This article came through on my rss feed.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/02/2 ... sance.html

They claim that two locomotives now do the work of three and they are saving a lot on fuel. I'm sure some purists wont like it but it is typical of the cycles of upgrades and much better than replacement.

This extends the life of those engines and probably saves on building new engines.
Now if we could only work that into the steam locomotive genre....

I find two things interesting...

The efficiency of the rebuilt locos, 1/3 greater power per loco, with nearly the same in reduction of fuel consumption but is that paired or individual? ...

...and the statement that WP&Y may go back into the freight hauling business.

Would be the only narrow guage operation based in the US to do so, no?

US Gypsum still operated narrow gauge at their Plaster City, California location... using locomotives built for the White Pass but never delivered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USG_Corpor ... a_facility

As for White Pass... They would be the first to tell you that they are not a preservation organization, they are a railroad. Their traffic is currently all passengers, brought in part for scenery, in part for nostalgia... They make decisions like a railroad. If the railroad was standard gauge, or if there was a ready source of new narrow gauge diesels they would likely replace rather than rebuild these, some of which are over 50 years old.

The combination of narrow gauge, and remote location have caused the railroad to develop a culture of rebuilding and self reliance.

I would have to see before and after weight and what they did to improve adhesion,
for fuel effiency probably better engines today for that.