Trains Gallery 8

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Steam engines do not require transimissions. The primary reason internal combustion engines need transmissions is that they cannot produce reasonable amounts of torque at long cycle times (low revs per second). And as anyone who learned to drive a manual transmission knows, if the revs per second gets /too/ low, the engine will stall. In a steam engine, the working fluid is heated in a separate reservior and can be injected into the cyclinders at any cycle rate needed.

The Roll-Out of the most advanced steam locomotive in the world, the SLM 52 NT 8055 is scheduled for mid November at Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in Winterthur, Switzerland.

The base of the engine is a 52 series Germand "Kriegslokomotive". About 70 percent of all parts where exchanged and mostly redisigned, power was raised from 1600 to 3000 hp. There where no compromises made to historical heritage and only the most advanced possible solutions in steam and locomotive technology where choosen.

The locomotive now should reach the economical characteristics ofdiesel locomotives, while producing 80 percent less air pollution.

It is meant for daily service on heavy passenger trains on European mainlines. Usually train cruises with the commercially operated "Orient Express".