Which do you prefer the most, trains of the past or present ?...

[Anonymous]

I am old enough to have lived through the end of the steam era. If you ever had the chance to stand beside the track and watch a Big Boy double head pulling a train with a 9000 spliced in the middle and an old Mike hooked in ahead of the caboose pulling Weber Canyon from Ogden to Evanston, you would be a steam fanatic. Nothing can make the ground shake, blow smoke, smell like burning coal and hot oil, and have so many moving parts as a steam locomotive. They almost seem alive. Nothing has ever raised the hair on the back of my neck like standing beside the track when steam is working upgrade under load at a snails pace. You can guess what I voted for. I just hope coal remains reasonably priced while oil prices soar. Steam may become economically viable once again.

Tom

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

if tthe higer powers-to-be should ever outlaw the running of live steamers in the future because of environmental reasons, that may indeed strike a serious blow to the remaining number of fans over time. I would hope that wouldn't be the case...

Tom

There are so few coal burning steam engins remaining I doubt the pollution they cause will be a factor in there demise.Just one steam tractor exploding at an antique machinery show here in Ohio was enough to severly limit our chances to see those beasts in action. One or two mishaps could be all it takes to shut down the remaining steam locomotives. Safety regulations and/or outrageous insurance premeums could mean the end of the publics chances to see them operate. That would be a loss, there is nothing like feeling a steam monster rumble past.

I am not voting, anything on rails is better than anything on rubber.

[MisterBeasley]

To me, it ain't a train if it ain't got a caboose. When they started retiring them, I just stopped the pendulum and let the modern era pass me by. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...

[tstage]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bukwrm
There are so few coal burning steam engins remaining I doubt the pollution they cause will be a factor in there demise. Just one steam tractor exploding at an antique machinery show here in Ohio was enough to severly limit our chances to see those beasts in action.

Tim,

Are you referring to the incident at the Berea Fair Grounds a few years back? I thought I heard that they are now all required by law to have a pop-off valve so that type of thing doesn't happen again.

Tom

[Anonymous]

I like diesels of the past