Our Work
Here, you will find an incomplete roster of equipment owned, restored, maintained, and operated by Fox Island Railroad.
01
Nickel Plate Road 311
NKP 311 was my first project. Former Indiana Western #311, she's a 1" scale Little Engines Pacific from the early original Bronze batch of castings. I acquired the locomotive as a basket case stuffed in a whole bunch of boxes, and missing most of her important parts. With the advice of many friends along the way, she's grown into a proper trustworthy USRA heavy-hauling locomotive. This project was the biggest learning experience of them all.
Acquired by FIRX 2010.
02
Jim Maxheimer's 1.5" Atlantic #835
Found this old girl with holes rusted through her boiler in an old barn. Brand new steel boiler, smokebox, all new pumps, plumbing, and rings. She's come a long way and run many miles, and already in need of a running gear rebuild (which was not addressed initially).
Acquired by FIRX 2014.
03
Van Brocklin Roller-Bearing Atlantic #31
This is the newest addition to the F.I.R.X. fleet - Billy Van Brocklin's roller-bearing Atlantic #31. Billy was an incredibly influential builder, designer, and supplier of live steam equipment during his time in the hobby, building a total of 37 locomotives before he passed (with four more in various stages of completion, finished after he died to make a total of 41 Van Brocklin locomotives). #31 was built from the frame, cylinders, and boiler of VB "Speed Queen" #22, Billy's infamous 4-4-4 Jubilee that ran world-record speed trials at the Norfolk Street Track. #22 was disassembled the same year she was built, as Billy didn't like the trailing truck, so he added 4 more drivers to make #22 into a 4-8-0 Mastodon type. This called for a new frame, cylinders, and boiler - essentially another completely new locomotive, with only a few recognizable parts of #22's roller-bearing running gear left. This left Speed Queen's parts for a rainy day project in 1986, when this beautiful Frankenstein Speed Queen #31 came to life.
Acquired by FIRX 2021.
04
Nickel Plate Road 310
Friends Models "Yankee Hudson" found at a railroad antique peddler near Nashville, TN. Original unfired Copper boiler (combustion chamber and thermic siphons), beautiful machine work, locomotive was never completed. Displaying FIRX 3/4" scale Pyle Headlight and Number Boards in this photo. We're excited to bring 310 to life!
Aquired by FIRX 2021.
07
"Dulce" Number 5
3 inch scale (quarter-scale) 7.5 inch gauge model of a Baldwin Locomotive Works 30" gauge 2-6-0 Mogul, built by famous builder Ian Willis of Willis Light Engineering in Perth, Australia in 1991. Original locomotive "La Quinta" worked for La Compania Azucarera el Ejemplo en Puerto Rico.
Acquired by FIRX December 2023.
