Why did diesel replace steam locomotives?

The diesel engine drives an alternator, which produces electricity to run electric motors mounted on the locomotive's axles. The internal combustion engine was a dramatic improvement in efficiency over the steam locomotive, making substantial savings possible in maintenance and the elimination of widespread facilities.



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There the economic edge ended, however, as diesels were far cheaper to operate. Fuel costs were less, for openers, but that was just the beginning. Typically, steam spent far too little time on the road and far too much in the shops and engine terminals being serviced and inspected.

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Although steam locomotives were withdrawn from normal railway service in Great Britain in 1968, due to sustained public interest including a locomotive preservation movement, steam hauled passenger trains can still be seen on the mainline railway (i.e. Network Rail owned tracks as opposed to heritage railways) in the ...

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ton for ton a steam locomotive can and does pull more tons at higher speeds than a diesel locomotive can. The H.P. of a diesel is less effective at faster speeds because more electricity is needed to keep the traction motors spinning at the higher speeds.

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Black locomotives became common beginning in 1880, after coal burning engines made grime commonplace. Black was chosen because black locomotives didn't show all the dirt and grime that covered the locomotive during normal use.

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Diesel trains are more versatile as they can work on the almost 60% of lines that aren't electrified and the portion that is. Diesel power can also transport exceptionally heavy loads and so is often used in the freight sector.

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  • A steam engine is huge and heavy. ...
  • Steam engine has low efficiency.
  • Steam engine does not start at once.
  • Before a steam engine can start, one has to build a coal fire to get steam which takes a long time.


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A group of Union Pacific employees volunteered their services to restore the locomotive to running condition in 1981. In 2022, Union Pacific donated Challenger No. 3985 to the non-profit Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) who plans to restore it back to operating condition.

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Coal fired steam locomotives do produce a lot of CO2 emissions but also aerosols which has a cooling effect (global dimming), which cancels out some of the warming produced by CO2. Diesel locos probably produce less CO2 but also less aerosols that would cancel out the CO2.

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China continued to build mainline steam locomotives until the late 20th century, even building a few examples for American tourist operations. China was the last main-line user of steam locomotives, with use ending officially on the Jining–Tongliao Railway at the end of 2005.

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All the metal parts of the engine are still far too hot to touch. Inside the boiler are tubes called “flues” which carry the hot gases from the fire through the boiler to heat the water to steam.

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There are currently over 400 former BR steam locomotives preserved in Britain (not including many additional former industrial examples). Most have been captured in action by Geograph contributors and I have attempted to illustrate this great heritage using their input.

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