[ARC5] Diesel and steam and radios

[Mike Everette]

Here is an analogy of railroading to radio....

"Dismals" have no "Soul".... just like solid state radios have none.

Steam locomotives, and tube radios, on the other hand, have plenty of "Soul."

In fact it has often been stated by the Literary Lights of the Steel Rail, such as Lucius Beebe, David P. Morgan, Ron Zeil and more that a steam locomotive is like a living creature.  

I for one would much rather cruise the bands with my BC-348 or National NC-173, than button-push a YaZoo box covered with an acne of buttons so small I can't even see 'em, and if I hit the wrong one the results are worse than bumping the operating desk with a Hallicrafters SX-99 sitting on top, tuned to 15 meters....

Tests were run during the late 1940s and through the mid 1950s in particular by the New York Central, and the Norfolk & Western, which proved that in certain types of service the steam locomotive was more efficient, less costly, etc.  In other types of service, the results were a "draw."  

But one big thing did in modern steam power was the shrinking availability of appliances like air pumps, feedwater heaters, injectors, etc which were unique to steam locomotives.  As the "big three" steam builders, Baldwin, Alco and Lima, exited locomotive manufacturing, demand for these things slowed to a crawl.  The N&W built their last steam engines in 1952, and one reason no more were turned out was that it just wasn't economical to home-brew the appliances... plus, there were patent issues.  (Yes, that's right.)

Something else that did in steam -- and has crippled railroading in general -- was the Interstate Highway System.

Hmm... parallels... radios and the Internet?  

Steam, HF skip, and 1625s forever...!

73

Mike
W4DSE