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The point of this thread is speculation about the return of steam for railroad motive power.  The implication is that such a return would be driven by the high price of oil, and specifically that steam power could directly burn coal, as opposed to converting coal to liquid fuel that could be utilized in a diesel engine.  I can think of several variations of coal fired steam locomotion: 1)        A coal fired boiler, producing steam for a 2-cylinder, reciprocating engine that is directly coupled to the drivers, or some multiple of this arrangement. 2)        A coal fired boiler, producing steam for a turbine that turns an alternator, which provides electric current to drive conventional traction motors. 3)        A coal fired boiler, producing steam to power a reciprocating engine with 4-8 cylinders that would be better balanced than the conventional 2-cylinder, directly coupled engines, and operate at a higher speed.  Such an engine could drive an alternator, which provides electric current to drive conventional traction motors. 4)        A coal fired boiler, producing steam to power multiple reciprocating engines with 4-8 cylinders with each engine driving one power truck through a torque converter or some form of hydraulic or hydraulic/mechanical transmission. 5)        Some version of a coal fired gas producer that would drive either a turbine or a reciprocating engine, which in turn would drive an alternator, which would produce electric current to drive conventional traction motors. I am seeing something that is as unlike the steam locomotives of the 1940s as are today's diesel-electrics.I agree that in the context of the long evolving diesel age, the return to steam seems like a hopeless dream, but I think there is more at work in these big trends than just engineering and economics, so anything is possible.
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