Whether in elegance of design, efficiency, the lives of the crew, the romance or just the wild amount of often forgotten designs from days of yore, what are your favorite eras in steam Locomotive development?

This is mostly tailored for Americans, but cite your country of origin or even the nation you pick as you make your pick and perhaps explain why.


The Experimental Era(1804-1828)

The Beginning (1829-1845)
when the first proper railroad companies began to form, think of designs like the Planet, Rocket or Best friend of Charleston. Rough, pioneering and adventurous, everything was being thrown at the wall pretty much.

1845-1860 (Age of Builders)
The age of iron. imagine the 4-4-0 American, first gen teen wheelers, early camel backs, iron boiler and wooden cab era , also antebellum America.

1861-1895(Age of Distance)
More refined 4-4-0’s, slowly improved performance with better track quality, higher boiler pressures, consolidations and early experimental compound locomotives are beginning to appear. Final era of brightly colored locomotives (in America )

1890-1905 (New Century)
The zenith of 4-4-0 construction and design, the beginning of all steel construction and design for locomotives being standardized, many engines are starting to reach top speeds of 80 to 90 miles an hour by this stage. New designs include the 4-4-0 “Atlantic”

1914-1934(The Age of Power)
The pacific starts to make its appearance, as well as other larger wheel layouts such as Hudsons and Northerns. After ww1 rolling stock grows larger thus demanding larger locomotives.

Streamliner age(1934-1945)
The most graceful era outside that of the later and mid 19th century on an aesthetic level for steam locomotives, bright and colorful liveries return as companies pay lavish sums to have their passenger engines streamlined in art deco styles.

1946-1960 (The Twilight years )
The end of steam but a few good faces emerged in this era.