Are steam trains better than diesel?

Firstly the diesel engine has an impressively high thermal efficiency – with modern diesel engines achieving 45\% efficiency compared to a steam engines 10\% giving them to achieve greater distances between refuelling stops.

Are electric trains better than steam trains?

According to railway-technology.com, electric trains are more environmentally friendly too, emitting between 20\% – 30\% less carbon monoxide than their diesel counterparts. Fuel costs per mile is 47p for diesel and 26p for electric trains and even track wear and tear is said to be more expensive with diesel trains.

How much pollution does a steam train produce?

EPA estimates that locomotives will release 930,000 tons of smog-forming NOx this year, comparable to 120 coal-fired power plants.

Why are steam trains bad for the environment?

Steam trains were indeed faster than wagons, and steam ships faster and stronger than sailing ships. But the smoke they sent into the air polluted the air. However, to make the electricity that trains use; large amounts of coal have to be burned. The smoke also causes air pollution.

What are the advantages of diesel over steam locomotives?

The main advantage diesel offers over steam is thermal efficiency. This is the ratio of energy in:energy out, or how efficiently you convert the energy in the fuel to mechanical energy. A simple single-expansion steam locomotive gets about 5-7\% efficiency.

How much fuel does a steam locomotive use per hour?

The steam locomotives consumed an average of 2.44 tons of coal and 2,880 gallons of water per hour, while the diesel locomotives averaged 252 gallons of fuel per hour. As can be seen by comparing the RTC screenshots of steam and diesel runs, the steam locomotives gave a higher level of train performance than the diesel locomotives.

Will steam locomotives ever make a comeback?

Steamers will never make a comeback due to the immediate effect on the bottom line. Maintenance costs were reduced so much that even perfectly servicable steamers were scrapped, and diesels were mass-purchased to replace them.

What is the efficiency of a single expansion steam locomotive?

A simple single-expansion steam locomotive gets about 5-7\% efficiency. Adding a condenser can raise this in a locomotive to about 14\%. About the best anyone ever managed was Andre Chapelon’s experiments in France after WWII, where with compounding and condensing he was able to get close to ~30\% efficiency.