Why did they get rid of steamers?I think they were more powerful and efficient than diesel trains are.My granduncle used to work for the railroad,and he remembers the old steamers.He was sad to see them go.I've always wanted to see one run,or even ride in the cab of one!

They require much more maintenance.And are more expensive to keep running.
As a side note China was still building and using steamers up until the late 1970's. China at that time was poor,but there labor was cheap and they had plenty of coal.

I am very fortunate in that I have worked aboard several old steamers including the SP 4449, the UP 8444 (844, but numbered 8444 when I worked on it in '81), both "Northern" class locos with a 4-8-4 wheels arrangement, the UP 3985, a "Challenger" class articulated, a 4-6-6-4, and had a ride on a "shay" logging locomotive, restored and operating with the Roaring Camp and Big Trees restored logging/tourist operation. I was a small boy and my dad was at the throttle. I seem to remember thinking that didn't seem like a good idea to me... my dad was never an engineer...

I did get to sit behind the throttle of McCloud River Rail Road's #25, a "Prairie" type loco with a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. This is the engine seen in the film, "Stand By Me." The railroad is right here in town on the western end, but they have now suspended all steam operations. Too expensive !

All were fun for a day, but I wouldn't have wanted to work on them all the time. Boiling hot or freezing cold, there was little in between, very poor visibilty, especially with the widows constantly fogged up with steam in the winter, no dynamic brake, relatively primative air brake systems, the list of negatives is long, in addition to what has been accurately said above.

Would I get on one tomorrow? In a heartbeat. There is not another experience on the planet like it.

But you, and anyone else who can afford to make the trip and pony up an additional $600 when arriving in Ely, Nevada, can spend half a day running one of two restored steam engines owned and operated by the Nevada Northern Railroad, with their "Rent An Engine" program. The monies they receive is put back into other restoration projects under way.

$600 will get you out on the main line on a Baldwin Consolidation (2-8-0 wheel arrangement) or a "ten-wheeler" (4-6-0 wheel arrangement) running around the yard for around $450, after a couple of hours in the class-room. You'll be supervised, of course.

They also have a number of restored vintage diesel electric locomotives that rent for considerably less.

There you can realize your dream !

Have fun...

Hi Kylie

First, to the above poster, steam locomotives were not retired because they were less powerful, which is a common misconception (they were actually much, much more powerful than the first diesel-electric models which replaced them).

They were retired from daily freight service because steam locomotives are simply too maintenance intensive and require many more fuel stops than diesels, so it was a double-edged sword (they were more expensive to operate and slower in moving freight and passengers than diesels). Because of this railroads were willing to sacrifice horsepower for speed and reduced maintenance costs.

Luckily, though, you can still ride behind them on tourist railroads all around the country! Some of the most famous that use steam include the Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster Pennsylvania, Cass Scenic in Cass West Virginia (which use the unique geared Shays, Heislers, and Climaxes), and the Durango & Silverton in western Colorado. These are just a few though, they're several others (the link below is a guide to most of them around the country).

In any event, if you get a chance to ride behind a steamer or see it up close, have fun, they are definitely something to see!

Kylie-

I am a member of Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, CA. We have two operating 2-6-2 Locomotives and are currently working on our 3rd.

The maintenance requirements for bi-weekly operations is very extensive and expensive. Though these are really nice to see in operations, our environmental permits must be kept up to date, and cost almost as much as the maintenance of these beasts.

Steam as the other folks have pointed out was mainly phased out because of the cost of operation and the pressure on pollution control. Union Pacific is currently feeling some of the same issues in their Roseville Yard as the city of Sacramento is requested they shut down ideling locomotives or place scrubber hoods over the stacks. Eventhough, these are diesels, the railroads and under pressure to keep their fuel emissions to a minimum.

As for getting a ride, well depending on where you are located there are many excursions available in California.

The California Western Railroad, (Fort Bragg to Willits)
Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad, (Felton, CA)
Niles Canyon Railway, (Sunol, CA)
Yosemite Valley & Sugar Pine Railroad, (Sonora, CA)
Sacramento Northern Short Line, (Sacramento, CA)
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, (Durango, CO)
Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, (Chama, NM)
Jamestown Railroad Museum, (Jamestown, CA)
Portola Valley Railroad Museum, (Portola, CA)

Here check this out:

www.railserve.com

That is going to give you the most complete listing of current excursions for both steam and diesel.

Just for the record, the Friends of the 4449 Club out of Portland, Oregon also does excursions behind the Southern Pacific GS-4 #4449. She is a beauty, and my absolute favorite locomotive. I have 8 different HO Scale models of her from plastic to Brass, and composite, and 1 "O" Scale Model of her from Sunset that was a Limited Edition run.

Enjoy your trains!