Great Dorset Steam Fair 2009 - Heavy Haulage Arena, Showmans Engine's, Dancing Girls (MLYT)
posted by Artw on Sep 18, 2009 - 10 comments

The Brazen Android by William Douglas O'Connor, is a 19th century science fiction story based on the myth of the Brazen Head, a steam-powered head that told fortunes. It's available as an audio book from the Internet Archives. (Via)
posted by The Whelk on May 19, 2009 - 18 comments

"Few Victorian inventions have the grace and charm of the Ictíneo, the series of two wooden submarines built by Narcís Monturiol i Estarrol in the second half of the nineteenth century ... The thinking at the time was that it was almost impossible to run a steam engine underwater because it would use up all the oxygen and convert the inside of the ship into an oven. To overcome this, Monturiol invented a chemical furnace based on a reaction between potassium chlorate, zinc and manganese dioxide - a process that produced enough heat to boil water to run the steam engine. To complement this ingenuity, the reaction gave off oxygen as a by-product ... While his competitors devised submarines for military purposes, Monturiol had alternative ambitions. The man was a communist, a revolutionary and a utopian who regarded his invention as a way of improving the life of the working class ... "
posted by jim in austin on May 5, 2009 - 23 comments

The Merkel brothers are the grandsons of steam car makers and sons of an African art collector, and each have carried forward the love of collecting and an interest in cars from the previous generations. Henry Merkel is a recognized White expert, who continues to share knowledge of his family's productions and his knowledge of White steam cars has been published. Ben Merkel focused on collecting Checkered Cabs, and has has a love for peaceful rural junkyards. The youngest grandson of Walter White is Tom Merkel, and his love for collecting old cars outstrips his brothers by miles (print view). Somewhere in the Cuyama Valley, just outside of Los Padres National Forest land is his "car garden," which is also where the snowman that once adorned Santa Claus Lane now resides. His other love is 91+ year old cabin, which he indicates is "Santa Barbara's oldest cabin!" and a "Folk Art Magic Museum!" on the signs around the property, but which the Forest Service wants to tear down. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Apr 21, 2009 - 6 comments

Union Pacific's steam locomotive No. 844 has a rich and storied history. Delivered in 1944, No. 844 pulled the Overland Limited, the Los Angeles Limited, the Portland Rose and the Challenger. When diesel locomotives began pulling passenger trains, No. 844 was transferred to freight service in 1957, and in 1960 it was held for special service. Today, No. 844 travels the country as Union Pacific's "living legend". Here's its schedule. If you're in the Bay Area, No. 844 is on display today, from 8a to 6p at the Oakland yard.
posted by mattdidthat on Apr 21, 2009 - 17 comments

Build giant steam powered robots to defend the Union in the American Civil War.
posted by Lord_Pall on Mar 16, 2009 - 24 comments

On a traditional steam locomotive the pistons drive the wheels directly via cranks. An unusual looking series of variants, the geared locomotives, took a different approach - using gears and driveshafts, giving them an advantage in traction at the cost of speed, making them ideal for steap grades and tight curves of logging railroads. The most common was the Shay Locomotive (video), with it's vertical pistons. Other variant included the Climax (video, seen at the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad) and the Heisler, which had it's pistons in a V-formation (video). Many examples of the geared locomotive can be found at the Northwest Railway Museum.
posted by Artw on Nov 8, 2008 - 19 comments

Following up to this post, the people at the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust recently completed their 18-year project to build a new steam locomotive. Congratulations are in order.
posted by pjern on Aug 17, 2008 - 32 comments

Steam locomotives are dead, right? Awe-inspiring though they might be, labor issues and diesel fuel at 4 cents a gallon killed them in the 1950's and 60's, and they survive only in isolated pockets around the world and on tourist railways. [more inside]
posted by pjern on Apr 3, 2008 - 51 comments

"Team Fortress 2 is the most beautiful game ever made." The unique rendering style (wmv, YT, or pdf). Near universal acclaim (near). How to improve your game. A two part interview with developers. What your class could say about you. And don't forget your sprays. Ha! (Previously.)
posted by Soup on Nov 8, 2007 - 83 comments

Portal's "Still Alive." The man who wrote it. The woman who sang it. The official skinny, with lyrics and chords. A music video parody. On piano, guitar, and Garry's Mod. Its place in video game history. And finally, one or two ways to get it. (Spoilers all.)
posted by Soup on Nov 6, 2007 - 121 comments

"The car is constructed on a tubular steel chassis ... the Curtis turbine engine which will produce 300bhp, enough to enough to push the car to 200mph (in theory)." The builders hope to break a land speed record that's stood for 101 years. That is, the land speed record for a steam car.
posted by delmoi on Jul 9, 2007 - 22 comments

Antique Keyboard is the newest work from SteamPunk Labs.
posted by fandango_matt on Feb 22, 2007 - 36 comments

Victorian Turkish Baths - "Can the active, fox-hunting, cricketing, boating Englishman bear the same kind of treatment that benefits and gratifies the indolent, languid, luxurious Turk?"
posted by tellurian on Jan 17, 2007 - 12 comments

Steam Train Maury caught the Westbound home. The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind and you won't find no policemen there.
posted by orthogonality on Nov 21, 2006 - 38 comments

Welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Remember our motto: "There's a hole in the sky, through which things can fly." (Coming soon.)
posted by nervestaple on Jul 20, 2006 - 26 comments

Live steam creations. We've seen steampunk robots in artwork, and read about them in fiction, but now someone has gone and built real, radio-controlled, steam-powered creatures that roll and creep and swim.
posted by Gamblor on Feb 10, 2006 - 13 comments

Some 30 billion pounds of steam every year flow beneath the streets of Manhattan from the Battery to 96th Street. While it is unknown to most New Yorkers, Con Edison's subterranean steam system is the biggest steam district in the world, larger than the next four largest U.S. steam systems combined... And it's got a robot. [MI]
posted by ursus_comiter on Jan 4, 2006 - 45 comments

SteamWatch: Observing Our Benefactors Since 2004 - "Who has control over the games I bought? It used to be me. Now it is 'Steam.'" Justifiable implementation of digital rights management or complete insanity? Anyone had any problems yet? (11/18 Half-Life 2 thread.) More on XrML, including Karen Coyle's excellent survey.
posted by mrgrimm on Nov 30, 2004 - 40 comments

Steamboat Museum.
posted by hama7 on Jan 21, 2004 - 3 comments

Vroooom...fun with all manner of engines. Steam, Pistons, Gas Turbines, and last but by no means least Rockets.
posted by zeoslap on Apr 1, 2003 - 6 comments