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I welcome the topic of modern steam but, as presented in this thread, the topic seems bifurcated.  I see the two objectives of 150 mph, and the return to steam as being distinctly unrelated and not at all dependent upon each other.  So as an extreme example, it would be like asking could we bring back steam and change the track gauge to 66 inches?  I noticed this same bifurcation in the previous thread about 150 mph steam.  I had assumed that the high-speed rate was only introduced to exemplify the perhaps perceived underrated capabilities of steam, and not to offer 150 mph as a real objective.  But the high-speed-with-steam concept did develop in the discussion, and the point was never quite clear to me.  If there were a demand for 150 mph, it could be achieved with any kind of motive power.  I don't see that steam offers any particular advantage in achieving it.It seems to me that the most obvious reason to bring back steam is that it can run on coal instead of oil, and thereby reduce the cost of fuel.A secondary reason in the minds of some is that dieselization was a mistake and that steam should be brought back as a remedy.To some of your points:I believe a properly designed stoker that could handle the 150 mph speed would be rather easy to achieve.Fully automatic lubrication seems reasonable to expect.  Moreover, sensors could detect temperature and vary lubrication to match power transmission force if needed.Balancing may be an issue at 150 mph, but at today's typical speed, I think that balancing could be perfected so as to reduce track wear to an acceptable level.I too have wondered about condensers and their tradeoffs.Regarding pollution and ash:I understand that there is a process in which coal is micropulverized and then the ash is removed by an electrostatic precipitator, resulting in clean coal, which produces no ash when burned.  I suspect that this pre-processing of coal would also go a long ways toward making the pollution more manageable.
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