Robert LeMassena and others have written extensively on the possibility of
improved steam in the 1940s and 1950s. Modern steam could have compared
favourably to the diesels of the day. These produced 1500 horsepower per unit
and often had serious maintenance issues. However diesels increased their
horsepower and reliability over the years to a point beyond what steam was able
to achieve. And don't forget steam's abysmal thermal efficiency could not
compare to any internal combustion engine.
What has also been pointed out is that diesels were actually more appropriate
for the type of freight train that the railroads were operating. Steam develops
its greatest horsepower at higher speeds, whereas diesels develop their
greatest horsepower in the lower speeds freight typically operated in. Perhaps
the railroads should have speeded up their freight decades earlier than they
did, and benefitted from modern steam power at the same time. Since they chose
to keep running a lot of drag freight they chose the diesel as the best way of
pulling it.
Don Thomas
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff Pinchbeck
To: cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 5:49 PM
Subject: RE: [cpsig] Economics of replacing steam
They had developed steam locomotives that could be run by one man.
Developing MU for steam could have been done if steam had lasted a few more
years. Steam lasted a lot longer in some countries than it did here and as a
result was much further advanced in other countries than here.
Very true, in the mid-1950’s there were a number of important technological
advancements for the steam engine that made it a better choice than diesel.
High tensile steel, better insulation, roller bearings synthetic lubrication
and huge advancements in front end technology (steam nozzle and petticoat). It
has been suggested that if the Canadian railways waited about 5 years they
might not have moved to diesel. There were all sorts of wonderful improvements
to the engine happening all over the world.
Jeff Pinchbeck
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