Full steam again (comment)

by LotusFlower | July 16, 2008 at 04:55 am

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Could the steam engine be on its way back? The romance of the steam train has never gone but is the old technology with a few tweaks possibly the new technology?

In 1946 Paul Kiefer, chief mechanical engineer of the New York Central Railroad, set his latest steam locomotive, the potent, coal-burning 6,700hp Niagara class 4-8-4, against General Motors' brand new diesel-electrics. The Niagara could generate more power than three of the latest diesel-electrics coupled together. It could run the wheels off them while accelerating passenger trains as long as 30 modern British InterCity carriages with the alacrity of an electric.

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