Engineering, Maintanance and Building. Part-Two.

Differing Requirements?

Because there are so many different gauges around the world and types of systems from mainline, to metro and tubes there is need for the same types doing the same jobs at differing scales. This has been tried on the London Underground, who purchased smaller Class 66 locomotives.

In days gone by steam cranes and open waggons carried material and crew gangs to build, but today a whole section can be laid by machine as we have already seen. It is the complex electrics overhead that cause expense and delays, computer systems have to be accurate with signal commands.

This new requirement when in place allows high-Speed travel and less point switching for passenger trains, but freight remains a different matter. Most recovery over the last forty years has been carried out by a second locomotive, but in the years to come this with under floor motors as on both tube and metro stock will overcome all of the old problems.

Much of the maintenance of the old days may be carried out more by robotic controlled vehicle based on the current stock with video equipment. Not every nation will be able to afford this so depending on where they are many older methods will remain.