>>1797150Why?
MILW wanted to get the best return for their shareholders with the proposed merger for CNW, leading to several years of deferred maintenance. This worked too well, as MILW had too large a portion in the merger for the CNW board and shareholders to stomach.
The deferred repairs fucked the track and wire poles, causing a loss in reliable service driving customers away. It also made the bill to fix the fuckup huge at the same time cashflow was being killed.
So of course, MILW scrambling for funds scrasps & sells anything of value that doesn't directly impact operations, and they already had diesels to work the non-electrified sections.