Just as the operating figures on the Southern show Diesels carrying by far the largest part of the load of freight and passengers in cars attached to these modern "iron horses," the changing picture at shop points over the System gives emphasis to the fact that our mechanical department has been alert to its job of making certain that these locomotives are able to be out on line of road pulling trains. The Southern's maintenance and repair facilities for Diesels have been widely copied on other railroads; we, in our turn, have copied or adapted ideas.

With the change-over from steam locomotives to Diesels came the question of determining what should be done with existing shop structures. Many of them were excel- lent buildings and the Southern has converted a number of its shops-in whole or in part-for the mechanical and electrical work required in maintaining Diesels. Similarly, we have undertaken to utilize several of our roundhouses as Diesel maintenance points and, in effect, at John Sevier. Tenn., and Spencer, N. C., the Diesels are saying "move over" to such steam locomotives as are still in use in the territory served from these roundhouses.

A locomotive unit in one of the roundhouse stalls converted to Diesel maintenance.

Some of Ties' readers are old enough to remember when a Model-T Ford was run in on the barn floor to face stalls in which horses and mules were still stabled. That is about what is happening at John Sevier and Spencer; Diesels are serviced and maintained in parts of the roundhouses converted especially to handle them.

While the "nose" of a Diesel extends out through one door it faces the front of a steam locomotive which can be seen across the turntable "poked" out of the door of another stall in the roundhouse. Just as the beginning of the end was in sight when the Model- T took over the barn, so the "taking over" of the roundhouses foretells that the days of the steam locomotive on the Southern are numbered.

The motor and wheel shop is located in other converted stalls of the roundhouse at John Sevier.

But one thing remains unchanged-the tradition of good workmanship that grew through the years of maintaining steam locomotives in these roundhouses. This month's cover picture and a number of pictures on these pages show the physical changes that have been made at John Sevier to accommodate Diesels. The men, too, who are pictured have also changed though not in appearance--unless being cleaner after a day's work can be counted a physical change.

Instead, they have changed by adapting old skills to new work. Well-trained, most of them by the Southern, they have been able to learn the "tricks of the trade" in maintaining Diesels. Good mechanics, they take pride now in keeping alive their tradition of good workmanship-any Diesel locomotive coming into the roundhouse will leave it later prepared to haul its train. They did it with steam, now they're doing it with Diesels.