I've been a fan of trains and particularly steam locomotives all my life, and like many of you, I have a near obsession-like attention to detail when it comes to their histories and mechanical details. Over the years I've bore witness to the many vast knowledge-bases of really interesting histories, stories, and prototype information so many of you have shared with all.
Unfortunately, it seems much of this knowledge still goes largely unpublished, and much of it is only heard when it comes in the form of an answer to a fairly specific question, only to be lost in a forum archive never to see daylight again. It was here I realized I wanted to create a dedicated place where everyone could easily organize and record their great steam locomotive knowledge in a less formal setting to a traditional encyclopedia or publication. The point here is in the details; the more the better. From the minute variations in D&RGW #482's paint schemes to the replacement of a headlight, I want this to be a dedicated source for every trainspotter, steam-nut, foamer, and scale-modeler to both learn and share these absurd little details we all love so much.
This site works very much like Wikipedia and uses a very simple syntax. It may be new to some of you, but you should catch on quickly, and we have an (in-progress) help page for those who need it. If you still have a question, go ahead and email us. Also, those who choose to spam can very easily be banned permanently.
So go ahead and add a locomotive page or contribute something to an existing one. It's still a bit of a work in progress, so feel free to let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future on our Wishlist page.
Cheers,
Derek Schipper
PS, I also run ForgetTheTextbook.com and uberStudy.com. Check them out.
