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In which I unironically praise the U.K.
(upload.wikimedia.org)
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One other thing of note: Don't think for a second that these programs weren't helped along by the UK's history of imperialism. Preservation costs money, and much of that money comes from the imperialist interests that control that country. Historic preservation isn't possible to the same extent in over-exploited countries. What I am praising here is what the money has been spent on and the volunteer work that goes into preservation.
Another interesting thing is that the highly effective preservation is likely due to nationalization.
Thry had a top-down drop-dead date for steam, so preservation efforts knew it was now or never. The spotty retirement of steam in the US meant people weren't putting away stuff until it was too late. There were hundreds of PRR I-1 Decapods, until suddenly there weren't anymore. By the time preservation was top-of-mind, you ended up with a stilted selection of "what's left" and "hand-selected marquee engines that make for good PR tours"
The clear end date also created a huge glut of scrap locos which enabled the famous Barry Scrapyard experience. Effectively, they retired them faster than they could be cut up, and preservationists could exploit that to arrange purchases. Individual private operators dispensing out their fleets over a longer period wouldn't backlog as easily.
Oooo GOOD post