WL>       I am not going to address the other points you
WL>raised, including the fact you can't find a job that
WL>you feel you should have, except to note that here,
WL>as in most places I've been to recently, McDonald's
WL>and other similar places are not able to find enough
WL>employees at the minimum wage, and have help wanted
WL>signs out advertising the higher wages they are
WL>offering.
WL>       This obviously reflects an employment picture
WL>with rising wages.
No, that these are PART-TIME jobs, at which one must earn a
FULL-TIME living. Combining several pt jobs only works when
they don't interfere. Even then, they must add up to a living.
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.
No; clever design made the equipment more reliable, and the ease
of obtaining a skiled mechanic made common use practical. Consider
that US locomotives usually have outside connecting rods & valve
gear, but UK equipment does not. By eliminating the crank axle, a
set of stress points was eliminated, making the loco more durable;
while moving the gear to the outside made it more accessable for
maintainance. Furthermore, skilled mechanics are trained, not
found, and the practice of universal education in the US made
training a needed mechanic easy. Gear location does not affect
engine efficiency, but it does affect maintainance efficiency!
Reggie Arford
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