To collectors of railroad photographs which steam engines and/or lines are the most popular?

Question

Thanks ED, quick two points, but it really doesn't answer the question.

Wrecks, diesels, steams, streamliners, something has to be standout.

Answer 1

Like Fiebird said HORSESHOE CURVE!

Answer 2

I dont know as if any one is that much more popular but a few things stand out perenially.

Unusual is always an eye catcher, whether it is the old streamliners, the Milwaukee electrics, or some other type of equipment long gone, somethign with perhaps semaphore signals always catches collectors' attention.

Photos of lines now abandoned especially with documentation, date, train symbol, engine number if hard to make out.

Background scenery, canyons, tunnels, mountains, trestles. Not many pictures of trains crossing prairies or sagebrush flats gets on calendars.

Answer 3

Three engines stand out: Union Pacific 3985, Union Pacific 844, and Union Pacific 6936 (I think that's its number).  Getting shots of those three engines are good to consider.  Also specific grades like the infamous Sherman Hill would be a good one to photograph trains coming up in general, or those engines in particular.  Also, look around where you live.  Here in Salt Lake, after going a just a little ways out of town, and finding a nice mountain-hugging curve, that'd be an example of something good to photograph trains on.  Hope this helps and may you have many joyous years of railroading.

Answer 4

Here in Spain it is "El Tren de las Fresas", the stawberry train, which runs on weekends from Madrid to Aranjuez, a former summer residence of the Spanuish crown, pulled by a steam engine. The other one very popular is the line from LLeide/Lérida to La Pobla del Segur in the north of Spain. The line winds thru a vally of the Pyrenes. The Train is normally pulled by one of the very few Garrat engines in Europe (former Central de Aragón). Besids, some of the RR museums offer regular steam service on the weekends.

Answer 5

All of them

Answer 6

Too many.

There are regional favorites, both lines and locomotives (East coast, midwest, southern, mountain and West coast.)

There are streamlined engines as well as non-streamlined.

And there are standard gauge and narrow gauge.

If I were suggest a few, it would be the larger railroads (Union Pacific, AT&SF, Pennsylvania, NYC, Southern, CB&Q, Rio Grande, Southern Pacific.)  But I would include D&RGW narrow gauge as a popular favorite.

For locomotives, take your pick of  Pennsy K4 Pacifics,  N&W J Northerns, SP's GS Northerns, Santa Fe 3700 Northerns, every articulated locomotive ever made, every geared locomotive ever made, and every non-standard locomotive such as tank locomotives such as the CNJ's camelbacks.

And of course, ALCo's PA diesel locomotives - sometimes referred to as an 'honorary' steam locomotive, due to their smoking turbochargers.

Just to name just a few.

Answer 7

How about Pennsylvania steam on Horseshoe Curve?  That answers your question.  I thought the PRR used to be the king of railroad photographs.  I'm not a fan of it, just making an observation.