Until recently, I had never heard of steampunk or steampunk trains. But thanks to a website by Chris Walas, a Hollywood special effects designer and creator of unique “steampunk” style trains, I know now a bit more–and had a lot of fun learning about it.
I’ve posted more photos, info and links on my blog at http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.ca/2013/02/steampunk-trains.html
John Longhurst, Winnipeg
Looks like it was inspired by CSS Hunley or an illustration for an early edition of Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Steampunk is a style. Once the Victorian fancy paintwork and fluted domes disappeared, railroad equipment has always been severely functional - except for such abberations as inverted bathtub streamlining on steam locomotives pre-WWII. Nobody who has outgrown Legos would consider any modern rail equipment stylish.
Any modeler who wishes can build ANYTHING to run on rails - even a 1/4 scale model of a WWII destroyer in (fill in modeling scale of choice). As for me, seven-axle articulated hoppers and twelve-drivered articulateds that never were are about all that I can stand.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - without hallucinatory submarines)
As I understand the steampunk esthetic, any steam powered locomotive would be automatically considered part of that world. As would steam tractors, and the Stanley Steamer. (The car, not the rug cleaner.) It’s therefore kind of a redundnacy to embelish them any further.
Gidday, While I generally quite enjoy the imagination and skills that go into making modern items into the Steampunk ethos, who needs the above when you can have something like this…[:D]…
http://www.pacificng.com/ref/blw/style/stylediag/NZR-T-Class-2-8-0.png
Cheers, the Bear.
Chris was steampunk well before the term was coined. I believe his G scale models for his Rogue County RR and Lemurian invaders were a key inspiration for the movement, but thats just my opinion. I’ve met Chris, he’s a real gentleman and hugely talented.
I’ve recently kinda gotten into “steampunk” and read a couple of books on it. It’s really a form of Science Fiction, writing from a Victorian perspective imagining things that might come to pass in the future. If you’re old enough to remember the 1960’s TV series “Wild Wild West”, that was in many ways steampunk before the term was invented a decade later.