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Decades ago, there was a feature in TRAINS titled "Did we scrap steam too soon?" and, if I remember correctly, the answer was no. There had been many attempts to increase the efficiency of steam locomotives, from better insulation of boilers to steam turbine drives and even steam motors - they all could not improve it anywhere near to the efficiency of Diesels or Electrics. The operation of steam locomotives always remained a fairly "dirty" operation, requiring a much higher number of personnel and short intervals between maintenance stops. What was the longest daily run of a steam loco in the hey days of steam, before it required servicing? Could not have been much more than 300 miles. Today´s ICE trains in Europe have daily runs of three to five times that figure, with only one engineer in the cab, not two. As much as we steam buffs would like to see the resurrection of steam, it is most unlikely in whatsoever form, even if the world runs out of crude oil as the prime source of energy. In that case, it would be more economical to turn the remaining fossil fuels into electricity and string wires over our rails.
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