All I can say is we're taking an engine, and we'll do our best to deal with whomever comes our way...........

(counting the hours and minutes until this post gets deleted??)

"Just so you kow, the person in the first (top) photo, and also seen kneeling in the other two photos is...a guy."--whippany

AAAHH!! So much for how good my eyes are. . .

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"All I can say is we're taking an engine, and we'll do our best to deal with whomever comes our way...........

"(counting the hours and minutes until this post gets deleted??)"--Mark Jordan

Calling Freeman Hubbard! Calling Freeman Hubbard! (Late editor of Railroad magazine, who stirred up trouble now and then with "girlie pictures"--man, I'm revealing my age!)

With her around, you don't need coal to raise steam. . .at least not in the male members of the crew!

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Some artists in the steampunk style havve taken a number of our iconic locomotives and modified them in their artwork. Speaking for myself, I'm afraid I'm not too happy with the results:

http://novelnovice.com/2010/09/06/cassi ... unk-train/

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81431

From the above link:

http://conceptartworld.com/wp-content/u ... ron_08.jpg

Chessie's real Allegheny not only looks better, but even looks "steam-punky." Why change it?

http://www.zuckerfabrik24.de/eisenbahn/pic3/co1603a.jpg

I agree the McKeen car has a lot of "steampunk" elements, but it's a diesel job! How can it be steampunk and be diesel? I know, it's the rail machine of the villain, the devilish, dastardly, Dr. Rudolph Diesel!

Invasion!

http://www.airailimages.com/uploads/1/0 ... 1329166184

Of course, some other stuff we've had over the years really did look like something these people would cook up:

http://www.cityofnewbabbage.com/reader/node/3168

http://gloriaharchar.com/wp-content/upl ... eplica.jpg

Now, if only we could get some money out of those people. . .

This is fun--I put up an article from USA Today, just a bit of a thing about some potential customers and/or supporters, and all these comments start showing up. . .more than I thought there would be. . .

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Some earlier comments from another thread on steampunk--actually, thread drift while on the subject of "New York Central Hudson found buried in rural Missouri:"

"WE INVENTED STEAMPUNK."--Robert MadDowell

"Yep, most of us were Steampunk before it was cool!"--Bob Harbison

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While on the subject of early Steampunk, we must recall one who had to be the progenitor, at least as far back as the 1940s, the late Lucius Beebe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Beebe

http://www.bookpatrol.net/2010/01/lucio ... Ai2tWGJeSo

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Let us remember there is a "dieselpunk" "school" as well:

http://dieselpunksencyclopedia.wordpress.com/

This page even has a rail section, which interestingly, has plenty of modern, "diesel era" steam examples:

http://www.dieselpunks.org/

http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blog/list?tag=rail

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When I originally put up the USA Today piece, there weren't so many comments with it. Now there are plenty, and maybe some make points we may ponder, even in the railway preservation field:

Khalid Nurredin--"America already has enough people who try to escape reality instead of facing it and fixing it.Let's just do nothing about the problems we face and create a fantasy world to escape to. And you wonder why America's kids rank 27th academically.India is going to graduate 900,000 engineers this year and we've got "steampunks". Prepare to be overtaken economically."

Mark Doiron (Replying to Khalid Nurredin)--"There is a strong connection between Star Trek, the original series, and many of those who are working in highly technical fields today. Steampunk has the same capacity to ignite interests in the sciences and math. Working closely with (mostly male) youth through the Boy Scout movement, I suspect that there is much less to worry about the demise of Western civilization (thanks, Rick!) caused by steampunk than there is from those who think that their future career is in professional sports or in video game development (Kids don't realize that their is lots of math in video games)."

Quinlin Hopkins--"1. What is Steampunk?

"I'm glad you asked. If you have a few months to spare we'll do our best to show you. There are so many facets to the gem that is Steampunk, it's difficult to sum it up in 30 words or less. In fact, that's one of the things you'll come to love about us. The definition of Steampunk is quite a difficult task. And honestly a word in which no individual authority has the right to define. As you will come to see it is a blend of a visual appeal, a rejection of built in disposability, and a longing for all the good things that were promised to come, but never quite made it. We intend to ensure what part of it we can will actually come to pass, instead of only lamenting the current state of affairs. Since you have to start with a first tentative step in order to begin the journey though, here we go with one well respected version and remind you- Never let your perception be clouded by definition:

"Well to begin with let's clear up the name. "Steampunk" started as a joke. There was a movement in science fiction to write in a genre known as "Cyberpunk". When various writers began exploring similar concepts and ideas but setting them in a pseudo Victorian world the term steampunk was jokingly coined. The name stuck but even steampunks are constantly debating "well what is steampunk?" Like all communities however steampunk has grown and developed a life of its own. It is now a rich and vibrant social scene attracting people from all walks of life.

"Steampunk encompasses a wide variety of input from a highly creative and artistic community. It includes writers, musicians, dancers, sculptors, model makers, costume makers and a host of other disciplines and skills. It has been summed up as "Well can you imagine what things would be like if the Great Exhibition had never finished?" Steampunks try to take some of the very best parts of the past and make them part of a bright future. We value good manners and polite conduct and try to encourage this by setting an example for others. We think things should be made to a high quality and to last thus helping the environment. We value and encourage creativity and have been asked to collaborate in educational and arts projects across the country. Whilst things are set in a pseudo historical world which harks back to our Victorian heritage we do not promote any of the inequalities of that past. Indeed ours is deliberately an all inclusive community. You will find Steampunks of all ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds. We also come from all walks of life from students to academics and from comedians to solicitors.

