What if someone had actually gotten turbine driven steam engines to work? What do Post-World War II railways look like in the United States?
Turbine Driven Steam Trains
Turbine Driven Steam Trains
By the article, most of those were set up to generate electricity, which powered the motors that turned the wheels. Batteries not strictly required (i would, but large banks aren't required, which was well within the limits of concurrent technology). Which is making me wonder why they were inefficient at low speeds. Makes sense if the turbine is directly powering the wheels, but not so much if it's running at a constant speed to generate electricity. If you think about, using the electric motors gets rid of the need for a second turbine for reverse.Perhaps a turbine could work in a hybrid electric system, where the batteries are charged at a continuous rate. The required battery brings the technology to present time and later.
To avoid overhead lines or a third rail, either a steam or internal combustion engine is required in addition to electric motors. Internal combustion is simpler and cheaper to operate than steam, and diesels can get more power per stroke than gasoline engines. Thus, the modern dominance of electric and diesel-electric locomotives...
Simon![]()
Thats why many steam locomotives were reboilered so to increase pressure, extending their service lives, in some cases by many years.
I agree. Some of the 'standard' designs were very good and should have lasted well into the 1970s. Thats not to say that electrification of the ECML or WCML along with thirdrail in the South should not have been conducted.
The 1955 plan was pretty much a clusterfuck and rushed through producing some real howlers.
That being said, other modernisation plans such as those undertaken by Queensland Railways around the same time and saw steam end in 1969 was quite successful.
In the early '80s the American Coal Enterprises began development of the ACE 3000 recipricating steam locomotives. While things did not work out they did make a decision early on not use a steam turbine
http://www.trainweb.org/tusp/ult.html