|
|
Article: M/w: time to standardize? (maintenance of way)
- Article from:
- Railway Age
- Article date:
- October 1, 1991
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
There's much to be said for standardized materials and machines, but there's also the nagging question: Will standardization freeze the industry at the lowest common denominator?
How much standardization is a good thing? At what point does standardization become something that stifles creativity?
Standardization of materials and machines was just one of the often controversial topics discussed at the recent Maintenance-of-Way Conference in Chicago, sponsored by Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures.
In railroading, the track gauge is standard but, as Pandrol's Jon Schumaker pointed out, not much else in the track area is, with such things ...