Herein lies the answer to getting good life out of your loco's -
MAINTAIN THEM!
The factors which will dictate how long a loco lasts are pretty much
a) the soundness of the basic design
b) the soundness of the loco frames
c) how well you maintain it
To this time, our B and S class loco's are fine at a) and b), so as long
as they're properly maintained, and get their major overhauls when due,
they'll continue to run well.
A 'new' loco will quickly degrade into scrap metal if you don't look
after it, regardless of how good the design is (ie, C class). And
likewise, if a loco's design is inherently poor, doesn't matter how much
you maintain it, it'll still be unreliable (this is reputed to be the
case with the 80 class units).
Also of interest is that B61 may (or may not) outlive the A's, which are
reputed to have problems with frame cracking.
What sort of mileages have Alco units generally run in service?
Cheers,
Craig. (leaving the half-doors of the ACZ open to listen to that
beautiful 567 engine in notch 8)
-- Craig Haber albatross@harnessnet.com.au Manufacturing Systems Engineer (almost) Web Page Designer, Harness Racing, Railways, and Essendon Football Club fanatic http://www.harnessnet.com.au/