-=> Quoting Reggie Arford to Wes Leatherock <=-
       I am not going to address the other points you
raised, including the fact you can't find a job that
you feel you should have, except to note that here,
as in most places I've been to recently, McDonald's
and other similar places are not able to find enough
employees at the minimum wage, and have help wanted
signs out advertising the higher wages they are
offering.
       This obviously reflects an employment picture
with rising wages.
 WL>       This is indeed relevant to motive power on railroads.
 WL>Many authorities have noted that the steam engine developed
 WL>as comparatively a simple machine in the USA with rather
 WL>broad tolerances, while in the UK they were often precision
 WL>machines requiring skilled machinists and constant attention.
 RA> You think a US-made steam engine is made sloppy? :D
       If you wish to look at it that way.  They were made
to be less complicated and to emphasize reliability and
ease of maintenance over the "efficiency" theoretically
achievable with more complex designs.
       A similar approach to mechanical devices resulted
in the U.S.A. becoming a country where automobiles had
broad ownership rather than being limited to a wealthy
elite who could afford chaffeur/mechanics to keep their
machines running.
       The model T, of course, is the oustanding example,
but the same approach was soon followed by other
designers and manufacturers.
 WL>       The reason often cited for this is that in the USA
 WL>the skilled machinist was relatively less common and
 WL>commanded a substantially higher pay than in the UK, where
 WL>there was an abundance of skilled artisan who as a result
 WL>could be hired for less to maintain the high-maintenance
 WL>UK locomotives.
 RA> Horsefeathers. Faulty premise, ridiculous conclusion.
       This train of thought was certainly not original
with me and has been offered by many authorities and
historians.
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