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SteR

@datave.bsky.social

61 followers 10 following 33 posts

Mild train nut and a writer at heart. https://www.youtube.com/@Data_Ve https://www.twitch.tv/data_ve

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · 12d

Man, it's been three months since the trip already?? I gotta up my frequency with posting these pics augh

Two steam locomotives pull a passenger train together around a mild curve through a valley in the mountains.

Durango & Silverton K-28 #476 (in the front) and K-36 #480 haul an excursion train into the Animas River Valley, getting close to the end of the line in the town of Silverton. A lot of foliage covers the tracks ahead of the train.
Two mountain slopes can be seen; the one on the right is fairly distant, and you can see some snow still near the peak. The one on the left cuts in front of the one on the right pretty heavily, and is much closer to the camera.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · 22d

in continuing the theme of "photos I got on my vacation of trains on curves",

A steam train rounds a bend reasonably high on a mountain, with a roughly 45 degree slope on either side.

Cumbres & Toltec K-36 #488, nearing Cumbres Pass, curves to go around a mountain before its final approach. Visible train cars include four coaches and a concession coach w/ a wheelchair elevator door, with the first coach behind the locomotive having a different roof to the rest.
On the far left of the picture, the hand of someone leaning out of the train can be seen holding a mostly empty bottle of Coca Cola.
Directly beneath and beside the train is a small retaining wall, holding up the shape of the ground below the tracks without needing to add a massive dirt fill along the hill.
Above and slightly in front of the train is a distinct rock feature, with notable rock walls / cliffs, creating a prominent and striking divide between the left side of the photo where the mountain is close to the camera, and the right where the mountains are distant and a valley can be seen.

SteR @datave.bsky.social · Sep 12

I know we didn't ""place"", but, like, honorable mention in a national model railroad contest is still pretty sweet!

www.walthers.com/2025-nmrbo-w...

My father (right) and myself (left) pose behind a small 1x2 foot diorama recreation of a scene from Buster Keaton's movie "The General". The scene is a little hard to make out due to its small size in the image, but it includes a steam train on a wooden bridge in the middle of breaking under the weight of the train.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Sep 8

I have way too many pictures of trains from the trip on curves
not that that's a bad thing

On the left, a passenger train - which the cameraman is riding - can be seen rounding a corner. The steam engine on the front end of the train can be clearly seen. Behind it sits heavily forested mountains.

Durango and Silverton K-28 #476 can be seen, though her reporting marks and identifying features are too blurry due to the camera resolution. A decent line of sight over a grassy area, seemingly damaged by wildfire and with discarded cords of timber, made for the perfect shot from the 9th standard passenger car of the train.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Sep 6

Can confirm, makes for an excellent phone background too
Maybe I gotta get it in a picture frame for my room somewhere...

SteR @datave.bsky.social · Sep 6

car

My cat, Durian, sitting on top of an elevated surface, staring up at me behind the camera.
The use of the word "Car" in the main post refers to a joke about making the simple, one letter, one key off typo when trying to spell "Cat"; one small slip changes the word entirely.
Durian is grey with black stripes and a white tummy / chin. She's sitting on the end of an electric keyboard, on the keyboard itself.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Sep 2

River

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Aug 22

Yknow, I've only really sent one photo of each of the railroads I visited on my trip...
Let's fix that :)

A steam train crosses over a pair of roads on a curved steel bridge.
Georgetown Loop 2-8-0 #111 runs tender-first, pulling a train of mostly roofed excursion cars across the main feature of the Georgetown Loop - the Devil's Gate Bridge, which crosses over some tracks further down the line, hence where the "loop" in the name comes from.
Below the bridge runs a few visible things; at the bottom of the photo, a river can be barely seen. A two-lane road with double yellow lines down the middle runs under the center of the bridge. Up the hill and under where the steam locomotive is, a smaller unmarked road sneaks under the bridge.
Behind the steam locomotive is a few train cars; One is a flat car with a bunch of logs and stray wood on it. Beside that is a Denver and Rio Grand Western caboose, partially hidden behind #111's tender and a pair of trees.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jul 26

A view from below of a suspension bridge, which sits high atop a canyon. A bunch of tourists riding an open-air train litter the bottom of the picture, admiring the views.
This photo was taken aboard the Royal Gorge Route in Colorado. The suspension bridge is apparently the highest bridge in the US. The train is stopped on the notable "hanging bridge", which is a bridge that sticks into the rock wall on one side, and is held up by support arches. Two of four of these arches can be seen, though their light grey color is hidden in shadow, making it not contrast all that well with the rocks behind it.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jul 11

Possibly the best shots of the trip

A steam train follows a mountain route, high above a river below.

