I have a website that was originally devoted to steam railroads. Since RYPN is doing well and I didn't want to compete, I've let it die off.

I'm considering changing the focus of the site and trying to bring it back online. It would be about all facets of steam preservation, steam traction, steamboats etc.

I know there are a few of you on this board with an interest in that topic. If you'd like to help me in this venture, please contact me.

There probably are just as many serious non rail steam fans, as there are steam fans (allowing for some cross over for those who like both!).

Think of places like Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and Buckley, Michigan and you'll quickly see my point -- and yes one of the NRHS events at last year's NRHS convention did go to Mt. Pleasant.

The sounds and smells, except for the clickly clack are about the same !

Bob H

There is a lot of interest. Steam tractors are big in the Midwest and Northeast, and there are lots of steam threshing events, though Mt Pleasant is one of the biggest from my understanding.

There's also plenty of steamship fans out there.

My only problem is that aside from knowing a few crew members from the Steamship Virginia V, my involvement with non-railroad steam is quite limited. I need somebody who's part of that community to help me provide useful information and get the discussions going. If we can do that, and start attracting some of the other steam fans, I'm sure it will work well. But we've got to start someplace and that's where I need a little help.

Non railroad stuff is discussed on here on occasion, so I figured maybe there were a few folks who would be willing to help. Its light duty, just post some updates and invite your pals, but it's something I need help with.

Bob;

I think what you will find is that there is not as much interest in steam traction and steamboats as there is in steam railroads. When I diversified the Surviving World Steam Project into steam vehicles/traction and steamboats/ships, I ended up selling 50% as many traction and 25% as many steamboat/ship CDs as I did locomotives.

You are also competing with existing forums in those areas as well. The traction engine community in the UK has a forum ran by the Traction Engine Society, while here in America there is the Smokestak forum:

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=7

The steamboat register has a forum as well.

There is also stationary steam. The International Stationary Steam Engine Society has been trying to keep the North America branch alive with little luck in the past few years; most of it's members are in the UK. I have contributed articles and other material to the Society as well.

I eventually found my little niche with "steam lizards"; or reciprocating steam pumps. I founded a group for them on Yahoo; put together a massive photo album of steam lizard photographs, and uploaded publication scans, spreadsheets, a survivor's database, and other materials to the Yahoo group website. I also have a few of them myself; but work, family, and other projects take most of my time now; my material is still out there for whoever wants to take advantage of it. I am debating whether to renew my domain name for survivingworldsteam.org this month; but will let the website lapse for now; it is has mostly been replaced by online sources (who helped themselves to some of the information; just I as I did with others); and having your own personal copy of the database to take with you on trips is no longer a neccessity. I also don't have the time to update the combined 38,000 records in the project when no one else is using it.

I am not 100% in agreemant with survivingworldsteam, I do agree there are many steam railroad fans, however many of them just have an interest in steam as a whole. I grew up as a wee lad of 2 climbing on Royal Hudson 2839 as my father and freinds restored her, by the age of 5 I was helping them restore her in her siding in NE Pennsylvania. As I grew up I became involved with a few other tourist railroads as well. After the Hudsons demise where she got stuffed and mounted my father kind of walked away fed up and one day showed up with a 20 foot long steam launch, we have run her for 17 years and currently are building a 23 footer. I enjoy boatingvery much and we can take her anywhere. I am a member and previous editor for the North American Steamboat Association and there are currently approx 300 personal steamboats in the USA and almost 2000 in the UK. Even our own Kelly Anderson of the Strasburg RR had a steamboat and is building another. A steamboat builder in WV has a constant flow of hulls, engines and code boilers flowing thru his shop. I have christened 3 steamboats in the past 3-4 years at my boat meet in Bucks Couny PA. I am also intersted in ANYTHING steam.
I may be interested in helping intersted in helping you Bobharbison but with limited amount of time, between working my real job, doing fullfilment and member database for the steamboat association and taking care of wife and 6 YO son and building the new boat I am very busy.

I could see 300 steamboats in North America (I was able to document 147 of them); but 2000 in the UK? That sounds awful high; the Steamboat Register, which is published out of the UK and is now on the web, only listed 260; with an additional 69 or so on their steamboat.org website; or about 330 total; plus steamships and others I have found elsewhere for the UK for a total of 486. I realize that neither the Steamboat Register nor the Traction Engine Register were complete; but I thought they were more complete than that.

The Register also contains boats from the U.S., Europe, and around the world; I am thinking that maybe you are thinking of the total number of boats listed in the register; although I think that total was closer to about 500-600.

That is quite a revalation if there are that many more out there; I documented 3092 vessels in various states when I stopped; it sound like there were another 1000-1500 private steamboats remaining to document. The sad part is that we are losing their larger breathern, the steamship, at a depressing rate.

But still, in terms of sheer numbers; I documented 12,056 (out of an estimated 15000) steam vehicles and 21,587 steam locomotives (out of an estimated 22,000) worldwide. While the locomotives included a couple of thousand that closed out steam in China, Cuba, and Indonesia; and another 1,000 or so in the former Soviet Union; that is still four locomotives for every steamboat/ship, and 1.5 traction engines for every locomotive; if surviving numbers are any indication of interest out there.

surviving world steam, I meant 200 in the UK which was just an about number pulled out of my tiny mind but is still alot of steamboats for such a small country, I could not remember exactly how many but knew it was in the 200 range. I know the numbers make all look in favor of trains and believe me I love trains but do not count out the others, many ships are gone because they would just sink if not restored, a locomotive can sit on a track and rot for eternity. sadly this may be the what happens to the SS Olympia here in my part of the country if not bought or given a grant for restoration soon.

There's a fair amount of crossover interest in steam fans, and the site would cater to all interests.

I'm not looking to have huge amounts of traffic, just keep the site active. If I can get the word out, I think I can generate some interest. As with any forum, the trick is to give them something to see when they get there.

Hi Bob: Lots of cross-over at Hesston Steam Museum in NW Indiana.
Five gauges of operating RR steam [7.5, 14, 24/36 & standard], one club owned Case 50 hp traction engine, 5 privately owned traction engines. Stationary steam includes sawmill, electric generator, 2 operational stationary engines, soon to be joined by an 1876 Good engine, and the only known operational Edison Bi-Polar generator/Armington Sims engine. So, there's a diverse group of volunteers maintaining and operating this collection...

John Harbeck -- 38 year member/volunteer