Two questions about the steam locomotive have prompted the Webmaster into developing this site, these being:

The answers to both these questions are centred on development or more importantly the lack of development because successive generations of steam locomotive engineers allowed the development of the steam locomotive to stagnate to a point where it had to be replaced by either diesel or electric traction. In addition to this situation being totally unnecessary it has also fostered the perception that the steam locomotive has reached a plateau of performance and efficiency when the reality is the direct opposite.

There are no reasons why the steam locomotive cannot be developed to a point where it can equal or exceed the best that diesel or electric locomotives can offer either economically or environmentally.

From the environmental viewpoint the days of volcanic type eruptions of coal smoke from the exhaust of the steam locomotive so adored by photographers especially are well and truly over as are the days of two men on the footplate. Being an external combustion machine the steam locomotive can burn a wide variety of fuels including fossil fuels such as coal and oil, bio fuels such as bio diesel, straight or recovered vegetable oils, methanol or ethanol and wood in the form of woodchips or wood pellets. The burning of biomass is environmentally desirable due being carbon dioxide neutral in the carbon dioxide liberated is what the plants absorbed during their growth.

From the economic viewpoint the labour intensive nature of the traditional (i.e. zero and first generations) steam locomotive is totally unacceptable. Payroll is a major cost burden for all organisations and to operate effectively in the modern low cost environment most organisations seek to obtain the maximum productive from their employees. Likewise the plant and equipment must achieve the maximum productivity without impacting negatively on the payroll. The modern steam locomotive has to operate in this environment and therefore requires that a minimum of personnel is required for its operation, servicing and maintenance. One-man operation of the locomotive is essential but this is not enough because the modern steam locomotive must be operationally flexible in that the locomotive must match the train size rather than matching the train to the capability of the locomotive. This is achieved by providing the locomotive with multiple unit capability and therefore the modern steam locomotive will have to have multiple unit capability.

The development of the modern steam will not happen all at once but will be an ongoing process with successive generations of steam locomotives emerging each one a further development of and logical progression from the previous generation. Steam locomotive engineers will be working towards the development of the Next Generation of Steam Locomotives using the existing generations as the foundations for their work.

This website aims to record and report on this ongoing development in addition to offering suggestions and proposals directed towards the development of the Next Generation Steam Locomotive and hence the name

N Generation Steam.