"Whilst Steampunk started as a science fiction genre it is now a community and has its own fashions, music and tastes. We are a community that enjoys socialising, often dressing up in steampunk clothes. We visit historical sites as well as enjoying music gigs and performances. Steampunks often make or modify everyday objects to fit the neo victorian aesthetic. This could be making a wood and brass cabinet for your PC or a mock raygun suitable for an adventure with Jules Verne.

"Can you still call it steam-PUNK? Punk in the seventies was a rebellion against contemporary society. We are most definitely rebelling but we are making a stand against: throwaway society, poor manners and antisocial behaviour, homogenisation and commercialism. We are punks who are polite, friendly, care about the environment and the past and encourage creativity. We encourage a DIY ethic and individual expression. There is still a lot of punk in steampunk.

"--provided by the Victorian Steampunk Society"

Lori Alden Holuta (initially referring to some negative comments about the steampunkers, some calling them delusional or immature)--"I am taken aback by the venom in the comments too. One aspect of steampunk that I've loved from the start is the cross-cultural, all ages embracing acceptance. Get a group of steampunks together and watch the brainstorming begin! It's *fashionable* to think. It's *acceptable* to create. It's *wonderful* to be hands on with industry. This is MARVELOUS. A subculture that's for the most part thoughtful, optimistic, and fun? What's not to love?"

It is easy in the railroad preservation "world", or the traction engine "world", or whatever "world" you partake in, to digress to being "we" when the rest of the real world is "they".

The general public is made up of people who have specific interests and tastes. Sometimes "we" can't quite see all of "they". We hope that the "family" comes to ride the train. We hope that some railfan historians will come to witness our collection. We hope to show our boat, or tractor, or hit-n-miss engine, or trolley, or.......to someone who MIGHT have a passing interest.

We wonder who is going to be the next generation to care for our prized efforts after we retire, and after we ultimately retire from this earth. How can we convert a "they" into a "we"?

I'm just wondering if the steampunk crowd might have some unforseen talent? Who knows? That is what has me interested in pursuing them. "They" are an unknown.

"We wonder who is going to be the next generation to care for our prized efforts after we retire, and after we ultimately retire from this earth. How can we convert a 'they' into a 'we?'

"I'm just wondering if the steampunk crowd might have some unforseen talent? Who knows? That is what has me interested in pursuing them."

Thank you, Mark, for doing a better job at explaining why I put up the piece in the first place.

I've seen Steampunks at work, but only in passing. They have an annual convention, the World Steam Expo across Michigan Avenue every Memorial Day. During this event some participants may venture into Greenfield Village and perhaps point at the steam locomotive, but that's about the extent of their interaction. Static displays make for better photo opportunities.

Does this really belong here? A bunch of lost goth girls and tubby 20-somethings in long coats who live in a fantasy world. It's not a "movement." Why does everything have to be coined a movement or a subculture? The people who used to hang out in grave yards and take pictures now hang out in train yards and take pictures. When they do something worthwhile please let me know.

>bites tongue< >bites harder then picks tongue back up and sticks it back on<

They did do something worthwhile-some of them are not 20 they are 30's or 40's or even more, and some are doing quite well with collage degrees and well paying jobs. If their money is no good to you, send them my way!

Robert

April 2012, at Thomaston with CPR 1246. The husband of one of the ladies was doing a shoot at our place. He's also a staff photographer for the big regional newspaper and has helped with coverage of RMNE events in that paper. Certainly a nice little benefit for us, yes?

Mark, nice to see the photo you posted (and nice to see it is still "up").

Anyone that thinks that our involvment with old iron is "cool" is OK by me. Especially if they are under 50.

Howard P.
(once called a "punk kid" by a gray-hair)

Mark's post above (photo) gets my vote for the most awesome post on RyPN ever. :-)

"Mark's post above (photo) gets my vote for the most awesome post on RyPN ever. :-)"--W.H. Odom

I must agree (huff, huff, huff)!

(Don't tell my wife I said that! And don't tell your wife you said what you said!)

Goofy as this is, I have to wonder if any of the steampunk crowd hangs around here? We may have some supporters we don't know about.

I guess the ultimate message of this rather entertaining thread is that we all need to be aware of our audience, and pay attention to what inspires them. A good portion of the Steampunk thing is a fascination with things mechanical - isn't that same fascination the inspiration for this avocation of ours?

We've taken that same fascination and, by our various circumstances found ways to give it a real-world application. Combine inspiration with opportunity, and that's how you get people motivated.

You never know where you're next volunteer will come from...

That one is not a modern "steam punk" image..
Its from the 1970's and was used on an album cover by the band "Diamond Head" in 1980..artist is Rodney Matthews.

Scot

That was certainly somewhat spiteful. Did you really need to lump the entire group as "tubby"? That sounds like it's a bit hateful, and I'm certain that we don't need that in this discussion.

Heaven forbid that someone have a hobby that you don't like that just happens to link with your own!

The steampunk steam locomotives remind me of Strelnikov's (Antipov's) ominously appearing locomotive in the movie "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), which I believe was a stylized Canadian Pacific engine. Maybe someone can find an image of it on the Internet.