What if? Steam vs Diesel

[PBenham]

The only way that steam could have held off the diesels would have been oil supply problems that started in the early/mid '70s, starting 20 years earlier. Electrification was never a player due to the cost of the needed infrastructure, both at the time of instillation and then, maintenance and storm repairs later. But, it is a great "what if" tale, but that is all that it is.

[slotracer]

I normally don't ever respond to these far out "What If" scenario posts but I suppose this one time.

RR's got rid of steam for far more than just labor savings.  All of the facilities (Coal and Water that were needed....they were high mainatance and required custome made parts and thus numerous extensive shop facilities with expensive machinery.  I cant accurately speak for the effieiceny per cost of energy fuel units (coal and water vs Diesel fuel) but when one considers haveing divisions set up based on the extent a locomotivce could be expected to manage in a shift being so short, plus all of the investment in pumps, roundhouses, machines, water tanks, coaling.....it was a very inefficient way to run the railroad.

Consider extraordinary circumstances like trying to keep water supply in desolate places like the WP across Northern Nevada, also subject to extreme cold as well as drought.

They certainly were neat but they are not practical and never would be.

 

[domefoamer]

But the enviromentalists HAVEN'T shut down your beloved steamers. I'm not aware they've even attempted to, so maybe you should lighten up. Don't carry that chip on your shoulder too far over something that hasn't occured yet. And it's hard to blame the EPA for the demise of steam, since they were gone from everyday use over a decade before the EPA was established. The biggest fuss over steam engines I'm aware of lately came in Durango. Neighbors of the Silverton yard were tired of every night smelling like coal, and the locos stayed fiired up for the next day's use. Now the RR's experimenting with using wood chips, which make the town smell like a cozy campfire, the newspaper reported. But ask youself-- would you ever get tired of smelling someone else's hobby, every night, on and on? And if you complained, would that make you a "Nazi"? Just curious...

[domefoamer]

Owing to my unfamiliarity with the posting process, I omitted the quote I was referring to in my reply above. Here's what prompted my reply: jimrice4449 wrote: I have a 3 letter answer to the question of how viable steam engines would be today...EPA~! I'm suprised (and grateful) that some envirozealot hasn't tried to shut down current steam operations. ... and cooslimited added: I agree 100% with the above. I've seen a few steamers on excursions through the years and wondered how long until some enviro-nazi shuts them down. It'll be a sad day when that happens. Wasn't there an issue with a restored steam locomotive in Washington State being shut down by the local city because of asbestos fears? So now you know who I'm arguing with. Though I appreciate Coos' comments about the greater "entertainment efficiency" of steam. I'm sure that in the real world, it was maintenance, infrastructure and operating inefficiencies that did in steamers and demanded the diesels. Hey, I'm neutral, I like 'em both.