“目前运行在英国国家铁路上的内燃机车在性能、尤其在利用率和每件故障英里数方面,与美国的内燃机车相比,似乎存在着相当大的差距”。这一直率的警告是英国国家铁路主席Rob Reid于1985年3月1日在伦敦向英国机械工程师学会铁路分会会员们发表谈话时提出的。这段话意味着英国铁路下一代干线内燃机车和电力机车将不会是现有机车简单的翻版。 “There seems to be a considerable disparity in performance, particularly in terms of utilization and mileage per piece, of diesel locomotives currently running on British National Railways, compared to the U.S. diesel locomotives.” This straightforward warning was made by Rob Reid, the chairman of the National Railways, when speaking to members of the British Institute of Mechanical Engineers Railroad in London on March 1, 1985. This passage means that British Rail’s next generation of diesel locomotives and electric locomotives will not be a simple replica of the existing locomotives.