In this episode of Living with Steam EXTRA, we continue the story of William A. Steventon and how he took the practice of sharing railroad sound recordings with like-minded railfans to a whole new level.

As strange as it may sound to us now, back when the railroad industry dominated the American landscape, railfans were sharing photographs, movies, and eventually, sound recordings of trains with each other. A simple “letter” or advertisement placed in a newspaper or trade magazine would serve to  present a person’s offerings to the reader. “I have an incredible collection of New York Central” steam recordings in the Buffalo, NY area,” a typical ad may have read.

Steventon wanted  to take this practice one step further by  introducing a “catalog” of his recordings (and others in the future) which he would eventually call “The Railroad Record Club.”

And this all began when he received a Christmas gift from his wife in 1952.