by johnthefireman
I'm very tempted to respond to that, Philip, but I think my response would go way beyond what is appropriate political debate on a railway site, so I'll pass.
Railroad Forums
Moderators: Komachi, David Benton
Gilbert B Norman wrote:Hat's off to the Manchester Guardian's columnist for that extremely balanced yet provocative work linked by Mr. Fireman.I find almost everything written by citizens of the US about Cuba deeply depressing.
Here is the noted Nicholas Kristoff column appearing in The New York Times yesterday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/opini ... -cuba.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you want to see or hear what Rush and Sean think about this development, which I am on record predicting around here, well, "you're on your own".
Ridgefielder wrote:Politics to one side-- what about the Cuban railways? What are they like? Are the locomotives and rolling stock old Eastern Bloc junk, or are they pre-Revolutionary North American designs? Is it a reliable system?If you were fiddling around Wikipedia, then you must have come across the Railways of Cuba entry, where you would have read that
I fiddled around on Wikipedia and Google a bit yesterday
Cuba was able to obtain used trains and new locomotives, from friendly nations not affected by the embargo:So, for the 21st Century the answer to where the locomotives and rolling stock are coming from is, as with so many things, China, with a lot of second-hand equipment from the Western World (except the US, of course).
5 Type RSC18 locomotives were shipped from Canada
9 electrical motor coaches from Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) (Catalonian Government Railways) of Spain
Starting in 2000, the Cuban railway network was improved by more second hand equipment. More used vehicles were coming from Canada, Mexico and Europe. In 2002 used light rubbing cars (BR771) were acquired from Germany.
Much of Cuba's trains are diesel and only a handful of steam locomotives remain for the sugar industry and the tourism industries.
After the 1990s, China became the new supplier of railway cars for Cuba. In 2006, 12 new locomotives (Type DF7G-C at 2,500 hp or 1,900 kW) were shipped to Cuba. China Railways also sold some of its retired cars.
Gilbert B Norman wrote:Photos of Cuban railroad equipment; looks like they scrounge it from wherever they can get it.scrounge = obtain, purchase.
http://www.ttnut.com/cuba-ferrocarriles ... 63-10.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Additionally, I have seen photos of Swiss built Coaches acquired from Jamaica when passenger service there was discontinued; also stainless steel cars from France that once were assigned to "Le Mistral".
David Benton wrote:Not sure what point you are making, George, I believe most rolling stock would be brought Secondhand up to now. that would fit many people's definiton of Scrounge."Scrounge" is a word which suggests low social status, and is part of what I regard as the paranoid attitude to Cuba so common in the US. (I don't read the Telegraph, although I was familar with it in my youth.) I think many Americans are afraid that Cuba might succeed and would like to make sure it doesn't. I think they would prefer it to have the sort of squalor and failure so common in such countries as Colombia.
Here is a article from England's right wing Daily Telegraph, perhaps to balance out the left wing Gaurdian's Article John linked too.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/ar ... d=11376994" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Its amusing how we measure "westernisation" these days with the arrival of a MC'Donalds.
*John might see a little unintentional joke of mine in this post.I shall correct it if He does*.
george matthews wrote: the paranoid attitude to Cuba so common in the US.Sorry George- it's not paranoia, its realism.