Blue Ridge Live Steamers

May 2006 / RWH

Twenty minutes south of Roanoke, a small group of enthusiasts gathers to pursue their lifelong passions for railroads. The Blue Ridge Live Steamers club has a 4000-foot track winding around a large yard, where members and guests ride in specially designed cars pulled by exquisite replica locomotives. "The sport of outdoor miniature trains is called 'live steam railroading'," says devotee James Hughes. "but steam engines are rare now. They're finicky and costly." Most locomotives are now gas-hydraulic, typically 10 feet long. Costs start at $10,000 and the sky's the limit. A northern California native, Hughes works for Norfolk Southern, maintaining rails. So this is both profession and hobby. "It's all about trains," he says. "I eat it up!"

Blue Ridge Steamers: Keeping RR Memories Alive

brls_state The Blue Ridge Live Steamers are an active 7.5 inch gauge live steam railroad club located on five acres of land in Burnt Chimney, in rural Franklin County, Virginia, south of Roanoke. Operating nearly a mile of track, the layout features two mainline routes, a curved tunnel, and a truss bridge. The service area includes a working turntable and ample steaming bays. Formed in 1977, the group was originally located within the old Transportation Museum at Wasena Park in Roanoke. When the park flooded in 1985, the group was displaced and relocated to the present site.