Questions about the logic of handling rolling stock in Thomas the Tank Engine TV series vs real life railroad operations.

[SD70Dude]

Passengers complain instantly, freight doesn't.

Perishable or fragile freight can easily be damaged, which is probably one of the reasons we don't haul a huge amount of that stuff in boxcars anymore.  Modern North American intermodal equipment has very little slack compared to regular freight cars, and the older 'buffers & chain' coupling system found on the Island of Sodor has even more slack. 

When freight is damaged it can be very difficult to trace exactly where it happened.  So it is very difficult to assign certain blame to the crew and train who did it. 

I grew up reading and watching the Thomas stories, and also had a large collection of the wooden toys.  Now I work for a real railroad.  Ever since I started working I've been stunned at just how accurate so many of Rev. Awdry's stories are, especially from the other side of the Atlantic.

[Engi1487]

I remember when watching the Thomas the Tank Engine TV series as kid, a common trope is that passanger cars have to be handled genlty and more carefully then freight cars, as they can be handled more roughly if need be.

 I suppose the logic is that, because passanger cars carry people along with the food stuff, fragile silver and glasswear and eating utensils needed for Gordons (the big engine, #4 of the North Western Railway) express, it needs he be handled carefully do nothing becomes upset and at a good smooth speed, the ride is not uncomfertable.

 However I have to ask how this applies to real life railroad passanger and freight opperations in North America, Britian and the rest of the world. Shouldnt both passanger and freight cars be treated the same?

I mean if you handle one more roughly then the other, you wear the rolling stock out much faster. Not to mention, many freight cars carry fragile vanualbles such as class bottles, automobiles that even when well packaged and shock insullated, are still fragile to the whims of the freight cars movments.