Re: Silverton diesel and steam train 7/12/21

Let's do some fast math. They have 3 big oil burners, 1 small one, and 2 diesels. Recently they have been double heading the train to silverton, that's 2 engines. 18 can't handle any train alone, it's only for double headers.

The cascade train has been steam, so you need 1 engine for that, 2 for a double header to Silverton. That all 3 big steamers. 18 serves as a backup for the double header, 1 diesel goes to Silverton, the other serves as a backup either for a cascade trip, or the Silverton diesel.

In other words, everything they currently have is needed just to maintain the schedule they run now. They really more oil burners to increase the number or trains they run, or another diesel. You need to have a backup plan, which is why 18 and a diesel act as a reserve. Boiler washes are likely being precisely scheduled to avoid overlapping, so only 1 big k is down at a time. And 18 can go out when one is down. To be honest, its pretty impressive logistics.