We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher
saying something like:

I'm not sure how well plans have survived - or how much was really
documented in steam's heyday (there seems to be a wealth of knowledge all
but forgotten about '60s and earlier IC engines, little tricks and tips
for repair and servicing that the modern generation simply don't know - is
that not the case with steam power?)


Its all buried in archives. I've still got manuals for many 60's cars.

This is ********.
The manuals won't contain the unofficial servicing tricks that many
maintenance men knew from the day they started the job, because they
were clued in by others who'd been doing it for years.
Certainly doesn't apply only to cars, either.