Post #3343972
2026-06-15 08:27 UTC
@EF@mastodon.bsd.cafe @davidnjoku@mastodon.world Are these fuelled by coal carried onboard like the old choo-choo trains so beloved by the public, or is this something novel like using diesel fuel/hydrogen to drive a steam turbine?
Replies (1)
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@cstross@wandering.shop 2026-06-16 20:07
@acb@mastodon.social @EF@mastodon.bsd.cafe @davidnjoku@mastodon.world AIUI the steamers are coal-burners, so an endangered species (we no longer mine lignite in the UK, it may be hard to import by and by). The Deltics, who the fuck knows? They're insanely eccentric 1950s diesels (three cylinders with three crankshafts—one contrarotating—and six pistons—in opposed pairs—per bank).