Dominic Mazoch posted:OK. Suppose you have two locomotives of the same class. One is at the ATSF Station in Galveston TX. The other is at Union Station Denver. Galveston is at 6 feet above sea level in the Strand. Denver is a mile above sea level. Would the locomotive in Denver produce less power because the atmospheric pressure is lower? The pressure/boiling point relationship given above is based at sea level. Still risk of explosion in case of boiler/firebox failure.
A long time ago, I remember reading about some high altitude railroads had trouble with the power output of their diesels when they converted over from steam; ie, steam wasn't affected by altitude but internal combustion engines are.
