09

    treid09 Guest

    Great suggestion Buynot! I especially love the 819, one of the best-looking 4-8-4s out there. The Cotton Belt is road close to my heart.

    When I was out to railfan 4014 in Nov. of last year, me and my Dad were waiting a rural crossing to start our chase. Other fans started to pour in to our secluded spot. One of them was an older man in a pickup truck, and after parking, he came up to us to chat. He was a friendly guy, and the topic turned to his career on the Cotton Belt. He then casually mentioned that he was part of the restoration crew for the 819! He told me that there were men who had been with the SSW since the days of steam on the restoration team at Pine Bluff, and how they directed the process. As it turns out, we found out that one of the yards he worked at is one of my railfanning spots! Priceless conversation....
     
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  17. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    lol that's what I get for replying to messages on my phone
     
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  18. itstypicalrailfanner16

    itstypicalrailfanner16 Active Member

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    I 100% agree that this is an excellent choice, but I think you might be suggesting a North American Steam Excursion Stars Retro Pack if I am correct.
     
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  19. Buynot

    Buynot Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I guess that title fits if we're going off current naming conventions for DLC. I didn't really think of that at the time, since this thread was made a little while before the first retro pack came out.
     
  20. itstypicalrailfanner16

    itstypicalrailfanner16 Active Member

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    Well I know, but technically, it would be better if we were asking for a retro pack of this because having separate locomotives, especially as separate dlcs isn't always a great idea, unless you've got a third-party developer like Searchlight Simulations creating all of the content. A retro pack would be more appropriate since you're technically asking for not one, but several steam locomotives. That sounds like a lot of work that needs to be done and I'm pretty sure it's not going to take just one or two months to do it all and do it all right. You'd want to ask Searchlight Simulations to develop all of those steam stars since were talking revisiting the golden age of authentic steam locomotion.
     
  21. steammaster4449

    steammaster4449 Well-Known Member

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    As far as I know, the only thing Searchlight has done in relation to steam so far is help out Smokebox by getting audio for his Big Boy pack. Other then that, nothing but diesels and diesel enhancements, at least locomotive-wise.
     

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