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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers

@hioo01.bsky.social
578 followers 490 following 1.6K posts

is a bald photographer / former theater technician, now I sell stuff to theatres. based out of Central NJ, He/Him. Also, I like trains and star trek. Is one half of the Rail Brothers. Check out our website for Rail Brothers stuff: railbrothers.net

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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Conrail Shared Assets Train BU-20 parallels the NJT Riverline past the Florence Park and Ride Station before pealing off onto an industrial spur to work South Coast Paper. It then returns to Burlington Yard when finished. Taken 4/27/26. #conrail #norfolksouthern #freighttrain #riverline
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
First 100% airbrushed model. Think it turned out pretty well. #airbrushing #modeling #nscale #modelrailroad
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Sorting cars on inglenook style model railroad layout using my PRR 0-6-0 steam locomotive by Bachmann. #modelrailroad #hotrains #modeltrains #puzzlegame #switchinglayout
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
First new Acela ride!
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metalheadrailfan 🔞 @metalheadrailfan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
GG1s, big and small at the Railroad Museum of PA last weekend #modeltrains #modelrailroad #nscale #ttrak #prr
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Train in the rain, from last weekend.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Big GG, Little GG at the Railroad Museum of PA today! #modelrailroading #gg1 #modelrailroad #nscale #prr #ttrak
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Strasburg engine no 475 stumbles a bit from wheel slip as it passes the Cherry Crest Adventure farm. #strasburg #steamlocomotive #wheelslip #strasburgrailroad #lancastercounty
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Big Conrail, Little Conrail at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania today! #modelrailroad #nscale #conrail #modeltrains #ngauge
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Want to see our tiny trains next to real trains? Come see our T-Trak modules this weekend (8/15 & 8/16) at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s model railroad days with the Keystone N Trak layout. If you are in the area, come say hi! #modelrailroad #modeltrains #pennsylvania #nscale #railroadmuseum
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Playing around with timing the different jobs for my ops sessions, ran the Trenton Turn tonight, came in at about a half hour to switch the Trenton area without other trains interfering. #hoscale #modeltrains #opssession #modelrailroad
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Photos from Reading and Northern 2102’s excursion to meet with the Big Boy on July 1st. Special guest RJ Corman! #steamtrain #steamlocomotive #readingandnorthern #rjcorman #bigboy
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Some more Everett Railroad. Taken July 11th. It’s such a cool railroad. #steamtrain #steamlocomotive #steamengine #pennsylvania #touristrailroad
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Tegan 🏳️‍⚧️ @spitfire.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Choo choo
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Tegan 🏳️‍⚧️ @spitfire.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The Twin Cities flies past the canal east of Allentown.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
First time messing with my cheap battery powered air brush (or any airbrush really). Here’s some practice pieces I did last night, the dribbly silos was when I was experimenting with adding more water to the mix, and we see how that went. Any tips and tricks are welcome! #modelmaking #modelrailroad
Seems if you have too much water in the mix, it gets dribble-y. Who knew! Lol
Worked a bit better on this side, but felt like it was a bit speckled. But I figure a 2nd coat will be the answer here.Bottom of car for comparison Did two coats on this box car, which started out very red. Pretty happy with it.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Sometimes, it pays to be on the wrong side of the river. The Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 traverses the wye over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia as it positions itself to shove through the city to the rail yard south of the city. #bigboy #philadelphia #america250 #philly #steamlocomotive
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
More blurry Riverline photos from last night #njt #riverline #transit #longexposure
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A special morning at Horseshoe Curve, pre-Big Boy. #Railroad #norfolksouthern #horseshoecurve #altoona #diesellocomotive
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Added some foliage to the agway module.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Some excellent stack talk from Everett RR no. 11 as the steam locomotive barks its way past Roaring Spring Station on July 11th and even caught some of our friends riding in the vestibules! #steamtrain #steamlocomotive #steamengine #altoona #pennsylvania
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metalheadrailfan 🔞 @metalheadrailfan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
When you don't give AF about prototype operation
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Brother’s Mazda 3 with Big Boys. I guess we are making this a thing. #bigboy #mazda3 #railroad #steamtrain #mazda
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Very happy that my years of stage hand work paid off by being able to quickly throw together a lighting and audio package for a 4 year old’s impromptu concert in the living room. (It was three flashlights (one spot, one back light, one texture, and a karaoke mic and speakers)
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Trekkie Bill 🖖🏻 @trekkiebill.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
