[Steam-engine] Re: How many remain?

[James Hefner]

No; the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES) is maintaining 
a list of stationary engines worldwide.  Rather than duplicate their 
efforts, I have joined the Society and am contributing to the Society. 

The "Surviving World Steam Project" is meant to cover the rest of the steam 
engine scene not covered by ISSES. 

 -James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a 

Surviving World Steam Project
http://www.survivingworldsteam.com 

Eric Applegate writes: 

> James,
> Does you list not include stationary engines? 
> 
> Eric Applegate 
> 
> ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
> From: "James Hefner" <james1 at pernet.net>
> Reply-To: Steam-engine mailing list <steam-engine at lists.stationary-engine.com>
> Date:  Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:45:13 -0500 
> 
>>Andy glines writes:  
>>
>>> A question I often get asked is how many traction
>>> engines remain today?  I don't reqally have a guess. 
>>> It seems like there a lot of them but that may be
>>> because they get a lot of attention wherever they go.  
>>> 
>>> Andy Glines
>>> Evansville, IN
>>
>>That's a good question, one that I am not sure anyone can answer with any 
>>accuracy.  
>>
>>I have 4400 steam vehicles in my "Surviving World Steam Vehicle" database 
>>for North America; that includes not just traction engines, but steam cars, 
>>shovels, cranes, basically steam engines that were not on rails or on the 
>>water, but could be moved from location to another.  
>>
>>Blake Malkamaki, who is also a member of this forum, was kind enough to 
>>share his list with me awhile back.  I have since added on quite a few 
>>others from other sources and direct observation.  
>>
>>To the best of my knowledge; no-one else has attempted such a list until 
>>recently for North America.  There is a website on the web that lifted most 
>>of my list for North America, and added his own information to it.  The 
>>British have "The Traction Engine Register", Europe has "The European 
>>Traction Engine Register", and while back, someone put together a 
>>comprehensive steam engine registery for the state of Victoria in Australia.  
>>
>>Looking at the numbers for my project; the ratio of steam vehicles to steam 
>>locomotives and steam engines in total are pretty close between the U.S.A. 
>>and the UK and Australia.  But, my best guess is that I have only 50% of the 
>>engines still remaining in the North America; Blake's list seems to fall 
>>short when it comes to engines preserved in Canada, in museums, and stuffed 
>>and mounted in parks and whatnot.  
>>
>>Worldwide, I have 11,307 listed.  But, outside of the above countries; few 
>>lists can be found; only individual observations and a few works lists of 
>>preserved engines.  My "finger in the wind" estimation is between 25,000 and 
>>40,000 worldwide remain.  
>>
>>Steam vehicles and traction engines will always be more difficult to list 
>>accurately because most are in private hands, they change hands surprisingly 
>>often, and sometimes the serial numbers are not known.  That is along with 
>>the usual problems of trying to match lists from two sources and timeframes 
>>and account for engines lost in the woods, sunk, buried, or abandoned in far 
>>corners of the world.  What has been found so far (like the two ploughing 
>>engines now abandoned in the midst of the Sudan Desert) still continue to 
>>amaze me.  
>>
>> -James Hefner
>>Hebrews 10:20a  
>>
>>Surviving World Steam Project
>>http://www.survivingworldsteam.com 
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