Steam Locomotives, Will They Ever Make a Comeback?

Great Video and pics Woodncoal ! Did you take those pics? Such a awesome site to see!

I took the photos.

One of the engineers is a member here:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2619

love the photos, would love to ride up in the cab and help fire some day.

Came across these photos of dumping slag from where I used to work, I notices there was one locomotive when they switched to diesel electric it sometimes took as many as four but never one.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=102007042 ... =1&theater

Link don't work??

Sorry about that, it worked for me but I'll try something else if I can figure it out.

wsherrick wrote:Here is another one that was written just two years ago and it compares steam operation and diesel operation at todays costs. This has some good information in it as well.

http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/newste ... dern50.htm

This is what I really enjoy about your posts William. No BS, just tech.

They make steam boats, why not steam trains?

Here is one of only two definitive, peer reviewed papers ever done on the REAL, ACTUAL data comparing steam operations to diesel electrics. Here is the exhaustive proof for anyone who is interested in the subject. All rail fan crap put aside.
This paper was commissioned after dieselization had taken place. The author was one of the most highly respected design engineers of the time. He was employed by Gibbs and Hill consulting firm. They designed the first subway cars, electrified the Pennsylvania and were involved in the massive Penn Station tunneling project.
It's a lot to get through, but; if you are of an engineering bent, this is the kind of stuff you are looking for.
The rapid conversion of steam to diesel was a huge miscalculation which cost the Railroads dearly.
Hope you enjoy it. Read away.
You will find it at the bottom of the page below. The direct link to the paper wouldn't work for some reason. It's the paper by H.F. Brown. The Economic Results of Diesel Electric Motive Power on the Railroads of the United States. Pub 1961.

http://5at.co.uk/index.php/references-and-links/r ... iesel.html

I know I put this up before, but; now here is a place you can actually read the paper. I hope that somebody will take the time to read this. It closes the book on the entire 50 year argument.

Thanks for the re-post. It does close the book for even for the dimwitted. Great article.

Not quite the same as the full-sized ones, but, when I lived on L.I. I used to love to rides on these and walk around and look at the detailing on some of the engines.

http://longislandlivesteamers.org/visit.php

The group is in a Suffolk County park only a mile from where my brother used to live in Yaphank, Long Island. We'd take our kids, but I think we fathers had more fun then the kids.

They have tracks of different gauge, for different scale, working models.

The larger gauge engines run on a 1/2 mile loop track and are honest-to-goodness, coal-fired steam powered scale models of real steam engines. Plus, the power they have is jaw dropping to see how many cars full of adults and kids they can pull.

Paul

Thanx for the POSTS/LINKS Wm & SB muchly enjoyed Dimwitted you say Doug??? I'm with ya partner

Nothing wrong with steam energy conversion per se , it's the energy generation plant that's the issue. Steam is great where you need lots of driving force, but it's inefficient at the low end and labor and water intensive.

Nuclear is the ideal generation plant for a steam submarine (or warship): lots of cooling & condensing water, no effluent, little noise, lots of power.

Can't think of a good plant for a steam locomotive. Nuclear is out of the question. Diesel & coal are capable of cleaner burn as is wood but efficiency is lost to short runs. Perhaps the longer runs in the west would be good places for steam drive. The problems are: need lots of water stops, lots of crew to run the thing, lots of energy lost to starting and stopping. Those are efficiency destroying expenses.