Working rail roads and their tracks.

[MossRoad]

Very interesting. Sounds like you could kayak to Mexico.

Yep. I asked my family to cremate me when I croak, and dump some of my ashes into the creek. That way I figure I'll end up in the Gulf eventually, and finally get that Caribbean cruise. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Youd be amazed how many railroads are out here. More abandoned than running it seems like....
The first to go are the short lines.
We got tons of em.
Im actually surprised at the ones we have that still run. Very few customers left.

One of the things about rail is it is the slowest form of freight transportation and everyone needs it yesterday.

 

[the old grind]

So now we're at "who needs 'em"?

By the time the 'Transcontinental Railroad' was completed (1869) railroads had already contributed greatly to the war effort on both sides.

Cars/trucks would be decades away, and paved roads connecting cities decades more. It would be nearly a century before Eisenhower's 'American Autobahn', jet-powered air passenger travel, and 'air freight' would dethrone rail as America's prime mover.

By contrast, radio was like our high-speed internet/cable and 5G for ~20 yrs, a far shorter time, before TV raided its audience.

btw, a rail line going through multiple cities, townships, counties, or states had to keep their ROWs open to remain viable. Once a segment was/is closed or sold the rest would be tough to ever revive. (can you say "The Depression? .. WWII?, .. WWI?? )

 

[MossRoad]

Conversely, air freight is the most expensive form of freight transportation, both environmentally and monetarily.

 

[MossRoad]

So now we're at "who needs 'em"?

By the time the 'Transcontinental Railroad' was completed (1869) railroads had already contributed greatly to the war effort on both sides.

Cars/trucks would be decades away, and paved roads connecting cities decades more. It would be nearly a century before Eisenhower's 'American Autobahn', jet-powered air passenger travel, and 'air freight' would dethrone rail as America's prime mover.

By contrast, radio was like our high-speed internet/cable and 5G for ~20 yrs, a far shorter time, before TV raided its audience.

btw, a rail line going through multiple cities, townships, counties, or states had to keep their ROWs open to remain viable. Once a segment was/is closed or sold the rest would be tough to ever revive. (can you say "The Depression? .. WWII?, .. WWI?? )

I disagree about radio being like the internet, in that the average person could not query the radio for information. They could only listen to what was being said.

 

[the old grind]

My point was that it was the best we had, all we had, then.

Guess why cars put horses out of biz.

Newer is always better.

btw, That's why we need our cars to drive themselves.

 

[BackRoad]

Good stuff in these 500 plus posts. Thanks to all who have contributed!

Sometimes I wonder why so much rail infrastructure was abandoned in the USA, yet retained and still used across Europe.

Likely it all comes down to money at some point...seems most decisions are economic driven.

Perhaps differences from the historic border restrictions between countries in Europe vs our unrestricted interstate commerce had some effect?

And maybe the independent mindset of the Americans or the embrace of the automobile and trucking industry.

Maybe it was Eisenhower's interstate that was the final death blow?

It could be an interesting study...

Terry

 

[Hay Dude]

Good stuff in these 500 plus posts. Thanks to all who have contributed!

Sometimes I wonder why so much rail infrastructure was abandoned in the USA, yet retained and still used across Europe.

Likely it all comes down to money at some point...seems most decisions are economic driven.

Perhaps differences from the historic border restrictions between countries in Europe vs our unrestricted interstate commerce had some effect?

And maybe the independent mindset of the Americans or the embrace of the automobile and trucking industry.

Maybe it was Eisenhower's interstate that was the final death blow?

It could be an interesting study...

Terry

I often wonder about same things.

Its strange watching people sit in heavy traffic on Route 1 while paralleling it, sits an abandoned set of tracks with abandoned train stations every 2-5 miles that could take the heavy traffic off the roads and make it more manageable.

In MY area, we may be re-learning our lesson with the reopening of commuter and freight rail along a congested highway corridor.

 

[MossRoad]

Here ya go....

9 Reasons the U.S. Ended Up So Much More Car-Dependent Than Europe - Bloomberg

 

[MossRoad]

List of countries by vehicles per capita - Wikipedia

This is kinda deceiving, though, because it includes all motor vehicles, trucks, vans, etc...