Steam Locomotives, Will They Ever Make a Comeback?

 
lzaharis
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Post by lzaharis » Tue. Dec. 30, 2014 10:19 am

samhill wrote:You have to wonder why the fairly new ballast stone would have been put down on a line that needs replaced that badly. :idea:
It depends:

On how much traffic the line sees and whether the traffic level justifies the work needed.

NS hates it when the line they inherited from SCL, CONRAIL and other fallen flag lines have less than a
10,000 car count per year.

(railroads hate to spend money period- you should see what is going on with Canadian Pacific and
The current chairman "EHH" Hunter Harrison who was hired from Canadian National after buying
out his no compete contract penalty).

Adding ballast on rail line is simple temporary fix.

AND sometimes the amount of ballast added is not enough!


 
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Post by lzaharis » Tue. Dec. 30, 2014 11:05 am

samhill wrote:MCB, I have had the pleasure to operate quite a few steam cars, trucks, tractors & even what we called thermos engines(basically a loco that got steam from the boiler house rather than on board) one of the big drawbacks I knew of was maint. they were built so heavy to withstand the torque that they were a lubrication nightmare. With the modern tech we have today I think they could refine & improve steam engines & maybe make a go of it, I would try one in trucks first, more than enough power & room for a good size engine & whatever the choice of fuel.
That being said GE has a new Evolution Series diesel-electric engine that is billed as a fuel saver & they make a ton of them right here in Erie but most are all being bought overseas. For some reason the U.S. doesn't seem to want to modernize. Another thing I question is diesel price, most of my life diesel was always cheaper than gas & now it's reversed.
==================================================================================================

I think if anything they could have more small regional power plants
that would generate electricity for pantograph(overhead power lines)
fed electric locomotives.

We have so many power plants that are now shut down and mothballed in
New York that could feed electric powered rail lines with a bit of effort on
governments part as we are never going to get rid of coal or oil.

I know most of the electric trains in Europe are hydro power fed units but we have
coal that could be used to generate electricity to move freight and passengers.

Everything has its opportunity cost:

-meaning what are you willing to give up,barter/ trade
or pay for to obtain a desired result/item for your use.

 
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rockwood
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Post by rockwood » Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 5:31 pm

Big Boy 4014 first whistle blow in more than 50 years!
UP has nearly finished refurbishing/rebuilding this behemoth. Sad to say that it will be burning oil instead of coal :cry: but I can't wait to see this locomotive roaring down the tracks!

Skip to about 14 minutes in to hear it.

Last edited by rockwood on Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
grumpy
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Post by grumpy » Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 5:35 pm

OIL?? What, have they lost their minds..

 
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rockwood
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Post by rockwood » Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 5:51 pm

Ya, it's sad. They don't have the infrastructure to support coal-fired locomotives anymore.

 
TheScrambler92
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Post by TheScrambler92 » Tue. Apr. 30, 2019 7:58 pm

As much as it sucks that it's now an oil burner, it's still great because it won't just be a stationary museum piece. And you've got to consider, the thing will be running out in the midwest/west, and if those people saw big billowing black clouds you can only imagine the sh*tfit they would throw. They'd never let it run. With oil it'll only be visible exhausted steam. And yes, I'm aware that a skilled fireman knows how much to stoke the fire based on load to keep the coal smoke to a minimum. The thing is, where are you gonna find a railroad-experienced man that is still working and knows how to properly fire the thing? This is coming from someone who desperately wished he lived in the time when there were nothing but steam engines. Man, what a job that would be.

 
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BigBarney
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Post by BigBarney » Wed. May. 01, 2019 10:46 am

Glad to see this project finished so we can see the

the technology of the time demonstrated in our

lifetimes and our children's .

Steam was the choice for power in this era but time has

moved on so this was one of the stepping stones to our

future.

Still love to see the big engines run....

BigBarney


 
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Post by Bubbalowe » Thu. May. 02, 2019 9:40 pm

Oil is preferred over coal because coal throws sparks and causes fires, nothing to do with which fuel is better. Steam engines required 24/7 firemen tending fires to keep boiler tubes tight and keep from freezing in winter. The railroads switched to Diesel to save manpower cost. While steam locomotives got bigger and bigger to haul more tonnage Diesel locomotives only needed more locomotives added to the consist. Plenty of steam excursion trains left but steam will never be a viable option to pull freight again. Sorry.

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Fri. May. 03, 2019 7:40 pm

Big Boy rolling.


 
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Post by grumpy » Fri. May. 03, 2019 8:22 pm

Thanks for posting that, what a beautiful thing to see..

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Mon. May. 06, 2019 10:29 am

Thanks, CS. A wonderful sight and sound !!!!!!

Paul

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Wed. May. 08, 2019 9:24 pm

Here's a big Brit on coal making a speed run on the York line. First since the '60s.


 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. May. 11, 2019 7:02 am

80" drivers and 130 MPH. This thing was the fastest steamer ever made.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Rail ... d_class_S1

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Sun. May. 12, 2019 6:31 am

UP's steam shop.


 
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Post by wilder11354 » Sun. May. 12, 2019 8:41 pm



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