What is "live steam"

Live \Live\ (l[imac]v), a. [Abbreviated from alive. See Alive, Life.]

1. Having life; alive; living; not dead.

   If one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it.
   --Ex. xxi. 35.

2. Being in a state of ignition; burning; having active properties; as, a live coal; live embers. `` The live ether.''
   --Thomson.

3. Full of earnestness; active; wide awake; glowing; as, a live man, or orator.

4. Vivid; bright. `` The live carnation.''
   --Thomson.

5. (Engin.) Imparting power; having motion; as, the live spindle of a lathe; live steam.

6. (Elec.) Connected to a voltage source; as, a live wire.

7. (Broadcasting) Being transmitted instantaneously, as events occur, in contrast to recorded.

8. (Sport) Still in active play; -- of a ball being used in a game; as, a live ball.

9. Pertaining to an entertainment event which was performed (and possibly recorded) in front of an audience; contrasted to performances recorded in a studio without an audience. Live birth, the condition of being born in such a state that acts of life are manifested after the extrusion of the whole body. --Dunglison. Live box, a cell for holding living objects under microscopical examination. --P. H. Gosse. Live feathers, feathers which have been plucked from the living bird, and are therefore stronger and more elastic. Live gang. (Sawing) See under Gang. Live grass (Bot.), a grass of the genus Eragrostis. Live load (Engin.), a suddenly applied load; a varying load; a moving load; as a moving train of cars on a bridge, or wind pressure on a roof. Live oak (Bot.), a species of oak ( Quercus virens), growing in the Southern States, of great durability, and highly esteemed for ship timber. In California the Quercus chrysolepis and some other species are also called live oaks. Live ring (Engin.), a circular train of rollers upon which a swing bridge, or turntable, rests, and which travels around a circular track when the bridge or table turns. Live steam, steam direct from the boiler, used for any purpose, in distinction from exhaust steam. Live stock, horses, cattle, and other domestic animals kept on a farm. whole body. live wire

   1. (Elec.) a wire connected to a power source, having a voltage potential; -- used esp. of a power line with a high potential relative to ground, capable of harming a person who touches it.

   2. (Fig.) a person who is unusually active, alert, or aggressive.

n. steam coming from a boiler at full pressure

Live steam is steam under pressure, obtained by heating water in a boiler. The steam is used to operate stationary or moving equipment.

A live steam machine or device is one powered by steam, but the term is usually reserved for those that are replicas, scale models, toys, or otherwise used for heritage, museum, entertainment, or recreational purposes, to distinguish them from similar devices powered by electricity or some other more convenient method but designed to look as if they are steam-powered. Revenue-earning steam-powered machines such as mainline and narrow gauge steam locomotives, steamships, and power-generating steam turbines are not normally referred to as "live steam".

Steamrollers and traction engines are popular, in 1:4 or 1:3 scale, as are model stationary steam engines, ranging from pocket-size to 1:2 scale.