Wow, lowering a train body down onto the chassis. Amazing, just one of those things I've never given a moments thought to how it was made

Does that just blow your mind and make you wish you could hang around and watch while that happens?

1926 Foden 6 ton...

barely an evolutionary step past the first steam tractor, this is some early iron! Wow, how did this survive the last 84 years and still operate?
For some more photos of this and similar great old steam powered tractors: http://ccmv.fotopic.net/p63383593.html

The Thew model O steam shovel from about 1898, self propelled and steered (all others were limited to working from railroads)

Above from Shorpy

The color photos and write up are from http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/111626/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Back in the 1890s, Thew, captain of an ore-carrying boat on the Great Lakes, often encountered the problem of handling iron ore once it was deposited on the docks. At that time, such work was done with "railroad-type" steam shovels that traveled on railroad tracks. They were heavy, cumbersome, and could only swing their booms from side to side in a half-circle. Much hand work was required to clean areas beyond the shovel's reach and also to frequently reposition the railroad tracks.

Captain Thew studied these problems of ore handling and conceived a unique machine that would overcome the former difficulties and restrictions. With the help of H.H. Harris, an experienced shovel designer, Thew built his first machine at the Variety Iron Works in Cleveland in 1895. His machine was a fully revolving steam excavator with a 5/8-cubic-yard shovel attachment that could swing in a full circle, the first with this capability built in America. To add even more flexibility, he mounted the machine on four steel traction wheels, which could steer and propel itself without the need for labor-intensive rail tracks. Now able to travel without restriction, the shovel was able to perform any loading or cleanup work over the entire dock property, doing away with most of the hand labor

One of the most impressive photos I've seen, the Oct 1895 Granville-Paris Express wreck

The engine careened across almost 98 ft of the station concourse, crashed through a 2 foot thick wall, shot across a terrace and sailed out of the station, plummeting onto the Place de Rennes 33 ft below, where it stood on its nose. All on board the train survived, five sustaining injuries: two passengers (out of 131), the fireman and two conductors; however, one woman on the street below was killed by falling masonry. The accident was caused by a faulty Westinghouse brake and the engine drivers who were trying to make up for lost time. A conductor incurred a 25 franc penalty and the engine driver a 50 franc penalty.
Via: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895.jpg