Steam and esthetics

Last time, I blogged about the simplicity of the steam locomotive. Skipping a week to honor those who died in service to our country, I started today's blog thinking about steam and art. With steam locomotives, however, it's more than art.

If you watch the .gif file I posted last time, you can see that there is a certain esthetic in the rotating wheels, the rhythmic movement of the heavy steel rods that drive them, and the more complex dance of the lighter rods that transmit the wheel position back to the valves and cylinders to create the power stroke. Watch the .gif long enough, and not only will you gain an understanding of how the steam engine works, but you will develop and appreciation for the sense of proportion and inherent beauty that is needed for it to work.

Many iterations of the boiler, valves and rods (valve gear) were tried to reach what was eventually the steam locomotive esthetic: A satisfyingly cylindrical boiler sitting horizontally on a frame that also holds the wheels and the cylinders needed to push them. Other cylinders comprise steam operated air compressors and feedwater heaters and pumps that, in the twentieth century, supplanted decidedly asymmetrical (non cylindrical) injectors. There is more symmetry inside the boiler, as it contains dozens of fire tubes that themselves are fitted with more tubes for transferring as much heat as possible to the steam. Cylinders within cylinders within cylinders, topped by a boxy cab at the back to cover the engineer's controls.

There is something in our DNA that reacts to this arrangement with pleasure and satisfaction. Even though steam locomotives haven't been a common part of railroading for over 50 years, draw the general shape of a steam locomotive with headlight, pilot (cowcatcher), and handrails that almost create a smiling face at the front and almost every toddler will identify it as a "choo-choo." Not so if you draw anything resembling the current stock of diesels.

Railroads are part of our lives, but the "choo-choo" is part of our very souls.