I guess I will bore you with my past experience.
When as boy of 10-11, I would go down to the rail yard and watch the little steam engine moving freight cars around.
The engineer saw me there on a frequent basis and one day let me ride around with him for a while.
He was his own fireman, I loved riding it!!!
Nearby my home was a United States Steel plant, in their yard they had for years,
retired steam engines that they were cutting up, melting and making into plate and beams.
Use to play on them on weekends. took home some bells from off of them and the headlights.
All of those items were lost or throw out when we moved when I was 16.
For those who do not know, a "Big Boy" 4014 has been fully restored and back on the line.
From what I have seen, I think it has been converted to burn oil.
Research has been going on to develop a fluidized bed,
to use on a new class of steam engine burning sub-bituminous coal in suspension along with a low grade hydrocarbon.
This is a strategic project, much of the military's trucks, tanks and smaller naval ships run on diesel, in a war setting there could be shortages. The fuel for the fluidized beds is a rough equivalent to 1920's bunker oil powered ships.
We have the largest deposits in the world of that fuel, allowing the diesel to go to war machines.
The combination will be half the cost of Diesel, boilers will be welded not riveted saving on construction cost.
I should add that the new proposed engines will be of the same class as the Big Boy 4014 @ 4-8-8-4.
The 4014 is touring along its own lines now.
