The Amur (formerly Siberian) Tiger is the largest of the big cats and historically occupied the forested areas of Siberia. Due to habitat loss, it now resides in the Amur District of eastern Russia along the border with China. It's diet is wild boar and deer. The Amur tiger is highly endangered with only about 500 left in the wild. Russia has created a National Reserve to conserve and increase the population.

The tiger in the photos is Aleksei. He was born at the Columbus Zoo in July, 2017. He and his twin brother, Nikolai now live in the large Tiger Forest habitat at the Detroit Zoo.

Between 1925 and 1927 the Commonwealth Railways (Australia) purchased twenty five 4-8-0 steam locomotives for use on the narrow gauge (1,067mm / 3' 6") Central Australia Railway which eventually extended 1,241km (771 miles) from Port Augusta in the mid north of South Australia to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. NM 25 was built in 1925 by Thompson & Co Engineers, Castlemaine, Victoria.

NM 25 is one of only two survivors and is operated and maintained by the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society which run regular tourist train services over a restored 39km (24 miles) section of the original line between Port Augusta and Quorn.

One of the steam crew at our railway museum checking moving parts and oiling them as needed just before Christmas.
The museum was busy and the trains running pretty full so they wanted their "baby" to be running perfectly.

These guys spend many long hours adjusting and maintaining the steam engine so they can bring it out to show off and let people experience a piece of history.
I have always thought that with the steam, sounds etc of a fired up locomotive it seems to be alive in a way other types of locomotives aren't.

6D, 24-105 L f/4 @ 105, 1/200 @ f/4.0, ISO-250
hand held in afternoon light 3:57 PM Dec 20, 2014

Reworked from OOC.