Simmering At Night #15285

The Story

It’s not often you can see a steam locomotive running at night anymore. Here, East Broad Top engine #16 steams away at idle on the roundhouse track before going into its berth after a work day hauling tourists on the little narrow gauge shortline. Under the yard lights, white steam comes out in small tendrils around the steam engine and trails away. As the night engine hostler with his lantern gets ready to move the engine, the safety valve on top puts a thicker white stream into the air as the engine simmers away.

The running crew has already let most of the steam and fire go down for the day but there’s just enough left to move #16 forward onto the turntable. Then they’ll line the turntable to the right stall to creep the locomotive into its berth, and bank off the remaining fire for the night. That will leave just enough fire in the firebox to get things going early in the morning for another day’s work.

Location: the EBT Railroad yard at Rockhill Furnace in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.