I have a hall closet full of train stuff. I'll probably never build another layout, the garage has two race cars in it, my enclosed trailer has my Chevelle in it, my man cave has shelves full of trains on three walls,mostly HO brass steam locomotives, and American Flyer S gauge. One thing my wife and I have done, and are scheduled to do next month, are steam excursions. In 1992, I rode behind SP Daylight 4449 from San Jose to Sacramento, toured the cal state RR museum, clearly the best thing that goes on in Sacramento, and returned to San Jose after dark. That train ran at least 80 MPH across the farmlands along the Sacramento River,and it was quite a show. It also ran without a diesel helper. In 2012, we went to Williams, Arizona, and rode behind Santa Fe 3751 on a Grand Canyon Railway trip. That thing was quite a road monster, too.One of the fun things that they do on steam fan trips is to pick a spot at the top of a long grade, let everybody get off where they can watch, back the steam train down the hill a couple miles, then run it wide open throttle up the hill and past everybody so we can get photos and video. The unreal ground pounding blasting noise out the stack of a 4000 plus horsepower steam locomotive is unreal,to say the least. Once a year, we have also ridden behind 3751 from Los Angeles to San Bernardino behind the same locomotive. Also, my wife and I rode to San Diego from Los Angeles behind 3751one way, then came home that same evening on the Amtrak,so boring after being,riding, and hearing big steam, and this next month, we will be riding behind Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 from Colton to Barstow up Cajon Pass. Should be the ultimate place to run one of the nation's ultimate steam locomotives. Another trip we took on vacation one year was the Durango and Silverton in Colorado. Nothing like a 409 in the lights, a Stock Eliminator car on a good run,a big steam locomotive running hard, mechanical engineering at its finest.
I love the Train ride, in Switzerland. Will never get there in person, but I guess this is second best.
Beautiful country.
