This is amazing informations ! Thanks a lot guys !
Earl, yes from the figures it seems it was a good deal to convert them.
I also wonder what are the « reclaimed materials » !??
Bruce, thanks for the link to the inflation calculator !
Ok I know that these are not to be the only thing to rely on when trying to update prices. Real costs to do the conversion on a couple engines more than ten years later could have been different than when the whole program was under way. But using it to figure out what would have been the cost in January 1939, I found out that the $4000 has turned into roughly $3200. So it could have been cheaper in some way.
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Sebastien
SNCF passenger trains engineer
Volunteer on the "Chemin de Fer de Rillé" (60cm/2ft, France)
www.aecfm.fr
cfrtrain.blogspot.fr