[LT. Ox]

The start of this thread is about Rail traffic.
During the self-imposed oil shortage (my belief) of the early ’70s some serious research was given to reintroducing steam power using coal fuels. Both the Southern Pacific and the (then) Denver and Rio Grande had serious need of heavy hauling power due to the mountain grades.
Both also had a very few old steam engines available, the engines had mostly been converted to oil burners but the change back to coal did not present a problem either mechanically or financially.

The best fuel source, using coal) had been injected coal slurry. Once a hot enough fire had been achieved in the firebox by solid coal then a mix of powdered coal and water was injected over the fire.

My understanding is that the project had not met any obstacles that would have derailed it (pun intended) until the fact that sufficient mechanics to maintain the equipment were going to have to be trained and there were no longer any engineers to run the things.

In our game however petro fuels and the ability to resume production of them in sufficient quantities is trump. Another way to get bulk and quantity transport of goods is steam power.
Starting with the rail fan stuff and the railroad museum restorable engines and some bright boys with machine shops, well a game idea or at least a thought.
I have lived in both California and have seen the Sacramento Rail museum and the SP engines that still run for excursion as well as Colorado and the many restored and operable engines here. I presume that the east and south have much the same or even more.
Have fun telling me your thoughts