Was the steam locomotive successful

Answer 1

YES, it certianly was. For the last 200 years, in one form or another, we have used steam locomotives for hauling freight and passengers in almost every developed country on earth. The only reason why they were phased out in favor of diesel and electric locomotion was due to the percieved cost savings in maintenence, labor, raw materials (e.g. coal and oil for fuel) and land (to service the locomotives, they needed land for roundhouses, shops, turntables, water and sand towers, ash pits, and homes for the people who worked on them.)