Regular main-line operation for preserved steam locomotives depends on supporting infrastructure as well as the engine. Modern routes no longer maintain the network of water points and coaling facilities built for steam traffic. Rebuilding those stations for occasional heritage runs would be expensive and hard to justify commercially. An operable locomotive can therefore remain limited in where and how often it runs.
Notable Point · 1:36:00-1:36:25
Main-line steam depends on water and coaling infrastructure
A heritage-railway comment explains why preserved steam locomotives still need a vanished network of main-line water and coaling facilities.