by doepack
F40CFan wrote:I have to disagree that Metra knows what it is doing, based on conversations with some employees. I get the impression that management can't find their butts with both hands.Allow me to play devil's advocate: Suppose for instance that there were no funds to buy the newer equipment, and as a result, Metra would've had no choice but to keep the Pullmans & the F40C's. Frankly, I'm not so sure that Metra would've been able to meet the ridership surge as well as they have if they had to rely on the older equipment. And while I'm sure the C's could've still held their own by and large, more cars would likely have been out of service, and the MED still wouldn't have bathrooms. True, this is hindsight and conjecture, but because Metra had to abide by the strings attached to the funding (i.e., getting rid of the older stuff), it eventually put them in a better position to both attract and retain new riders, or at least a majority of them for whom Metra is a viable option...
They can't wait to get rid of the Pullman cars, practically giving them away in some cases. Now they're buying them back, having to pay more for them, and then needing to refurbish them because they were not maintained by the previous owner.
They retire probably the best fleet of locomotives they had because they were "too old and costly to rebuild." However, the F40PHs that are to be rebuilt now are as old, or older than the F40Cs were when they were retired.
I won't even start with the new locomotives and rolling stock.
spatcher wrote:Most employees think that they can run the railroad better than management. In most cases they are wrongYou know, I get that distinct impression every time I visit the LIRR board...
--Dorian--