I think I have about 16 diesels and 6 steamers.  I love them both.  I like Wabash and there's not a lot of selection for steam but have several different Wabash diesels.  I grew up listening to diesels late at night going out of town and then into transition (I think that's the correct term).  I always thought they were shifting gears.  I have steam probably because I like steam power in general.  It's much more "alive" than diesel-electric.