Durango & Silverton K-36 #480 pulls the iconic D&S yellow cars with silver roofs over "the high line", a segment of the D&S's trackage which rides along the cliff face of a canyon. The train can be seen in the center-left of the picture.
In the bottom-right, you can see the canyon and river below, covered in a bit of shadow. Steep cliffs cover most of the foreground, especially above, below, and behind the train; Forests cover most of the rest of the picture.

A steam train follows a mountain route, high above a river below.

Durango & Silverton K-28 #476 pulls the iconic D&S yellow cars with silver roofs over "the high line", a segment of the D&S's trackage which rides along the cliff face of a canyon. The train can be seen in the center-right of the picture.
In the bottom-left, you can pretty clearly see the river below, while the canyon is cast mostly in shadow from the setting sun. Somewhat steep cliffs cover most of the foreground, especially below the train; Forests cover most of the rest of the picture.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jul 8

Don't ask why I'm up this late
Have a garden railway tour pic instead :)

A small steam train crosses over a pond on a wooden bridge. Another train sits in the background in front of a mine building.

The steam train on the bridge is an 0-4-0 with gold stripes and a red roof. The one in the background is also an 0-4-0, but with far more muted colors, to the point you can't make much out. In front of the background 0-4-0 is a set of three ore cars. A mine building, orange with green windows and a silver corrugated roof, takes up the center of the background.
The pond is reflective enough to see the sky, but most other details are hard to make out, aside from the reflections of the mine building and background train. The front of the lake has a little building of some kind on it; just a little green shack of some kind.
Trees and greenery surround the whole scene.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 29

Bridg

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 27

Double-header!

Photo taken from the window of a train, which curves to the right in the distance, making it easier to see the locomotives. A passenger station is on the right.
This is on the Durango and Silverton, in the town of Durango. Locomotives 476 and 480 are at the front of this train.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 26

Got to chase a pretty loco for a few miles :)

A steam train, sitting idle, at the head of a red passenger train.
Cumbres & Toltec K-36 #488 sits in the Chama depot, waiting for 10 AM to depart. Behind her is a train of eight passenger cars. In order from front to back: four coaches, one snack bar, one open air car, and two parlor cars.
On the right is the parking lot, filled with automobiles of various colors and sizes, and on the far left you can see some workers in shadow, painting on new lettering for a box car. You can't see it very well, but they're using stencils to get the letters just right.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 23

I may be boiling alive, but it's worth it

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 21

Made it in at least one piece

The poster, wearing a mask, in front of Denver, CO union station

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 20

(Just one photo for now, 'cause alt text is annoying on phone, and limited mobile data)

SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 20

If today is any sign, I'm gonna have to buy a whole new external hard drive before the trip ends, just to store all my photos and videos

Western Nevada: an Amtrak passenger train rounds a bend in such a way that the front is clearly visible from the rear. Two engines and a baggage car can be seen on the left, as the railroad follows the bends of a river. The river, front and center, has a bend; it comes from the right of the photo, and then turns away from the camera around the middle. A notable forest is on the other side of the river, but the side with the train has hardly any trees.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Jun 18

One last durian pic before the road

My cat, Durian; Laying down on a model train layout in a small valley, with her head flipped towards the camera.

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Reposted by SteR

DoubleM Models @doublem-models.bsky.social · May 26

Huge thanks to SteR for reviewing my model kits on his channel! It’s always awesome seeing my kits out in the wild – and SteR did an amazing job with these!

Definitely check out his video and give him a follow – he's got some great content!

youtu.be/x-1fu_S_xgk?...

Bite-sized British trains - trying a little OO9

YouTube video by SteR

youtu.be

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · May 11

I know most people were excited to see the big Northerns at the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation today, but man, I just love Polson #2...

Polson Logging Company #2, a 2-8-2 Steam Locomotive, resting between excursion runs.

Polson Logging Company #2, a 2-8-2 Steam Locomotive, resting between excursion runs. A fence blocks a clean view.

Polson Logging Company #2, a 2-8-2 Steam Locomotive, resting between excursion runs. The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation can be seen in the background.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Apr 15

...Usually I like keeping finished projects secret 'til the time comes for a video, but I'm a bit too proud of how this one turned out to keep it hidden away...

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Apr 2

brb, quitting trains to become a full-time minis painter

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Mar 13

I know I shouldn't commit myself to another 2 month full layout project, yet here we are with another fleet to mess with...

Three model trains. One is a 44-tonner diesel, and the other two are steam locomotives of some kind, obscured by the 44-tonner. Some various clutter lines the background.

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SteR @datave.bsky.social · Feb 27

Cat

My cat, Durian, resting comfortably on the corner of my bed.

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