Letters to the Editor

摘要

Having seen the relevant correspondence during my time in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, I can answer some of Chris Barton's queries about how the use of locomotive headlights came about. It started with a letter from the Chief Civil Engineer to the Chief Mechanical Engineer requesting that, in the interests of track staff safety, headlights be left on at all times. The Chief Mechanical Engineer refused, stating that he was concerned about the extra wear that would occur to Pyle National steam generators and that there were not many spare sets. The Chief Civil Engineer did not forget the matter, for with the first scrapping of steam locomotives he wrote back pointing out that spare turbo generators should now be available.