Steam & Excursion > Scenes Like This Spelled Job Security For Thousands For Years!

For many of the decades that steam power ruled America's railroads, the railroad industry itself in this country employed more people than any other industry.  When you see scenes like this of steam motive power parked awaiting servicing one quickly sees why this statistic came to be.

Here we see Southern Pacific's West Oakland, California shops in 1938.  The sea of steam locomotives parked here in need of some type of service or maintenance is impressive, especially when one realizes that the W. Oakland facility was not one of SP's larger steam servicing facilities to begin with.

Back in 1938, when this photo was taken, the many workers there could not imagine a day where their skills in boiler making, pipe fitting, etc would not be needed.  However, i just a few short years the emergence of diesel motive power on the railroad scene would wipe out entirely scenes like this and the many skilled laborers that made this all possible.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/18 03:36 by LoggerHogger.

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Another neat picture to study and look for lost details.   I wonder if the same thing will eventaully happen in the auto industry where internal combustion goes away and robots take over most of the work.  It probably won't be as fast and dramatic as the departure of steam.

Have you seen a modern auto factory?  Robots are/have taken over,  no matter what type of powertrain the autos have.

Wow, what a scene.  Love to wander around there and just soak it up.

Electric vehicles have far fewer parts and will need less maintenance. They also have super torque!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Electric vehicles have far fewer parts and will
> need less maintenance. They also have super
> torque!

As anybody who has ever driven a Tesla can tell you. They will definitely launch off the line!

So where was this complex in relation to the diesel shop (ex-passenger car shop) that used to be in West Oakland?  Love the phot, there is so much to look at.  

Nathan 

Should be out of the picture at far right.

But the manufacturers and dealers will figure out a way to get money out of you for maintenance and warranties.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com


MojaveBill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Electric vehicles have far fewer parts and will
> need less maintenance. They also have super
> torque!