Are steam locomotives more powerful than diesel?

Steam locomotives can be more powerful than diesel locmotives depending upon the size, capacity, weight and other specifications of the different engines. Steam locos used coal and/ or fire wood to heat the water, and hence the amount of heat and steam generated would not be/ can't be even all the time.



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Diesels replaced steam locomotives because that's what they did - they are more efficient because they cost less money to run. This article, written by US locomotive engineer Al Krug in a series of newsgroup posts, tries to explain the power questions that show how diesels are more efficient than steam locomotives.

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All hail Mother Russia: with 17,838 horsepower, the Novocherkassk 4E5K locomotive is the most powerful in the world.

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Steam locomotives are no longer used to transport passengers or products because electric and diesel locomotives are faster, more efficient, and easier to maintain. The locomotives that are still running are a piece of history dating back to the 1800's that really put into perspective just how far we've come!

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The first Gresley class P2 No. 2001 was completed in 1934 by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) at its Doncaster works. It was the most powerful express passenger steam locomotive ever built for a British railway.

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Normal Operating Power for the steam engines was about 1700 Hp per shaft, 3400 Hp total. Max Power output of the engines was about 2500 Hp per shaft, 5000 Hp total.

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As wireless technologies advanced in the 1960s, freight railroads began adding extra locomotives to the rear of trains to give them enough power to climb steep hills. This is how distributed power was born.

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Most yard-switching and short-haul locomotives are equipped with diesel engines ranging from 600 to 1,800 horsepower; road units commonly have engines ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 horsepower.

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Power plant capacity is far greater than any individual locomotive uses, so electric locomotives can have a higher power output than diesel locomotives and they can produce even higher short-term surge power for fast acceleration.

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