Southern California Live Steamers Presents
Really Cool Railroad Videos

Video Title: Reading & Northern 425 - 4th of July Weekend Tour (HD)
Date Added: 1/22/2010 6:52:08 PM

#425 makes a 3-day system-wide tour spanning the R&N's mainline trackage, from Reading, PA, to Pittston, PA. The locomotive powered the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway's excursions of the 4th of July, proving to be quite popular.

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Video Title: Reading & Northern 425 - Fall Foliage 2009 (HD)
Date Added: 1/22/2010 6:48:53 PM

Ride along with R&N 425 as she hauls 2009's fall foliage excursions.

A big thanks goes out to the R&N crew; including but not limited to Ryan Bausher, Steve Gilbert, and the Fredericksons.

Also an equally large thank-you to Kyle Sanders and Daulph Kline, who helped to do a lot of leg work with the navigation, driving, running the second camera, accomodations, you name it. Thanks guys. Couldn't have done it without you.

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Video Title: New Hope & Ivyland - New Year's Eve 2009 (HD)
Date Added: 1/22/2010 6:45:42 PM

A light dusting of snow coats the woods of Bucks County as NH&I's steam locomotive #40 makes it's last runs of the year on the last day of 2009, as it will be put away for a long winter's rest.

www.newhoperailroad.com

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Video Title: 765 & 1225 Doubleheader Photo Freight (HD)
Date Added: 1/22/2010 6:36:55 PM

765 and 1225 team up for a historic photo charter on the Great Lakes Central Railroad; organized by Lerro Productions and hosted by the Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, Michigan.

SPECIAL THANKS:
Steam Railroading Institute
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society
Great Lakes Central Railroad

http://www.lerroproductions.com 

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Video Title: Super Steam Sunday 2009
Date Added: 1/8/2010 11:58:47 PM

Mark's new locomotive arrives at the Southern California Live Steamers in Torrance, CA. After unloading it is steamed up for it's first run. The club 4-4-0 American was already steamed up and out on the track. Rory brought out his 0-4-0 and started getting it steamed up which shamed Tom into bringing out his Forney and steam it up. Todd came down with his family and brought his 4-4-2 Atlantic and steamed it up. We had 5 Steam engines running around the tracks on December 27th, 2009. A new club record for most steamers at one time.

This was not a planned event. Let us hope that it becomes the norm. It was a real hoot. This video shows some of the folks getting ready and having a great time out on the tracks

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Video Title: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY--Historical Video---part 4 of 4
Date Added: 1/5/2010 10:34:24 PM

The last memories of the Great Northern Railway. Part 4 consists mostly of a ride aboard #32, the Empire Builder, from Seattle to Scenic as seen from a dome car, followed by a few scenes taken on the return trip from Spokane aboard #27, the Western Star. This was taken in April 1971 after the BN merger, but most equipment seen is ex-GN. A shaky but fun look at how things used to be, as seen through an old 8mm movie camera. Includes authentic RR communications from that era.

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Video Title: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY--Historical Video---Part 3 of 4
Date Added: 1/5/2010 10:26:40 PM

The last memories of the Great Northern Railway, as seen through an old 8mm movie camera. Part 3 shows the first part of a ride aboard #32, the Empire Builder, from Seattle to Scenic as seen from a dome car, on April 17, 1971. This was after the BN merger, but most equipment seen is ex-GN. A shaky but fun look at how things used to be. Includes authentic RR communications from that era.

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Video Title: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY--Historical Video---part 2 of 4
Date Added: 1/5/2010 10:21:05 PM

The last memories of the Great Northern Railway. My dad and I took 8mm Kodachrome movies from 1957 to 1971. Includes authentic RR communications from that era.  

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Video Title: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY--Historical video ---part 1 of 4
Date Added: 1/5/2010 10:12:25 PM

The last memories of the Great Northern Railway. My dad and I took occasional 8mm Kodachrome movies of the GN in the Cascades from 1957 to 1971. Includes authentic RR communications from that era.

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Video Title: The Besler Steam Plane
Date Added: 1/5/2010 10:07:30 PM

A Travel Air 2000 biplane made the world's first piloted flight under steam power over Oakland, California, on 12 April 1933.

The strangest feature of the flight was its relative silence; spectators on the ground could hear the pilot when he called to them from mid-air. The aircraft, piloted by William Besler, had been fitted with a two-cylinder, 150 hp reciprocating engine. An important contribution to its design was made by Nathan C. Price, a former Doble Steam Motors engineer. Price was working on high pressure compact engines for rail and road transport; the purpose of the flight was to obtain publicity for this work. Following its unexpectedly favourable reception Price went to Boeing and worked on various aviation projects, but Boeing dropped the idea of a steam aeroengine in 1936. Price later worked for Lockheed where his experience with developing compact burners for steam boilers helped to design Lockheed's first jet engine.

The advantages of the "Besler System" that were claimed at the time included the elimination of audible noise and destructive vibration; greater efficiency at low engine speeds and also at high altitudes where lower air temperatures assisted condensation; reduced likelihood of engine failure; reduced maintenance costs; reduced fuel costs, since fuel oil was used in place of petrol; reduced fire hazard since the fuel was less volatile and operating temperatures were lower; and a lack of need for radio shielding.

For capacities in excess of 1000 horse power a turbine captures the energy released by the expansion of steam more efficiently than a piston. Thus, the steam reciprocating engine turned out to be unsuitable for scaling up to the needs of large aircraft.

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