The History of Locomotives: The Steam Era

The steam locomotive has brought fascination to railroad fans worldwide. As you watch them roll by, you cannot help admire the beauty of the motive. Artisanship is evident as you look at the sleek lines, the wheels that seem to move with an almost orchestrated movement led by the conductor.
It could also be the steam seen belching from the smoke stacks as the engines move across the country, or it could even be the sound of the clickity-clack as the massive wheels move over their tracks. Either way, the fascination also has plenty of history behind it and we will take this trip together to discover what makes these behemoths run and why we love them so much.
The steam engine had progressed from an unstable, slow moving machine into a fast, strong, and reliable locomotive. After the invention of the diesels a modern electric engines, steam locomotives soon began to fall by the wayside with the few surviving steam motives used only on special occasions. Many were scraped, but, luckily for the train enthusiast, we are still able to find perfect examples of these pieces of machinery in railroad museums and a few select ones still on display.