This is an era of Steam History that I'm interested in. "The Twilight of Steam" they called it. Of course here in the US the switch from steam to diesel was pretty well established in the late 1950s, mainly because the Post War United States was almost awash in oil. The British and European railways held onto steam power just a bit longer as it was more economical. Right now I'm reading a story about coal fired Merchant Marine vessels in the late 1930s facing the threat of the line going over to "Motor Ships." The switch from coal to oil supposedly put a lot of crews out of work.

I'm sure that the following music would match the image: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ilfv1DQ5RmI