Extreme Steam 2

The thrill of nonstop steam action awaits you in this second volume of Extreme Steam! See ten railroads where 12 steam locomotives put on dynamic performances, filling the screen with plenty of smoke, steam, and whistles. In this show you’ll see:

Union Pacific Challenger 3985 (19 Minutes)
Two different excursions in July of 2003: a railfan charter from Cheyenne to Laramie, then a week later we chase the annual Frontier Days Special from Denver to Cheyenne and return. The domeliners are a sight to behold!

Pere Marquette 1225 (11 Minutes)
This handsome 2-8-4 is the locomotive the producers of the Polar Express movie based their animated locomotive on! 1225 is also the largest operating steam locomotive in the state of Michigan. In August of 2003 it powered a 2-day excursion on the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway from Owosso to Cadillac and return. While in Cadillac, two round trips to Yuma were made for local passengers.

Nevada Northern 93 (26 Minutes)
Nevada Northern Railway held its first annual Winter Photo Freight Weekend in December of 2003. Here we get to see another version of the Polar Express! Engine 93 is a 2-8-0 which has spent its entire life on the Nevada Northern. We catch it pulling several different freight consists on the branch between Ely and Keystone, and hauling passengers on the railroad’s popular Polar Express event.

East Broad Top 14 (15 Minutes)
We attend a Fall Event on the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania, in October of 2003. This tourist line is the oldest operating narrow-gauge railroad in the U.S.

Milwaukee Road 261 (14 Minutes)
Amtrak operated two excursions from Minneapolis/St. Paul to La Crescent, Minnesota and return. Former Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261 led the trains, assisted by two Amtrak diesels. The steam-powered streamliner speeding along the river is an inspiring sight!

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic 487 (19 Minutes)
Engine 487 and several freight cars, relettered Rio Grande for a special photographers’ run, tackle the route from Chama to Antonito and return in the fall of 2003. Steam in the Rockies – Rio Grande style!

Grande Trunk Western 6325 and Canadian Pacific 1293 (13 Minutes)
Ohio Central’s 6325, a 4-8-4, was repainted into its original Grande Trunk Western livery and performed in both freight and passenger service. We catch side-by-side runbys with the CP 1293 and 6325 on double track, and both engines double-heading on a passenger train!

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge 473 (11 Minutes)
A chartered photo freight in the fall of 2003 features the unusual sight of engine 473 repainted into the gold “bumblebee” scheme. Both the engine and freight cars are lettered “Denver & Rio Grande Western.”

Canadian National 89 and Strasburg Railroad 90 (13 Minutes)
A photographers’ special on the Strasburg Railroad features Canadian National 89, a 2-6-0, pulling a collection of vintage freight cars. We also see Strasburg 90, a 2-10-0 originally built for the Great Western Railway in Colorado, handling the regular passenger train. The two engines perform side-by-side, to everyone’s delight!

McCloud Railway 18 (15 Minutes)
We visit Northern California in October of 2004. Engine 18 provides the power on a passenger special to Burney and makes a photo run on the Lake Britton bridge. In the Winter, bucking deep drifts, the 18 propels a wedge plow and sends the snow flying in every direction!

Bonus Footage: Enjoy a ride in the cab of engine 93 on the Nevada Northern Railway and scenes of the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s engine 40 during its last year of service.