The FT was initially promoted as a supplement to the steamer, not a replacement. It was very successful, as history tells, and was a practical solution for the railroads for needeng less maintenance.

After 1946, after EMD introduced the F3, Lima, PRR, C&O and others thought a new locomotive was wasted capital. It's true, you can't deny that the comparisons found the diesel better.

New York Central did some road comparisons on total operating costs. A Niagara vs. a (4000 hp) diesel trainset tested for the entire month of December, and it was concluded that it costed $1.22 for steam and $1.48 for diesel. These findings finally were dismissed after the other railroads (without doing the same cost comparisons) trusted that the diesel locomotive HP was a true figure, and that steam HP was only peak figures, and vague because of the boiler, cylinder and drawbar measurements. NYC found that the Niagaras had 25% more pull at running speed and could accelerate a 15 car train faster from a dead stop. The normal replacement for any 4-8-4 was 6000 HP, not the prescribed 4000 HP. They also found that if 6000 HP could be obtained by three diesel locomotives, the diesel costs less to run.

Steam locomotive sales were never marketed the way most everything is today. It was a "word of mouth" pitch, and mostly promoted by demonstrated success from other railroads. GM knew how to sell, and using strong customer service and financing, had the advantage.

Lima was too busy building "standard" engines for the war effort, and wasn't able to do any research until 1945. It was only four years for any new steam technology research between the depression and World War II. Not a long time for any kind of advancements to be put to use.

If you at the 2-6-6-6 Allegheny type, it was used mostly in the wrong field. It would have been best in a 30-60 MPH range, but used in a 10-20 MPH situations regularily. It had 1000 more horses than the Big Boy at the drawbar. If UP had them, it would had been a dream at 35-45 MPH with those 67" drivers. It was why the railroads found the operating costs much higher in a steamer. A 70"-80" driver was best suited at 40-70 MPH. Standard driver wheels were increased from 63" to 69" in the 1930's because of balancing issues above 60 MPH. The counterbalance in the 63" wheel was too small, and the locomotive would yaw from side to side, damaging parts and track.

Interestingly, N&W was the only road that used it's steam locomotives properly, and one of the last to transition into diesel (the 1960's).

Another interesting fact is that Lima (the most innovative of steam locomotive manufacturers) merged with Hamilton in 1947. After the merger, the commitment to steam was killed, as Hamilton was a diesel engine builder.

almo