News regarding Surviving World Steam for May 2008

A major landmark for the Surviving World Steam Project was reached with the inclusion of the latest news from Angola, additional data for Russia and Brazil in the May 2008 Update to Surviving World Steam Locomotive, the database now contains information on an estimated 99% of all steam locomotives worldwide. Known to be missing are 232 from the former Soviet Union (they were on the SZD inventory at the time Soviet Locomotive Types was published by Heywood & Button, Stenvall in 1995); 10 in Guatemala; 8 in Puerto Rico; 7 in Columbia; 5 in Lebanon; 1 in Costa Rica; an unknown number in Angola, Guinea, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia; and unknown industrial locomotives in China and elsewhere. (Bottom left photograph by Tim Littler (GW Travel), bottom right by Thor Windbergs.)

The Surviving World Steam Project is documenting the last of the world's remaining steam locomotives, ships, boats, vehicles, and reciprocating pumps in the form of searchable databases and digital photographs. Over 38,000 steam engines in 160 countries and 6,000 photographs are included in the Surviving World Steam Project.

A great big THANK YOU to Paul Evans and Internal Fire, Museum of Power, Wales for hosting our website. Thanks also to Richard A. Bowen, Patrick Cassell, Geoff Coward, Rob Dickinson, Dave Dye, Neil Edwards, Ray Gardiner, Hanley Gerald, Mike Jacques, Björn Larsson, Tim Littler (GW Travel), René van Lochem, Damian Radice, various Wikimedia users, Thor Windbergs, and other members of the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo for providing the majority of the 260 photographs that have been added to the Surviving World Steam Project library since May 2007, with a few more waiting to be processed.

(Note 1)

In addition, 1000 steam engines of various kinds have been added to the project since May, 2007; and hundreds of other records updated. My thanks to Richard Bowman, Geoff Coward, Neil J. Edwards, Peter Evans, Ray Gardiner, M. Janssen, Tim Littler (GW Travel), and the members of the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo for their help.

The Surviving World Steam Locomotive Program CD-ROM now includes 21,418 locomotives (an estimated 99% of the remaining steam locomotives worldwide) and 1600 photographs. The photographs depict examples of builders and classes the world over. Examples of most surviving classes in North America, the UK, and much of Europe are also now included. Thirteen sound clips are also included.

Those who have already purchased a copy can order an Update CD-ROM. The update includes the latest version of the program with the latest features, an updated database, and 155 photographs; many of which do not ship with the program. Update CD-ROMs also include an "Update Wizard", which transfers pictures and sound clip links to the update from your current copy before overwriting it. Thus, you needn't worry about losing your picture collection with each update.

The Surviving World Steam Vehicles Program CD-ROM now includes 11,920 vehicles of various kinds, 1300 photographs, and one Quicktime Movie. No one knows just how many steam vehicles remain; my best guess is that it includes 50% of the total worldwide.

An Update CD-ROM with the latest version of the program, an updated database, 139 photographs, and the "Update Wizard" is also available for Surviving World Steam Vehicles.

A graveyard of ploughing engine parts sitting in what is now the desert in Tonka, SW of Timbuctoo, Mali. With the continuing rise in both scrap metal and oil prices, graveyards like these, and both derelict and working steam engines are disappearing at an alarming rate. Roughly 1400 of the steam engines listed in the Surviving World Steam Project are believed to have been scrapped since the project was began in the mid-1990s, with another 245 or so stored awaiting scrap. As many as 260 more are listed as "presumed scrapped"; in some cases, they are being scrapped before we can document them (Photograph by Wouter J.K. De Weerdt.)

The Surviving World Steamships Program CD-ROM now includes 2,853 vessels, 322 photographs, and one Quicktime Movie. It is thought to include 90% of the steam boats and ships remaining above water.

An Update CD-ROM is now available for those who have already purchased a copy of the program. The update includes the latest version of the program with the latest features, an updated database, and the same 322 photographs as the Program CD-ROM. The Update CD-ROM also includes the "Update Wizard", which transfers pictures and sound clip links to the update from your current copy before overwriting it.

