There are very few railroads in the United States that have the availability to run steam locomotives triple-headed. The Strasburg Rail Road in eastern Pennsylvania is one of those few lucky places. Other places that could offer it have similar locomotive heritages, wheel arrangements, and enough restored freight cars to recreate an authentic scene from a railroad's heyday. At Strasburg, not so much. This particular Carl Franz "stealth photo charter" was advertised to have triple-headers - one of the main reasons I attended. I knew that combining a 2-6-0, 4-8-0 and 2-10-0 with the railroad's normal photo freight consist would look odd - but this was something I didn't want to miss. There were other double-header shots and solo shots during the day that could be considered more authentic. But the triple-header - that was fun. If not a bit overkill...

For the Fourth of July weekend in 2019, the Wilmington & Western Railroad trotted out their 0-6-0 steam locomotive, #58, for a series of Mt. Cuba Meteor trips as well as a fireworks train on the evening of the Fourth itself. On this particular day, the Baldwin-built locomotive pulled a pair of Mt. Cuba Meteor trips along the Red Clay Creek. 

Adding on top of the existing heat provided by both the locomotive and the July air, a passing shower provided an extremely high amount of humidity in the air - making just about every movement turn into a hot and sweaty mess. 

Nonetheless, a great time was had both onboard and trackside - enjoy this look at A Muggy Day on the Wilmington & Western!​

On Sunday, July 21, 2019, one of the hottest days of the summer, Big Jim Video Productions made a quick visit to the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association - owners and operators of the (currently) only operating Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive. In action today was PRR class B4a 0-6-0 #643, operating on about a mile of track around the Association's complex in Williams Grove, PA - less than 15 miles from the state capitol of Harrisburg. Not only can you ride the train, but you can also purchase an extremely affordable cab ride as well! The railroad operates on select days throughout the summer, visit their Facebook page for the latest updates - and enjoy!

For the first time in many, many years, a pair of Norfolk & Western steam locomotives were fired up and breathing side-by-side - in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, of all places. A joint event held by the Strasburg Rail Road and the Virginia Museum of Transportation brought together Strasburg's M-class 4-8-0, #475 and the VMT's J-class 4-8-4, #611, for a nearly month-long set of celebrations, excursions, and on the weekend of October 5 and 6, a series of photo charters. Operated by the world class folks at Lerro Photography, the Saturday sessions featured #611 and #475 in their respective liveries. The Sunday sessions, however, featured not #475, but 4-8-0 #382, the "Virginia Creeper" (really #475 with some cosmetic alterations). While the sun was out in force for the Saturday afternoon session, the clouds rolled in on Sunday for the morning session. Regardless, a pair of fantastic photo charters were held - so please enjoy this look at the "Norfolk & Western Steam Reunion: The Photo Charters"!