How to Draw Steam Engines

Choo-choo! Every kid loves a steam engine -- and lots of grownups do, too. Use our easy instructions to draw your own steam engine, or an entire train yard full of them.

How to Draw Steam Engines
Learn to draw this steam engine using our easy instructions.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above steam engine. Either draw it freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Draw the main body of the steam engine.

Step 1: Draw a square for the cab section of the steam engine. To the left of the cab, add a long rectangle with a curved front. Sketch a long rectangular shape (with a notch toward the back) for the bottom section.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Add bells and a smokestack.

Step 2: Draw two curved half-ovals on top of the front section to create bells. Sketch a curved rectangle to form the cab's roof. Add a rectangle toward the front of the engine to create the smokestack. Draw other rectangular details on the side. Add a curved wedge shape to the front.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Draw windows and details on the engine.

Step 3: Just above the wedge, draw a slightly angled rectangle. Draw two rectangles for the cab windows. Add more rectangles for details on the engine side. Draw a small curved rectangle at the bottom of each bell. Add an arched shape at the front of the car and at the top of the smokestack. Add rectangular shapes at the back end to create the device that links train cars together.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Add wheels to the engine.

Step 4: Draw four wheels -- three large ones toward the back end and one smaller one at the front end. Sketch three curved bars on the boiler section to add detail. Add a diamond on the side of the cab and a few more rectangular details. Sketch a half-oval on the linking unit at the back of the car.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Draw a whistle and detail shapes.

Step 5: Add bars to the front cab window and a squared shape to the back window. Sketch a whistle coming off the bell closest to the cab. Draw a rectangle between the front and back wheels and some other detail shapes by the wheels to start forming the piston section. Add a wedge on the scoop and a rectangle on the front of the car. Add a few more shapes for details on the side of the engine.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Finish the piston sections, roof, and structural details.

Step 6: Sketch several long, thin rectangles to finish the piston sections, roof, and structural details on the engine's side.

How to Draw Steam Engines: Trace the final drawing with a felt-tip pen.

Step 7: Trace the pencil lines you want to keep with a felt-tip pen. Erase any extra lines. Use a clean eraser to remove pencil lines. This helps avoid pencil smudges on the paper.

Once you've mastered steam engines, your engines will need some freight to haul. Continue to the next page, where you'll learn to draw boxcars to go with your steam engine.

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