Post by newbieho on Mar 30, 2021 13:50:20 GMT -5
Thank you, Mr. Sudbury, for your interesting and entertaining letter. The JNXT has a long and storied history in American railroading, much of it is the stuff of legends.
There have been many experimental locomotives as part of that history, all of which could be considered ahead of their time. The BS*-JN18A was certainly a revolutionary locomotive, indeed so much so that it was restricted from regular revenue service by the Federal Railroad Administration for "excessive power", and for being a "danger to the citizenry" - the first and only instance of such a restriction.
In truth, it was all a mere political firestorm, engineered by more "powerful" companies such as EMD and GE, who saw the locomotive as a threat to their dominance and sought to eliminate any competition. Yes, such power could be dangerous, but under the able hand and steady eye of JNXT engineers, no JNXT locomotive was ever harmed during extensive testing. In fact, during rare recorded "conflicts" with non-JNXT equipment, any resultant wreckage was pushed well clear of the track, leaving the rails amazingly undamaged and safely cleared.
But, buried by an avalanche of government regulations, legal litigation and a covert smear campaign, the JNXT quietly decided to end the project, refocusing thereafter on dominating the emerging mega-tanker business. However, reports of the prototype locomotives demise were premature - the "dismantled" units were actually a few scrapped GP18s a smaller number of tired SD40s, the mangled parts displayed for the railroad press that took the JNXT's "bait", hook line and sinker.
The real prototypes were stored in an abandoned - but heavily guarded - Texas warehouse for over 50 years, waiting patiently for their moment to shine again.
Mr. Sudbury, that moment has now arrived. A "B" unit, you say? It boggles the imagination, doesn't it?
Stay tuned!
Yours,
Jerry Alowishus Von Jenkins IX, Esq. and All-Knowing One
President, CEO, COO, Head Honcho, and The Boss
JNXT Transportation/Pilfer & Southern Railway/BRTX Railroad
"Your Friend in the Rail Business"
*Buzzardly Shops
Oops! Freudian slip there...