5 Mar
2002
5 Mar
'02
7:41 a.m.
The problem with keeping rail down is that the railroad companies have to
pay additional taxes on it.
As a rail enthusiast, I can never understand the injustice of paying taxes
on a railroad just to have that money subsidize the trucking industry by
paying for the roadways they travel on.
If I was in business for myself, and I had to pay taxes to keep my
competitor in business, I'd be really p*ssed myself.
As for the environmentalists, the fact that they never picked up on rail
travel as the most environmentally responsible way of shipping over land
has floored me. It's been proven time after time after time that moving
goods overland via rail is the MOST environmentally friendly way of
shipment over long distances. It takes much less fuel to move items over
rail than rubber.
Think about it - the average high horsepower rail locomotive has a prime
mover that develops 6000 horsepower. Two of these locomotives can haul 7000
- 8000 *TONS* of train and freight over most of the lines in this country.
Twelve thousand horsepower for 8000 tons. That equates to 1.5 horsepower
PER TON. And of course, much less is required when the train is moving.
Do you think you could get a thirty ton truck moving to sixty miles per
hour with a 45 horsepower engine? Not very well, and it probably would
stall on the first hill you encountered. The physics of the whole situation
are against road transport.
Oh, and by the way, the railroad industry is saddled with
emissions-reduction mandates from the EPA as well......
For long hauls cross-country, it's stupid to use a truck - in my opinion.
Heck, even UPS uses trains to move their trailers cross country.
As for making this post more on topic, the railroad industry was an early
adopter of computers for automation and accounting. The Pennsylvania
railroad used an electro-mechanical computer in the early 50's to make
reservations for passenger trains. It was complete with a recorded voice so
the system could be operated from a telephone.
- Matt
At 02:18 AM 3/6/2002 -0600, you wrote:
Try all over North America. It's been going on
for years. The joke of it
all is
that transportation gurus are now tending to think that rail is the more
economical way. Better for the environment and causing less damage to
the roads not to mention the congestion and delay of the highways.
It escapes me why they ripped up the track in the first place. The scrap
value of the steel couldn't have offset the cost of doing so and should you
ever change your mind there's no going back except with astronomical costs.
The trucking industry lobby had a finger in the pie methinks.
Lawrence
Matthew Sell
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Robert Graves Where has rail been ripped up? I've never
heard of that happening. Is
it a national trend?
Try around NY, Boston and east coast in general, especially the metro
regions. Many of the rails have been abandoned over the last 50 years
and are being removed infavor of many uses from trails to roads.
A big waste if you ask me.
Allison