The Surviving World Steam Rolling Stock Program CD-ROM includes non-locomotive rolling stock on rails that have a steam engine and/or a boiler; such as steam cranes, steam shovels (navvies), rotary snowplows, and steam powered logging equipment. Currently, the project includes 429 entries from around the world and 57 photographs.

The Steam Lizards project has two websites. First is the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo. The online "survivor's database" contains 1601 pumps, up 34 since May 2007. A good selection of links is also available in the Links section. Drawings of live steam pumps, pages and data from pump catalogs and other useful documents can be found in the Files section of our Group's website. It currently has 224 active members, making it the most popular part of the project. New for May 2008 is a picture on the group home page of restored Warren 2 x 1¼ x 2¾ duplex #6743/1905, restored by Steam Lizards Group member Mike Jacques.

The second Steam Lizard website is the Surviving World Steam Lizard Photo Gallery. It now includes over 1900 photographs by various photographers from around the world. The photo gallery is entirely searchable, using the search field on the home page; and has no pop ups or banner ads. It is available to everyone; no logon ID is required.

The Surviving World Steam Lizard Photo Gallery now includes the Steam Lizards Virtual Museum. It also includes some excellent articles by other Steam Lizards Group members; including Harry Burkhardt's raising of the former Central of New Jersey steam ferry Elizabeth, restoration of a Worthington duplex pump from the Elizabeth, and Worthington Duplex Restoration, Peter Chadwick's Weir Steam Pump Restoration, John W. Penner's Fairbanks, Morris & Co. 3 x 2 x 4 Duplex Piston Removal How-to and Valve Timing How-to articles, and Terry Lane's O.B.Bolton No.2 Flywheel Pump construction article.

The Surviving World Steam Project has directly helped in the preservation of several steam engines. Information supplied by the project has indirectly helped in the preservation of others. In addition, members of the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo have restored or are restoring steam pumps of all makes and sizes. They include (from left to right) a pair of c.1862 Worthington steam pumps raised from the wreck of the U.S.S. Monitor (cropped from a U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph, USNHC # NH 50954 showing the Monitors general plan, courtesy of Hanley Gerald, Conservation Department of the Mariners Museum in Newport News VA), a Gardner Denver AA 2.5 x 1.5 x 3 duplex ((photo by Tom), a Marsh simplex (photo by Charles P. Reiter), and a Worthington duplex next to a JHP - Strojobal vertical simplex (photo by Frans Borghouts). With fuel and scrap metal prices at an all-time high, today is the day to support your local steam-related organizations by making a donation, buying a ticket, or encouraging your friends to pay them a visit. In addition, many of the engines on outdoor display have been so for thirty years or more; if your local "park engine" has not been recently painted and/or placed under a shelter, today is the day to rally support for one.

In closing, I want to once again extend a warm "thank you" to everyone who has supported the Surviving World Steam Project, either by sending photographs or data, by purchasing a CD-ROM, or both.

The International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES) is sponsoring a trip to Java to visit several of the sugar mills on the island from 16 July – 2 August of 2008. This trip will be conducted by none other than noted worldwide steam expert Rob Dickinson; author of the International Working Steam website. Both Rob and Ray Gardiner have supplied us with images of steam lizards found in the sugar mills of Java as well as India; now is an opportunity to view them in person with Rob as your guide! For more information, please see http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/tours/java2008.htm

Note 1: This chart is taken from the Surviving World Steam Educational Guide. It is from the steam timeline chapter, and explains in part some of the "peaks and valleys" you see on this graph.

Note 2: This listing is taken from the Surviving World Steam Educational Guide. It is from a chapter that lists the major builders found in the Surviving World Steam Project. The Steam Lizards portion of the project only documents roughly a thousand of the tens of thousands of steam pumps found around the world; steam pumps by builders such as Worthington, G & J Weir, and the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) far outnumber the other steam engines still remaining.

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