DARLINGTON — As snow blankets the ground outside his cramped backyard workshop, Tim Sering scoops lumps of coal into a model steam engine.
The locomotive is a replica of an engine used on the Nickel Plate Railroad, which carried passengers through Linden.
“There’s no difference between it and the real thing except it’s smaller,” said Sering, who spent seven years painstakingly recreating the machine.
Sering is part of a community of enthusiasts known as “live steamers” who build and operate replicas of steam locomotives. The engines were first developed in the early 1800s and powered the railroad boom before slowly giving way to electric and diesel locomotives.
Most steam engines stopped regular operations by the 1980s although some continue running on tourist and heritage lines.
When he saw a magazine ad for a live steam engine as a child, Sering reached out to a Lafayette enthusiast who introduced him to the specialty. His father was heavily active in the hobby and Sering also credits his grandfather’s railroad stories for fueling the passion.
Some 200 live steam and railroading clubs operate tracks around the world, according to trade publication Live Steam & Outdoor Railroading. Hobbyists around west central Indiana gather at tracks near Attica and Steam Corner.
Model engines weigh between 300-1,500 pounds depending on the size and construction and are capable of hauling 30-40 cars carrying as many as 60 people. The models can sell for tens of thousands of dollars online.
Sering, who works as a tool and die maker and has built about five engines, begins by studying photographs or taking measurements of the actual locomotive.
He then cuts the steel and metal and makes a pattern for the castings, which go to a foundry. Next comes the machine work followed by testing the engine.
“You’ve got to have an unbelievable amount of patience,” Sering said.
As he looks for a larger space to move his equipment, Sering has been reviewing drawings and photos of an engine from the American Freedom Train.
The train carried cultural artifacts such as George Washington’s copy of the U.S. Constitution, Judy Garland’s dress from “The Wizard of Oz” and a Moon rock during the nation’s bicentennial celebrations in the 1970s.
The engine currently sits in a Texas museum, which had invited Sering to visit before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I made plans to go down there when the virus business tied us down and they were going to let me take all the measurements I want.”
