Loyal to Steam

[SPer]

Why did Norfolk and Western stayed with steam and Santa Fe did not

[BaltACD]

N&W operated in coal mine territory, minimal shipping costs to get 'company fuel' in position.  Water was plentiful in the area.  N&W had very few 'long haul' routes thus running steam, district to district fit their operating plan.

ATSF operated through a lot of desert area and getting water in position for steam was a continuing costly problem.  ATSF was granted a large number of the original EMD FT diesels by the War Production Board and were able to realize the operating efficiencies from these locomotives during the war - after the war they moved with haste to fully realize the efficiencies of the diesels.

[seppburgh2]

Don't remember if this is from Trains or Classic Trains.  Thaw Wall Street view of the time was major RR running steam  mid to late 50's were living in the pre-historic era and treated the stock accordingly. The NW had a hard deadline due to stock swaps and the purchase of the Virginia to be out of steam business with a specific stock price.  Steam was going to be drag on the market price.  That my two cents and maybe a faulty memory.

 

[West Coast S]

No doubt having a stable of modern steam designed and constructed by the railroad contributed to late steam operations, SP during this period also commisioned a study on the diesel and concluded it had sufficient modern steam to postpone freight dieselization until the early sixties, the introduction of the F3 and later SD series rendered the issue moot.

Dave  

[Deggesty]

Balt, I have the impression that the N&W did not have to treat the water before using it in the boilers, but the AT&SF had great trouble, not only with finding water but with the alkali in what it did find.; am I right?

[KCSfan]

I think two factors led the N&W to stay with steam for as long as it did.

1.The N&W had a fleet of modern steam locomotives.

2. And more importantly, since so much of their traffic was coal, the N&W was closely allied to (and dependent upon) the coal mining industry.

Mark

[BigJim]

The N&W treated their water like everyone else.

[daveklepper]

A third factor was very modern and efficient steam locomotive servicing facilities.  And a fourth was very heads-up and efficient utilization of the modern steam power.  

[wjstix]

BTW both railroads dieselized, ATSF just started earlier and completed dieselization earlier. N&W wasn't a very large railroad, so once they decided to go diesel, they converted pretty quickly.

[daveklepper]

Possibly too fast.   Saunders wanted to make a name for himself after less than steller results at PRR.  But maybe not.   At least they had the very good sence to standardize and not buy from everyone just to dieselize even faster.   They did dieselize intelligently.   First the connection to the PRR Harrisburg line to end the use of the old 4-8-0's, with modern power still on  main-line.   With that experience then proceeding to the main line.