Lucius Morris Beebe (December 9, 1902 – February 4, 1966) was an American writer, gourmand, photographer, railroad historian, journalist, and syndicated columnist.

One of his more outrageous stunts included an attempt at festooning J. P. Morgan's yacht Corsair III with toilet paper from a chartered airplane.

During and immediately after obtaining his degree from Harvard, Beebe published several books of poetry, but eventually found his true calling in journalism.

[5] During the six years that he wrote the column, Beebe covered such topics as economics, politics, journalism, religion, history, morals, justice, finance, and travel.

Beebe and Clegg were attired in formal wear and top hats, as waiters served champagne and caviar to their guests riding in an open car behind an ancient steam locomotive.

After Beebe and Clegg purchased The Virginia City, they had it refurbished and redecorated by famed Hollywood set designer Robert T. Hanley in a style known as Venetian Renaissance Baroque.

Beebe's clothing included 40 suits, at least two mink-lined overcoats, numerous top hats and bowlers, a collection of doeskin gloves, walking sticks and a substantial gold nugget watch chain.

Eventually tiring of that social life, the two moved in 1950 to Virginia City, Nevada, a tiny community that had once been a fabled mining boomtown.

Through their efforts, the federal government commissioned a commemorative stamp in recognition of the discovery of the Comstock Lode in the Virginia City region.

Beebe died at the age of 63 of a sudden heart attack at his winter home in Hillsborough, California, (near San Francisco) on Friday, February 4, 1966.

Lucius Beebe & Charles Cleggs's railroad books have come under scrutiny for their prose and reliance on anecdotal history both from contemporaries and historians since their deaths.

A 1947 review of Mixed Train Daily praised the book for its broad scope and striking photography but criticized the text for its "pompous" tone, authorial biases and dubious claims.

[21] Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (RLHS) founder Charles Fisher was an outspoken critic of Beebe's writing and compiled several lists of factual errors he found in it.

[23] Historian Carl W. Condit writing for the RLHS' Railroad History in 1980 critiqued Beebe & Clegg and their imitators for their lack of editorial oversight, while exploring the unique relationship between historiography and the railfan community.

[22] In a positive retrospective, Kevin P. Keefe a columnist for Classic Trains Magazine noted the availability of Beebe's writing in the form of coffee table books allowed wider recognition of rail history subjects to casual enthusiasts.

[25] Trains Magazine columnist Fred Frailey in a positive review described Beebe's text with "You either love it or hate it, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.