Live Steam Locomotives

Erecting diagrams, boilers, boxes, brakes, cylinders, trucks, frames, spring rigging, wheels, lettering and numbering, and more. See our drawings page for our extensive collection of live steam engine drawings. We also have tender drawings.

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As the world's only live steam hobby supplier of 7 ½ and 7 ½ - inch gauge articulated steam locomotives, we offer the magnificent Union Pacific Challenger.

And, if the Challenger isn't big enough for you, use our Challenger castings to build a Union Pacific Big Boy.

Our Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger castings are the finest castings available in the live steam hobby. These castings and casting sets include detailed CAD generated machine drawings to assist you in the construction of your Challenger.

In addition, some of our customers are successfully using our Challenger castings and drawings to construct Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy locomotives.

We also offer a few selected castings for the Union Pacific FEF-1, FEF-2 & FEF-3 800 Series 4-8-4 Northern.

Our Centipede Tender castings can be used to build either the 23-C 23,500 gallon tender for the Union Pacific 4-8-4 FEF-2 & FEF-3 4-8-4 Northern or for the 25-C 25,000 gallon tender for our Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger or for the Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy.

Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger

Exclusively ours! Our signature model - the largest, most powerful, and only articulated locomotive on the market. We offer reproductions of original Union Pacific railroad drawings, castings with machine drawings, and machining and assembly services.

Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy

Feel like doing a bit of re-engineering? Use our Challenger castings to build a Big Boy, the king of locomotives. We offer reproductions of original Union Pacific railroad drawings for the Big Boy, Challenger castings with Challenger machine drawings, and limited machining and assembly services. Please see our Big Boy page for further details.

Union Pacific FEF 4-8-4 Northern

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type was first used by the Northern Pacific Railway, and initially named the Northern Pacific, but rail fans and railroad employees have shortened the name since its introduction. It is most-commonly known as a Northern.

Each of the following models, the USRA 0-6-0 Switch Engine, 2-8-0 Consolidation, and USRA 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific, is offered as a completely machined, painted/plated and assembled chassis-on-air (see individual model pages below for further definition). Although the Switch Engine, Consolidation and Pacific are not offered as "build-it-yourself" sets of rough castings and drawings, some individual castings, such as drivers, cylinders and valve gear, can be purchased separately by builders wishing to do free-lance construction on other engine types.

USRA 0-6-0 Switch Engine

The 0-6-0 Switch Engine is an entry level locomotive - a great choice for those new to the hobby or for those who want a smaller model. Offered as a completed chassis-on-air.

2-8-0 Consolidation

Compact, brute power. Choose this model if you're looking for an easily transportable workhorse.  Offered as a completed chassis-on-air.

USRA 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific

A powerful, versatile locomotive with sleek, stylish lines. Offered as a completed chassis-on-air.

What our customers are saying

"I received the cylinder casting set yesterday. WOW! The castings are just excellent! Fantastic castings; I couldn't be more pleased! They are definitely worth every penny! Thank you so much! I'm taking them to our central Illinois live steam meet today to show everyone. " - J.R., Springfield, IL

"After some research and excellent referrals, I decided to use Live Steam Locomotives as my casting supplier. The quality of castings and courteous service that I have been receiving from Roger is above and beyond anything that I could have expected. I just received my cylinder casting and I could not be happier." - M.T., Marysville, OH