We used to be a real country
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
It really threw me that Metra runs left hand on some of their lines. What are we in? Great Britain?
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Railfanning in 2026
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
One day, I will get to IRM on a weekend. But these things a pretty cool.
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🚂 🏳️‍⚧️ I R M A 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇹🇼 @ironirma103.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Oh look. Train
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Running a t trak layout at a game store! Thanks for having us @titusvilletabletop.bsky.social !
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
New video, for those how like their videos horizontal. Union Pacific Big Boy Battles Wheel Slip at Horseshoe Curve | Steam Giant in Action youtu.be/c4AH26_6aSc #steamtrain #bigboy #railroad #wheelslip #unionpacific
youtu.be
Union Pacific Big Boy Battles Wheel Slip at Horseshoe Curve | Steam Giant in Action
YouTube video by Rail Brothers
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
New StackTalk podcast is up! We talk about chasing the big boy through PA, where to find steamers near Philly if your fire is stoked after Big Boy's visit to Philly, and finally our hot takes on the B&O museum's name change. Check it out here: railbrothers.net/2026/07/16/n...
railbrothers.net
New Podcast Episode: Big Boy in PA and Bye Bye B&O – Rail Brothers
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Photos from last weekend of the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 at Horseshoe Curve! Lighting wasn’t the best but who cares. ITS THE BIG BOY GOING OVER HORSESHOE CURVE. #bigboy #unionpacific #horseshoecurve #pennsylvania #altoona
Big boy doing its thingI sinned on this one, replaced the sky with sky from a photo earlier in the day Big boy and PRR GP9 at the curveBig boy and train
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Not only did I get to see the Big Boy go over horseshoe curve this weekend, I also got to see three other steamers. Two steamed up, one in pieces. An excellent rail weekend in Altoona!
Big boy at the curveEverett Railroad #11, pulling the sunset train.East Broad Top #16, on its way back from the wye. PRR 1361, still undergoing restoration.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Big boy did the thing! Wheel slip on horseshoe curve!
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Big boy at the curve.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Who’s heading for the curve this weekend? Is it going to be a crazy? Probably! Are we crazy? Also probably! Can’t wait to see this beast on the horseshoe tomorrow! (Photo from July 1st) #bigboy #unionpacific #horseshoecurve #altoona. #pennsylvania
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Thread: It’s been an incredible few days chasing the Union Pacific Big Boy through Pennsylvania into Philadelphia. I knew it was going to a be crazy, but I was constantly surprised by all the people who came out to see 4014. #bigboy #unionpacific #america250 #philadephia #philly
Backing into Philly.Backing into PhillyOn the wye, crossing MLK Outside Pottstown.
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We are going live! Thursday night at 9 pm eastern for a special live episode of Stack Talk! We will be discussing the various America 250th paint schemes, who’s hot and who’s not! Let us know which liveries you want to hear us talk about in the comments! #america250 #railfan #railroad #usa #podcast
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
On the way up to the crayola factory, I stopped by Phillipsburg, NJ to chase Susquehanna 142 at the Delaware River Railroad. 142 is a 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotive, built in china in 1989. #steamlocomotive #steamtrain #steamengine #newjersey #easton
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Made a little display area for the inglenook under the yard of the main layout. Hopefully can get some better photos this way. #modelrailroad #modeltrains
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Ok all, who’s made water on their railroad? What are your favorite techniques? For reference, Im planning to put a stream next to the tracks here in this corner. #modelrailroad #modeltrains
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HK @hkesvani.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Out on a run and came across a couple having a break up. The woman yelled that the guy cared more about “his YouTube videos” than her. Fully expected it to be some Andrew Tate shit until he sheepishly said “trains mean so much to me but you’ve never understood that”
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
More blurry Riverline photos from my nightly stroll. #riverline #njt
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Painting and decal-ing the silos for my Agway T-Trak module. #nscale #modelrailroad #modelrailway
On the module.Painting the stripes, this was a pain. Need to get better painters tapeApplying decals
The prototype
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
River line at dusk
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
New Stack Talk Podcast is up! At least on YouTube! The audio links should be up later today, I swear! Listen as we plan out our chase of Union Pacific 4014, the BIG BOY across eastern PA. youtu.be/C-rb_bom_Dg?...
youtu.be
Stacktalk Season 3 ep 5 North East PA Big Boy Chase Plan
YouTube video by Rail Brothers
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Billy Brown of the Rail Brothers @hioo01.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Things I'm pondering: Should I make a Rail Brother's Discord server? Or Patreon?
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Tegan 🏳️‍⚧️ @spitfire.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The Hiawatha is such a pretty train.
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