Originally Posted by
smd4
If I had the choice to own an F4U1-D Corsair or an F/A-18, I know what I’d choose. Modern features not withstanding, I’d much rather run our 1941 steam locomotive than the diesel. Some of man’s inventions are timeless.
Ah, but not if you owned a freight railroad trying to make payroll and a profit.
Looking back at the history, it is astonishing how quickly steam locomotives went from being the undisputed king of the rails to being only valuable as scrap. Less than 20 years between the time the Pennsylvania Railroad introduced the beautiful, streamlined, massive S1, the future of passenger steam locomotives, and the late 50s, when railfans were out with movie cameras documenting the end of steam.