This is a question that has been bothering me for some time and Im affraid that the answer will notr be a good one. Dose anyone know or have a list of all the active steam locomotives, and locomotives under restoration to operation in the US? I have seen one list but I know it is not right because there are about 5 locomotives listed as operating that I know for a fact are not. So if anyone has a list or can list some locomotives mabey we can start a list. Like I said before I have a feeling that it wont be such a good answer.

-Eric

Eric, It seems to me that Jim Wrinn did a list a couple of years ago, although my memory isn't what it used to be. That would be a good place to start, then update it. How about it, Jimbo? Where was your list published?

Jim's original list was in his Crystal Ball column on John Craft's Steam Central--you can still read it at:

http://www.steamcentral.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=432

I recall that Jim and Jeff Terry later collaborated on an updated roster that appeared in Jeff's preservation column in Railfan and Railroad--perhaps someone here can come up with the exact citation. It was within the last 18 months as I recall.

That is the list that I found the mistakes in.

-Eric

"Mistakes" is a somewhat harsh choice of words, don't you think?

Jim is a very thorough and meticulous reporter. The list is what it is: "a list of engines expected to operate in 2003," reported and complied over the winter of 2002-2003, and published February 1, 2003.

A lot has no doubt changed in the in nearly two years since the list was published. The fact that you can't use the list as a reliable guide to what is operating today does not mean that it was mistaken when it was published. Indeed, I know that Jim went to great lengths to ensure that it was as accurate as he could make it.

Jim Wrinn and Jeff Terry's updated list for 2004 appeared in the July 2004 issue of Railfan and Railroad in Jeff's Lineside Legacy column. You may find it more current than the two-year old 2003 edition at Steam Central.

"Mistakes" is a somewhat harsh choice of words, don't you think?
Eric

Not at all. I know of four WP&Y or ex WP&Y operating loks and he manages to get half of them wrong. He's got WP&Y 73 in Alaska and Tennessee which is quite a feat for such a big chunk of iron, and seems to miss WP&Y/USA 190 at Tweetsie altogether.
Mike

No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. Just out of curiosity, did anyone consider thanking Jim for the work before jumping on the product? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

As to the specific issues raised, I score it 50/50. 73 is obviously a mistake; on the other hand I see

"4-6-0 no. 12 and 2-8-2 no. 190 at Boone (Tweetsie)." right in the 2003 list.

Adding to that, the confusion over 73 was corrected in the print list for 2004 in the July R&R which I cited above as being the more recent version of the same project--that list has 73 in Alaska and 70 at Dollywood--problem solved, no? Any other mistakes found might also be checked to see if they were not corrected in the 2004 edition.

What is the URL for the 2004 list?

I would agree that there are a few errors in listing but I feel there are more engines left out that would matter than the error's in locomotive numbers and locations. In California alone there are 10 operable steam locomotives not accounted for and were operable in 2003 and still are to this day. Of course there are also a couple that no longer operate too.

I haven't seen the update so maybe someone can post that here if possible.

Jeff

With all due respect to everyone's comments here, aren't most of us being somewhat overly critical? Every compilation of that much data is bound to have a few errors and omissions. I know Jim and his work, and he bases his writings on the best information he has at that time. That doesn't mean that the information he got was necessarily correct or up to date. And who has the time, or money to travel around the country and verify personally the status of each engine? For that matter, what is your definition of operational? Will it move under it's own power? Or, does it meet all current and applicable FRA or state standards? For example, Jack Showalter's G5's are listed on Steam Locomotive Info as stored servicable. I know for a fact that these engines are in excellent condition, and could move under their own power, but they do not yet meet the new FRA standards. We're starting to sound like a bunch of rivet counters, or as they call them in Civil War reenacting, stitch counters. Putting together a list of this nature is a lot of work. Can anyone else do a better job? If so, have at it. Otherwise regard Jim's list as the best starting point we have.

It's not online, it appeared in print Jeff Terry's Trackside Legacy column in R&R, July 2004.

It may show up online eventually on steamlocomotive.info; thay have an agreement to republish Jeff's columns.

This is all very true. What has happened to Steam Central though. It hasnt been updated in a loong time and I have sent many e-mails about the locomotives that he list as operational. S.S.& S.Ry. #26 at my museum, WW&F #9, B&H #7&8, Monson RR #3 & 4, he dosent list WW&F#10, Arcade & Attica #18, EBT #15 (tenders dont count lol). These locomotives have not changed sence 2003. These are the ones that I have picked up on. I do say that it is a very good list and they did a great job on it! I know that it is hard to keep track of this stuff too but they even had it wrong in the 2004 July R&R. This wasnt good cause we had people coming to our railroad expecting the #26 to be running which it wasnt. Well I cant say much though cause I couldnt put a list together.

-Eric

Indeed we do...and I've been remiss in getting them up. 70 hour work weeks are sometimes annoying. When I get home tonight, I'll OCR that column and put it online on steamlocomotive.info, then I'll post a link here.

When I wrote the management interfaces for steamlocomotive.info, it never really occurred to me (it should have!) that I'd be wanting to edit a locomotive record from a web browser. Thus, while I can enter a new locomotive through the management interface. I can't edit an existing one. To do that I have to remotely access the database server, bring up Enterprise Manager and edit it in there.

I think this weekend, I'm going to lock the door to my office, take the phones off-hook, and just rewrite the steamlocomotive.info management interfaces so that it'll be easier for me to update the thing.

Anyhow, I want to get steamlocomotive.info's database more up to date.

Regards,
Doug

Doug, as a contributor to your list of steam loks I certainly appreciate the work you're doing. Perhaps people don't know that they can search on the status flag in your database so that one could for instance sort on loks operational in Colorado. Yours is still the most up-to-date on-line list.

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/search.cfm