Re: Steam in general

I have to agree with Linn that steam is inherantly less reliable than diesel. We are currently far exceeding the estimated life expectancy of even the newest steamers, much less the truely old ones. Look what's happening with that Heisler Earl has been working on. Most of the problems are related to metal fatigue which cannot be easily detected. Yes, if a steam engine was built from scratch using modern materials this would not be as much of a problem but not many of us have that condition or the cubic dollars to build one. It would still have boiler washes, inspections, minor repairs, fuel issues, water issues and a host of other "small" daily problems that would lead to decreased reliability.
Tom