Where would one go to ride a real 1800's train with American 4-4-0's or simlear vintage units. It seems like all the operations around here seem to run mostly stuff from the later half of the 20th century.

That's going to be tough. B&O museum operates vintage steam but not to ride behind, demonstration only. UP 119 and Jupiter in Utah operate by themselves (don't think they have any cars) maybe a cabride? The new build Jupiter cousin Leviathan- that might be your best bet if they haul a train. Museum in Nevada operates 4-4-0s and 4-6-0s on occasion but do not know if they haul a train. The narrow gauge 4-4-0 Eureka pulls trains on the D&S and C&TS on occasion.

Closer to home the Wilmington & Western operates a "modern" 4-4-0 on occasion in Delaware and she certainly pulls trains, coaches that date to the 1920s/1930s.

Joshua

How about The Ford's Greenfield Village? I think one of the locomotives is a 4-4-0, although it's been heavily rebuilt from another wheel arrangement I believe. I also think that they have an authentic 4-4-0 currently undergoing a restoration to service. And isn't their OTHER active locomotive a Forney?

Not sure of the passenger equipment used on the train though.

Les

I'll be a little more open-minded............

The United Kingdom has a couple lines that may fit your billing on occasion--the Bluebell, Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Kent & East Sussex...........

Go to Railtown 1987 State Historic Park in Jamestown, Calif. See Sierra #3. She was built in 1891, and just got a brand new boiler. She isn't an "American," but a "10-wheeler." Should fit the vintage you are looking for. #3 has been in many, many movies, and was probably seen by most people in the TV show "Petticoat Junction." For more info go to

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24487

Jim Baker, PSRM, Campo

During the summer months, the WW&F Railway in Alna, Maine runs a 1904 0-4-4T Vulcan and either an original 1894 coach or a 1985 replica (or both). They use bare light bulbs, magneto telephones, and hand signals (no radios). Visit them at http://www.wwfry.org.

-John

p.s. It's a 2-footer

go narrow gauge, Denver & Rio Grande Western, Cedar Point, Dollywood, Hesston (La Porte, IN)

It's been modified a bit. The story goes that Henry Ford wanted a 4-4-0 from the Mason Machine Works, but couldn't find one. The Rouge Locomotive Works did a bit of combining and stuff to turn out the present 4-4-0. Small thing at 25 tons, but a rather charming engine that sounds great on the hills at Greenfield Village.





The "true" 4-4-0 is being restored in the roundhouse. The other currently-active engine is a Mason Bogie 0-6-4.






Basically Disney/Busch Gardens-style open cars. They do have some very nice authentically-pained freight cars, but it's rare to see those being operated.
Kevin

Yes, when the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City operates steam it is pulling a train.

This is the website for the museum: Nevada State Railroad Museum

The 2011 schedule is not yet up on the site -- only the 2010 schedule. The museum is probably waiting to see what is going to happen with the State budget.

Try the Huckleberry RR in Flint, MI. The locomotive is from 1903, but many of the cars date to the 1880's.

http://www.geneseecountyparks.org/pages/huckleberry

A good account of the likely origins of the faux Mason at Greenfield Village by the Smithsonian's John H. White may be found in TRAINS October 1974 titled "Masons, museums, and make believe." (capitalization original)

Does that engine still run with a balloon stack where the top is mostly closed off with rolled sheet metal because, speculates Mr. White, Ford's minions, eager to please the boss by faking an old Manchester 0-4-0 into a Mason 4-4-0, misread the Mason blueprints? They mistook the screening normally found there as solid metal and obviously did not understand how such a stack operates.

Steve

Dan Markoff's beautiful, narrow gauge Eureka & Palisade Number 4 makes occasional trips, especially on the Durango & Silverton or the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

The Nevada Railroad Museum has several 4-4-0s in beautiful condition, and when I was there, Number 8 was pulling the train.

Glen Brewer
Railroad Glory Days
http://RailroadGloryDays.com

When Mr. Markoff finishes his replica passenger car to go along with the Eureka, an 1880s period train will be fully available, his trips with Silverton cars are close approximations. Railtown has three period coaches but all are in fragile shape and only the lucky see them in operation, usually for a movie shoot. I would agree that NSRM-Carson City and Huckleberry may be the closest current approximation of an early train currently operating. The "1880 Train" in the Black Hills is usually a fleet of early 20th century interurban cars pulled behind a logging locomotive, so not a perfect match there. Perhaps the most frequently operated 4-4-0 with open platform wood coaches is shown in the photo below (and a fun ride it is!):

http://www.randgn.com/

Nope. Both of them have a straight stack. It appears the balloon stack came off somewhere between 2002 and 2004 judging by the railpics archives.

Here's what the 4-4-0 looks like now...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 98&nseq=13

The faux balloon stack for the Edison at Greenfield Village was removed in the 80s, replaced by a faux diamond stand and now a modern stack which lends to a greatly improved draft. The coaches we pull were once 1926 Florida East Coast cabooses or tank cars before Keystone Light Rail and Crown Metal Products rebuilt them for excursion use.

Both our operating steam locomotives are in early Twentieth Century appearances, so you'll have to wait a few years for another 4-4-0 that will look like it's from 1897.