Common
Retirement of steam locomotives by country
Beginning in 1917, steam locomotives, which consume large amounts of fuel (wood, coal, and later oil) and even more water, were gradually retired and replaced by diesel from the 1920s. Railway electrification started in the 1880s onwards, which required much more infrastructure (for power generation, grid, and Overhead lines) before electric locomotives could come in use. The timeframe of these processes varied by country. Leading electrification was Switzerland, having 50% of the grid electrified by 1928, with long Trans-Alpine tunnels, steep inclines, small radius turns, and the availability of hydro electric power but lack of domestic coal mines. Railfan & Railroad stated in 2022 that "the only places on earth to see steam locomotives in revenue freight service are small switching operations in China, North Korea and Bosnia," but that these were "sporadic at best." While the use of steam locomotives in mainline service has largely come to an end, preserved steam trains are still in regular...
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