I have been fascinated by steam powered equipment all my life, especially marine engines of the reciprocating variety.
As a teenager, I collected model steam engines, read Audel's Marine Engineer's Handbook from cover to cover, reveled in a visit to the engine room of the Staten Island Ferry, and toyed with the idea of entering the United States Merchant Marine Academy to prepare for a life at sea. Fate was to intervene, however, and I ended up following other pursuits.
For a collection of really good websites devoted to steam powered boats and ships, visit