As noted (above), the following is from the December 1962 - Volume 23 Number 2 issue of Trains, page 3, at col. 3, under the "masthead" and above the contents:
LIKE THE Y.M.
"We know how the yardmaster feels when he gets his terminal all cleaned up. The hotshots got out on time; the cripples have been repaired on the rip track and sent on their way; and the foreign-line cars are not "old" to the point of incurring per diem charges. This issue of Trains is "fluid" too, as the Y.M. would say. . . . "
- PDN.
I wonder if fluidity comes under the same definition once applied to pornography - "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."
Perhaps the secret to fluidity is adequate capacity. Schedules for individual cars were mentioned earlier in the thread. On a fluid railroad, such a car would be able to meet that schedule, reaching aggregation points, etc, as planned. While the car would not always be in motion, it would be where it was supposed to be, unchecked by such artificial 'barriers' as clogged yards or overloaded trains. This would, of course, increase the overall "velocity" of the car as well.
Viscosity isn't really a bad comparison. Many liquids change their viscosity based on temperature (which is why we have multi-grade oils for our cars). The analogy would be the relative state of the capacity of the railroad. A railroad with adequate capacity would have low viscosity. One that is capacity strained (which could even occur periodically on an otherwise "fluid" railroad - say, during the annual grain rush) would have high viscosity.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
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