Powerful, Scary, incredible. What is it about Steam Engines?

[Geo Ghost]

Well I watched the Dutchess of Sutherland pass Woolmer Green this morning and it was amazing.
I've only recently got back into railways and rail travel and after seeing Bittern earlier this month and now the Dutchess' I'm sold back on my childhood interest.

I saw the Dutchess' making her return trip about 15 minutes ago through Knebworth. It's dark as night now so i wasn't sure how well it would be.
After being delayed 40 minutes we saw her approaching the station really going some and my goodness. It was probably the most incredible thing I saw this year.

That power passing us at such speed was actually slightly scary since it was night and the train is in LMS Black but... I was lost for words. I've not seen a steam-engine at night before so this is fairly new to me but I loved watching it.

but it's also made me wonder... what is it about Steam engines that some people love to see and watch. Is it just the history, the look, the engineering... or something else.
The same goes for anything really. What makes people want to see these and what exactly amazes us.

Anyone who hasn't seen a steam engine passing at night at full speed... I would recommend seeing such. I'm lost for words and just really want to speak my mind about it now.

[ostlandr]

For me, it's the engineering. Need more power? Make it bigger. Pour in more fuel. Amazing how much energy can be converted to useful work with a very low level of technology. And the rhythm of the exhaust is hard-wired into the American soul:

"He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
go set down in the woods along the railroad track
ol' engineer in the train, sittin' in the shade,
strummin' to the rhythm that the drivers made. . ."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULM

Yep. That's where that rock & roll back beat came from. Listen to the drum on Johnny B Goode, then listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQqd-f1e ... re=related

Mix in modern materials, thermodynamics, computer modeling, etc. and (as Chapelon, Porta, Wardale, et. al. proved) a steam locomotive can be cheaper in total ownership cost per horsepower/hour than a diesel, and even have fairly clean emissions. Burn waste biomass instead of coal, and you go carbon neutral & renewable, too.

Before I got beaten about the head and shoulders by reality, I was trying to start a company to manufacture woodchip-fueled modern steam locomotives. Now I figure that I'll be lucky to build a self-fueled wood chipper before I die of old age.

Well I watched the Dutchess of Sutherland pass Woolmer Green this morning and it was amazing.
I've only recently got back into railways and rail travel and after seeing Bittern earlier this month and now the Dutchess' I'm sold back on my childhood interest.

I saw the Dutchess' making her return trip about 15 minutes ago through Knebworth. It's dark as night now so i wasn't sure how well it would be.
After being delayed 40 minutes we saw her approaching the station really going some and my goodness. It was probably the most incredible thing I saw this year.

That power passing us at such speed was actually slightly scary since it was night and the train is in LMS Black but... I was lost for words. I've not seen a steam-engine at night before so this is fairly new to me but I loved watching it.

but it's also made me wonder... what is it about Steam engines that some people love to see and watch. Is it just the history, the look, the engineering... or something else.
The same goes for anything really. What makes people want to see these and what exactly amazes us.

Anyone who hasn't seen a steam engine passing at night at full speed... I would recommend seeing such. I'm lost for words and just really want to speak my mind about it now.