I don't know much about steam engines either, but they sure fascinate me as well. Here is a fairly recent photo taken at the CT Antique Machinery Museum in Kent, which is only 1/2 hour from my house. I have no clue what this engine is, but apparently it was used by a lumber company: DSC_0141.jpg I'...

Riveted steel joints are OK, IF properly designed and installed. Poorly welded joints can fail also, so they are often X-rayed to prove the joint is good. Whatever you do in a critical device the materials, process, assembly, and testing must be all good and trusted. The early failures were often be...

The Union Pacific Railroad restored the 4014 steam locomotive several years ago. This is a 4-8-8-4 design which means it has 4 pilot wheels in the front, 8 drive wheels, a pivot point in the center, another 8 drive wheels, and 4 undriven wheels at the rear. Fuel oil is carried in the multiple axle c...

That thing is a beast! I can't even imagine how hard that was to design. It would have been designed with slide rules and it still had rivets. Pressure rating on this engine was 300 PSI. If you want more information, see Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Big_Boy My early engineering ...

gnalan,
Your photography post idea now has over 500 views. Way to go.
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Today's featured photo:
Somewhere in Utah May 2011.
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Today's photo: Look closely to see the petroglyphs. Somewhere in southern Utah 2011
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I like photos that suggest more questions and an urge to go see and investigate.

Today's photo is a cute toad that I see at my house in the summer. They like to climb on cars and hide under the hood.

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Today's Photo: I believe this is Dunstaffnage Chapel in Scotland.
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Today's Photo: Scotland 2009

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