Steam locomotives were once the choice motive power for railroads around the world. However, due to the arrival of the diesel electric locomotive, most steam locomotives on Class I railroads were replaced by the late 1940s or early 1950s. In Britain, steam power lasted until the late 1960s. Today, there are a few remaining steam locomotives in the United States which have been preserved for future generations to enjoy. However, the ways in which those locomotives are showcased are not very engaging for the average person. Instead of being exhibited as operating attractions, most steam locomotives in the United States are forced into museums to sit idle for the foreseeable future. I feel like that should be changed.
A few nights ago, I was watching an episode of the British version of Top Gear, which is one of my favorite shows. The episode depicted a race between the three presenters to the North of Britain in vehicles of the past. One of the presenters drove an antique motorcycle, the other drove an antique car, and (I bet you can guess it) the final presenter fired a steam locomotive. The locomotive is called the Tornado, and it was completed in 2008 by a group of railroad enthusiasts who worked on the project for around twenty years. The Tornado is a replica of an LNER Peppercorn Class A1, of which all the originals were scrapped. In the episode, the locomotive traveled from one end of Britain to the other. It pulled a full train of coaches, all under its own power at speeds upward of 75 miles per hour with no diesel assist. That got me thinking.
In the United States, we also have operating steam locomotives which have been preserved. However, they do not receive nearly as much privilege as those in Britain like the Tornado. One of my particular favorites is the Norfolk and Western J Class 611, which was built in Roanoke, Virginia in 1950 and has been restored a total of three times for passenger excursion use since its original decommissioning. The last restoration took place just a few years ago, and I have been fortunate to travel on two of the excursions pulled by the locomotive. However, the wonderful exhibition of the locomotive was recently halted. Due to high insurance costs for excursions, Norfolk Southern (the railroad who owns the track) decided that any future excursions would have to take place under the insurance blanket of Amtrak, who now controls all U.S. passenger rail service. Unsurprisingly, Amtrak does not want responsibility for the liability involved with excursions either. Therefore, the 611 is sitting idle for the fourth time due to a lack of desire to support old technology. Even when the locomotive was allowed to run, its top speed was severely limited to 45 miles per hour. When they were built the J Class locomotives had the ability to travel at 110 miles per hour pulling a passenger train, which is faster than the modern passenger locomotives used by Amtrak.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I am disappointed with the general way that older steam technology is treated in the United States as compared with in Britain. Contrary to Wendell Berry and his argument against the computer, I am not advocating for the use of older technology instead of modern technology. However, I am advocating for a greater awareness of the technology which helped build this nation. It is difficult to understand the impacts of technology like the steam locomotive while stationary in a dusty museum. Steam locomotives were built to work, so the few remaining should be allowed to do so. Technological innovation builds off of past efforts, and it is important that those efforts be more widely understood as a means to create better technology in the future.