“What’s a steam-locomotive?”

Nickel Plate 765. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

So asked Garrison Keillor the other night on his “Prairie Home Companion” program.
He was referring to the fact people today don’t know what a steam-locomotive is, and those that do are ridiculed as “geezers,” old and over-the-hill.
Railroads started dieselizing in the ‘40s. Is it any surprise most people born since then have no recollection of steam-locomotives? Especially millennials.
Fortunately for me, the Pennsylvania Railroad was one of the hold-outs. It stopped using steam-locomotives in late 1957.

This is the exact location where I first watched trains. (Photo by Robert Long.)

The first trains I saw, in the late ‘40s, were powered by steam-locomotives. They’re why I’m a railfan.
I was scared to death of thunderstorms and camera-flash, but could stand right next to a throbbing steam-locomotive.
In south Jersey where I grew up, the seashore was served by Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (“REDD-ing;” not “REED-ing”), a 1933 amalgamation of Pennsylvania and Reading railroad lines to counteract they had too much parallel track.
Since both Reading and Pennsy were coal-roads, both still used steam locomotion. And since PRSL used both Pennsy and Reading locomotives, I’d still see steam.
Most railroad steam-locomotives generate steam in a coal-fired boiler. That steam is used to work pistons back-and-forth. Those pistons attach to rods that rotate wheels.
I was lucky enough to still witness steam-locomotives in regular revenue service.
Which makes me an old fogey I guess. Too bad for these younger types; they never witnessed steam locomotion.
Quite a few  steam-locomotives were preserved, and some remain operable. And they actually operate on steam — not a steam-locomotive in appearance with a secret diesel inside.
One is Nickel Plate 765 (above), a steam-locomotive once operated by Nickel Plate Railroad.
It pulled two excursions last August Buffalo to Corning and back. Railfans love steam-powered excursions.
I chased both excursions with my camera.
Nickel Plate 765 is the BEST restored steam-locomotive I’ve ever seen; and I’ve seen many. It’s very dependable, and can run hard and fast.
I rode behind 765 at least 20 years ago down in West Virginia. We clocked it at 70+ mph pulling 34 heavy passenger-cars uphill.
765 is a 2-8-4 Berkshire — 2-8-4s are “Berks” — named after the mountains in western MA the first 2-8-4s were built to conquer.
A photograph was in the local newspaper of 765 crossing the giant trestle over Letchworth Gorge. They captioned it “an old steam-engine.”
Well yes, it’s 72 years old, same as me. But it’s been overhauled and rebuilt two or three times since retirement, so is in better shape than I am.
The chief goal of a rebuild is to repair steam-leaks. A steam-locomotive is hammering itself apart.

Rich Melvin.

765 is benefitting from the input of volunteer Rich Melvin. 765 was restored by a volunteer group, not a railroad.
Melvin wants 765 to run just like it did for Nickel Plate, hard and fast. Melvin is often the engineer.
That newspaper caption-writer had no idea 765 and her sisters were state-of-the-art back in 1944.
765 is SuperPower, tricks by Lima Locomotive (“LYE-muh;” not “LEE-muh”) to correct some of the flaws of steam-locomotives.
Steam-locomotives are awash in compromise.
Their chief flaw was inability to keep up with steam-demand.
So SuperPower is a hotrod, able to generate steam at a prodigious rate.
Tricks from stationary steam-boilers were engaged to get railroad steam-locomotives to generate more steam.
This wasn’t important in many railroad applications, where at best they might average 10-20 mph.
Where brute power climbing hills was more important, plus coal consumption.
Where trains ran out of steam was over 50 mph. This was perfect for Nickel Plate, which was flat and straight enough to boom-and-zoom.
Railroads tend to be conservative, but were attracted to SuperPower.
So 765 is hardly “an old steam locomotive.” And the way it’s restored it can boom-and-zoom.
So what did these young pups think after seeing 765 at a grade-crossing?
Yes Melissa, that’s a steam-locomotive, and years ago they were the chief method of pulling trains.
Before airlines and interstates they were the way of getting around.
Across this nation to the Pacific was behind a steam-locomotive.
A steam-locomotive was romance.
While chasing 765, I managed to pace it a while on a parallel highway. HASHA-HASHA-HASHA-ROAR! What a thrill that was.
Too bad millennials; you missed the steam-locomotive. One of the most dramatic achievements humanity ever made.