We lived next to the mainline of the Union Pacific when I was a kid. That was back in the days when there were still steam engines. I was transfixed when the Big Boy went by. To me it was all the power on earth concentrated in one engine. You could feel it thru the ground. One has been rebuilt and is on tour. More info for any of you steam heads is at:

https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm

I :hearthrob the way one can feel the steam machine, locomotive

as if it were living.

A DC-3 similarly.

Look at images of American steam engines and those by Europe.

The European ones just look like big, gray machines like something out of Metropolis.

Like they never really breathed life into their steam engines.

Moi

Yes I've been watching the restoration of the "Big Boy" steam locomotive No. 4014. I would love to have the experience of seeing it go by. Just not sure if it's going to be up in my neck of the woods.

I'm keeping a watch out.

I hate to kill the romance but the age of steam is very much still with us.

Somehow nuclear power stations not have the attraction of loco's but they do contain pretty large steam engines.

As an old geezer originally trained in Steam Power Engineering (maritime & stationary) I can assure there are almost no similarities between reciprocating engines, such as locomotives, and turbines, such as nuclear electric generating plants. Turbines are all enclosed in an overall casing with no visible working parts. Reciprocating engines have a great many observable parts to entrance even casual onlookers. Ah yes, give me a nice old vertical triple expansion engine to watch. And don't even get me started about steam whistles, I might never shut up! --FLO--

:)It seems to me that Three Big Boys were saved. :)Ernie of Maine

GordonGG (imported) wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2019 6:31 pm Yes I've been watching the restoration of the "Big Boy" steam locomotive No. 4014. I would love to have the experience of seeing it go by. Just not sure if it's going to be up in my neck of the woods.

I'm keeping a watch out.

Often air tickets to Las Vegas are not that bad.

This was one of those casual conversations between two adjacent tables at a restaurant. He mentioned one or two others undergoing restoration. I am not sure if all are UP. The Northern Pacific had some impressive steam engines. None coming back to life?

True about the turbines but the formal Royal Yacht Britania Probably designed in the 1940's and built in the 1950s was powered by Turbines.

I keep meaning to have a Trip on the Waverly. That make trips around the country.

The Waverly is one of the last Paddle Steamers left in the UK that offers these sort of trips.

I think she had a gap year this time for renovation work.

The Maintaner (imported) wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:12 pm :)It seems to me that Three Big Boys were saved. :)Ernie of Maine

5 Big Boys were preserved. The one selected for restoration was in the best condition having been retired in 1959.

experiment (imported) wrote: Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:58 am 5 Big Boys were preserved. The one selected for restoration was in the best condition having been retired in 1959.

Good too know.