...comprehensive heat insulation is in fact crucial to all steam locomotives and was neglected in the past until Porta came along.
I am shocked, but I do recall images of steam engines with lots of uninsulated pipe. If these were hot pipes, or if boilers and the like were uninsulated, then it would seem that locomotive engineers were quite mad. Massive heat leaks don't do much for efficiency.
Can you say more about this? Words and ideas I offer here may be used freely and without attribution.
What is often considered one of Stephensonian steam's greatest assets is the fact that it will keep on working (after a fashion) in the most unfavourable circumstances - that's also been its Achilles heel because it has encouraged sloppy practice. Of course it does not invalidate the technology per se and such a criticism could never be levelled at the modern steam engineers I have cited - and they get results. Moreover you cannot get away with it when high-tech water-tube boilers are involved (They don't like you calling them "boilers", you're supposed to say "steam generator" - well, a rose by any other name...) John of Paris
