Re: Automatic Fire Control

Do they exist? Yes. Do they work? Sometimes. The Disney paddle steamers have automatic boilers without supervision. 25 years ago I rode a steam tour boat in Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. It had an automatic package boiler. The engineer was not pleased. The water level monitor was sensitive. Every time the boat hit bad waves, the rocking of the boat made the monitor think the water was low, and it cut the burners.

The difference with ships is that they cruise at one power level and the burners are generally off/on. Locomotives need to have multiple flame levels, and the power needs to be adjusted strategically in anticipation of the next move, not in reaction to data already collected.