[ursa minor]

Nostalgia for the past is just that, remembering all the good parts of the past without having to deal with the realities that existed then and now.

We all miss things that made a time in our life special, in this case for a number of us it's the unique sound that those large slow turning engines made. Remembering that is fun for any number of personal reasons. For me, it's because when I was a kid and we were able to stay on Cow for a good part of the summer, you could actually hear the Mount before you saw her as she passed down the Broads during the week. (Even though she was over a mile away.) Not loud, more like a slight muttering across the water. It was cool and I miss it not so much for the sound but because I can't go back to that time that only exists now in my mind.

I'm sure the engineers on the Mount don't miss having to try to source or custom make parts for 70 plus year old engines. I'm sure it's much more pleasant to maintain the new engines as opposed to praying the old ones would make it through another busy season. There's probably a lot of peace of mind for the Captain in knowing that the ship can stop or turn in an emergency thanks to shaft brakes and modern engines / transmissions. However I don't doubt that they all still miss the sound of those big beasts rolling over and coming to life after another winter nap. It was cool and we miss it.