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[quote user="tomikawaTT"]  Running low with a fireless cooker isn't an abrupt change from normal power to no power.  It's a gradual decay of performance. Chuck. [/quote] Not necesarily. Most fireless steamers used a reducing valve that would keep the steam supplied to the cylinders at a constant, ussually lower presure. This means that the preformance of the locomotive would remain constant, until the presure dropped below what the reducing valve supplied to the cylinders. When this happened the locomotive's preformance would sharply drop off or stop altogether.   Although I do agree with you; an engineer with any sense in his head keeps as close an eye on his pressure as he does on the tracks ahead. It would certainly be embarasing for an engineer to answer as to why he let his pressure drop so low without returning to be recharged. For the interested, there is a story in the link below about the first fireless steam locomotive in America (the "Rubicon") and her sisters. All three survive today. <a href="http://ctr.trains.com/way-it-was/railfan-stories/2013/05/canned-steam-at-the-cash">http://ctr.trains.com/way-it-was/railfan-stories/2013/05/canned-steam-at-the-cash</a> I think the tiny NCR locos in the link above would be perfect for any museum that is small or has crowded trackage, both of which would prohibit larger conventional steamers. They are very simplistic, and could be run on air, I think.
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