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pic03.inf
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1993-08-19
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734b
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26 lines
train
23
Steam engines, like this one, burn
wood or coal to boil water which
pressurizes a piston, which moves a
crankshaft, which turns the wheels.
It's actually quite simple, that is
why Richard Trevithick was able to
build the first steam engine in
1804 -- it was so heavy, it crushed
the rails it ran on.
...
The largest steam engines ever
built were the Union Pacific Big
Boys, built in 1941. These engines
weighed over 690,000 pounds,
generated 6300 horse power, and
could pull over 8 million pounds
(that's a lot of Cheez Wiz).
...
Steam engines were replaced in the
U.S. by diesel and electric trains,
but they are still built in China
in areas where coal or wood are
more plentiful than diesel fuel.