I agree-maintenance-yes-scores of electricians, fitters, smiths, mechanics,
machinists at
every roundhouse. Parts could not be ordered from a warehouse like say from
GMD in the
case of first gen diesels, they had to be made in house, such is my
understanding anyway.
Very labour intensive for sure-whole Canadian towns-Truro, Moncton, Belleville
(Ok I
can't think of a CP town yet) had the loco service industry as a pillar of
existence a
hundred years ago.
I wonder if fuel was another reason, perhaps not dollar-per-pound but i read
long ago
that steam engines were about 3% efficient on average-the other 97% of fuel
energy went
up the stack or radiated out the sides as heat or in overcoming friction in the
loco itself.
Diesels while not as efficient as say electric caternary pickup were on the
order of a tenfold
increase in efficiency.
If anyone cares to argue I don't mind, feel free.
Jon Archibald
-- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Wally" <wdowrie@...> wrote:
accountants have always been the same ) Would the maintainance be a bigger
I wonder given the cost of another crew ( really nickles, and dimes although
company
Wally
