Live Steam Legends

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

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cp4449
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:54 am
Location: Granada Hills

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by cp4449 »

Gordon Sherwood was one of mine. Fun to talk to, quick to help with a problem. Also Ted & Ginny Berg....

All at LALS
Christopher P. Mahony
Los Angeles Live Steamers
1 inch scale member
SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by SteveM »

I got the bug from my Dad and he got his from the late Dick Vogt.

Our family and the Vogt's would go to NJ Live Steamers, Long Island Live Steamers and of course, our "home base" of PVLS.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of his Hudson?

Steve
uncle jerd
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:21 pm
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by uncle jerd »

Paul Brien, of Nashville.

Huge help-always. He really helped me out when I was getting started.

Ken Riddle
Pontiacguy1
Posts: 1566
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:15 am
Location: Tennessee, USA

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Paul Brien from Nashville, TN was definitely a mentor to most of us who grew up in the South. He was an exquisite machinist and boiler maker, and built many different types of engines. He loved not only steam locomotives, but also hit-and-miss models, and also the atmospheric (sterling cycle) engines. He would show or tell you how to do a particular operation and always made it sound very easy. He built probably 5 or 6 steam locomotives over his lifetime, in addition to all the hit-and-miss, stationary engines, etc... and all steamed well and performed well when he was done with them.

He was also a Charter member of the Mid-South Live Steamers, which was founded in 1966, and was a great inspiration to everyone in the early years. The first steam locomotive that I ever ran was his 4-4-0, which was based on the 'backyard rails' 4-4-0. It used those castings, but Paul modified the locomotive extensively to make a better performing and better tracking locomotive. The thing had that coke-bottle boiler on it, and was painted red at the time. It was an excellent steamer, and was the locomotive that many people cut their teeth on.

Another Legend that I would recommend would be Jesse Livingston from West Tennessee. He has written many articles, and helped many people with his knowledge of machining, foundry work, and locomotive design. He is also the editor of the MSLS newsletter, and a regular contributor to Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading Magazine.

A third that I might mention is Bill Connor of Murfreesboro, TN. He has built dozens of his walking beam engines, and probably even more of his cars. His locomotives were good performers, robust, easy to handle, and reasonably priced. That is why you see them around at so many tracks. Bill was a real rock during the early part of the Mid-South Live Steamer's history.

Fourth name in the Legends club for me would be Roy Pickard of Priddy, Texas. His was the first known railroad to be built with prototype operations as the goal. His C&IG railroad has been the inspiration for most of the railroads built afterward. In the 1960s, operating meant going in big circles and not hitting the train in front of you. Roy changed all of that. His track was built in 1972, and he and his sons did most of the work on the original lines by themselves.
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LVRR2095
Posts: 1688
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:50 pm
Location: Maine, USA

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by LVRR2095 »

I had many mentors going back to 1959 at the old Eastern Live Steamers track in New Jersey, and later at the NJLS.
One man in particular, the late Harry Hansen of Lyndhurst, New Jersey taught me more than anyone else.
When I was eight years old he had me standing on a wooden crate running his 10" Seneca Falls "Star" lathe.

Keith Taylor Jefferson, Maine USA
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Harry Hansen at the Lyndhust, NJ track
Harry Hansen at the Lyndhust, NJ track
DJSteamer3017
Posts: 264
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2011 2:07 am
Location: Downey, CA

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by DJSteamer3017 »

jessebanning wrote:I got my start in live steam 1992 at the GGLS. Many thanks to the individuals that took time to take me under their wing. Jim Dameron, Marty Siegel, Bob Morris and Duane Gunnison. At the age of 12 it was hard to get to the track to play trains lol. My mother used to drop me off at Duane's house in Walnut Creek and we would ride together up to GGLS. Duane gave me a Wilesco steam tractor which I ran on a daily basis for hours. I had a small problem with the steam supply line and Marty fixed it for me. R.I.P. Marty and Duane. Here are pictures of me at age 12 with my steam tractor and of Duane's Engine.
Hey is that the same UP 8444 that Chuck Hackett has?
The 1" Scale Junkie ... But steam of all sizes is cool with me!!
"If you can dream it, you can do it" - Walt Disney
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dwilloughby
Posts: 254
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:39 pm
Location: North Las Vegas, NV

Re: Live Steam Legends

Post by dwilloughby »

My start in the hobby was at age 8. My uncle lived next door to John Matthews in Garden Grove, CA. John had an elevated track in the back yard with a number of 3/4" scale locomotives in his shop, Pug, Bug, Maise, Rocket, a Hudson and a steam powered boat as I remember. From there the die was cast. It was 6 years later that I discovered the Riverside Live Steamers. Rode with Bruce Ward that cold November day in 1965. I continued to visit RLS until I was able to become a full flezed member. Those of influce were Bob Babb, Robin Smith, John Piatt, Fran Zappen, Franis Smith, Ken Kepner, John Noble, Jack Sessums and Barney Root. Others along the way that have aided me in my live steam life have been Art Olds, Joe Bailey, John Mueller, Roger Netz, and Randy Chase. Most of them have made that final run but they will always be a part of the legacy of Live Steam railroading.
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