daylight4449 wrote:chrisnewhaven wrote:The only thing being lost is P&W's individuality.
Alright, I can agree with all the other points, but I'd question that last one Chris. Most of the marketing stuff is handled on the regional level over at G&W from what I understand, but you've still got the same crews and on-site management, assuming people don't leave. Last I checked, those people make the company...
I've always felt this fell into three categories; upper management, personnel, and identity. Upper management will now either be based out of Darien or take direct orders from them, consolidation of marketing and accounting, etc. That's part of the economies of scale that make this work. The on the ground personnel will not change much, so the human element of the "old" P&W will carry over to the "new".
But the Providence & Worcester as an identity will be curtailed. Look at the P&W now; clean and/or freshly painted locomotives dominate the roster. They wasted no time painting the SD70 Macs. The specials they run with their passenger equipment. They clearly put effort into building a brand and public character. Now this will be replaced with G&W yellow and orange, itself an established brand but not quite the same. Now they'll be "Providence & Worcester; A Genesee & Wyoming Company". The mothership comes first.
Regardless, this is a matter of semantics. Good service, not identity, pays the bills, and this acquisition should be beneficial to all parties involved. Looking forward to another 169 years of the Providence & Worcester, in some shape or form!
C.J.V.
Every problem has an answer and every answer is a problem.