-=> Quoting Tom Walker to Rick Jones <=-
 RJ>    If UP needs motive power, why don't they use #3985 to fill in?  
 RJ> ;-{)
 TW> Becasue they can lease 4, or more, engines from the AmTrack Corp
 TW> for the same price I think is part of the reason
        Probably you mean Amtrak (not AmTrack) and that is a trade
name, not the corporate name which is National Railroad Passenger
Corporation.
        A much bigger reason would because of the vast infrastructure
needed to support steam engines.  Fueling locations but most of all
water supplies every few miles.  For steam excursions, the watering
has to be planned far in advance to get fire departments or other
water suppliers to replenish the water that steam engines consume
in vast quantities.
        And across desert areas some railroads found water of
satisfactory quality so scarce they actually transported water in
by rail.
        Remember when there was a water tank every 10 miles or so?
And there were station agents to attend to the water tanks
(including treating the water and testing it).  Now neither the
water tanks nor the station agents exist.
        Steam engines also require more, or at least more frequent,
maintenance than diesel locomotives, and also a staff of skilled
people just about at every division point to look after them.  When
the 844 or 3985 go out, they carry an extra tank of water with
them, and all the skilled staff and an extra "tool car" to carry
all the special stuff needed to maintain steam engines.
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