that and the fact that steam is maintenance intensive is what killed off steam, diesel electrics still carried 2 crew members, but could go longer distances without the stops for water, most maintenance requires only 1-3 mechanics, depending on the level of electrics involved, whereas steam required, machinists, plumbers, both journeyman and master level, coupled with the fact that the builders were constantly changing the models around made parts stocking a nightmare, this carried over to some extant with diesels, but is gone today, now everything is modular plug in mostly with each rr keeping model variations as minimal as possible
union pacific led the way with the sd70, they found a model, prime mover and horsepower rating that worked for them, and that was what they ordered for years, standardized manuals, maintenance intervals and parts inventory followed, reduced training updates and reduced shop time
