Watch as Trains Associate Editor Steve Sweeney takes the engineer’s seat in a steam locomotive for the first time — ever — courtesy of Nevada Northern Railway. The historic Nevada railroad’s Be the Engineer program, is among the best known, but far from the only engineer or fireman program in the United States. Here’s an (incomplete) list of railroad programs with similar operations.
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, Kan.
Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay, Maine
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Chama, N.M.
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, New Haven, Ind.
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, North Judson, Ind.
Loon Mountain’s J. E. Henry Railroad, Lincoln, N.H.
Monticello Railway Museum, Monticello, Ill.
Nevada Northern Railway Museum, Ely, Nev.
North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, N.C.
Orange Empire Railway Museum, Perris, Calif.
Railtown 1897 Historic Park, Jamestown, Calif.
Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad, Felton, Calif.
Silver Creek & Stephenson Railroad, Freeport, Ill.
Sumpter Valley Railroad, Baker City, Ore.
Steam Railroading Institute, Owosso, Mich.
Western Pacific Railroad Museum, Portola, Calif.
White Mountain Central Railroad, Lincoln, N.H.
