Douglas,
Technology on locomotives to improve operating efficiency is nothing new. In "Classic Trains" "Steam Glory 3", issued this month, (good issue, by the way), there is an extensive article about the steam locomotive valve pilot whose development goes back to 1919. It was a device applied to many steam locomotives (none on the Q as far as I know), that was designed to assist the engineer in in setting the steam admission valve cut off to achieve the best valve setting at a given speed. The intent was to achieve maximum locomotive output while efficiently using both fuel and steam. Even then, managements recognized that not all locomotive engineers were created equal. Really, locomotive development from day one has been an effort to incorporate the latest technology to improve efficiency and, consequently, the bottom line.
Bill Barber Gravois Mills, MO Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:08 pm (PST) . Posted by:Thanks. I guess I kind of knew that. Leo's probably correct in his airline analogy. Better for efficiency, investment, etc. But losing a lot, also (and I know you're smiling, Karl).
Does anyone know how tight they keep things - how much slack they cut engineers on running?
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