Steam Trains

[crublue1]

Simply put, anything which will burn is used to generate heat. (The main types of fuel used are oil and coal.)
This heat boils water which produces steam. The steam is fed through pipes of ever decreasing diameter (increasing the pressure) which is then fed into the cylinders to provide the power to drive the wheels.
I hope this answers your question.

 

[talkativesprout]

One comes through Romiley quite frequently (for steam trains that is) but i always find out the day before or something so miss it

 

[crublue1]

As I get older, I'm starting to appreciate the steam era a bit more, and how important it was.
There's an excellent vid on you tube that shows a steam train from a drivers perspective, and how difficult a job it was. I'll load it when I get time.
It took 3 highly skilled blokes to drive a train.
You have to keep the boiler stoked, the pressure has to be maintained, have to plan ahead for inclines, stops, signals, it's a bit more involved than you'd think.
And it's dirty, hot, and hard graft.
Respect is due I reckon

 

[crazyg]

Most of them run on tracks. Was on this one last week.

Somebody has photoshopped Dinting Arches. It's not curved like that.
;-)