Up through the 1950's railroads were big in LCL freight, the railroad equivalent of our LTL freight. They operated fleets of boxcars which were the equivalent of our trailers. They had huge breakbulk freight terminals where they unloaded and reloaded boxcars the same way we do now with trailers. The growth of the trucking industry and the improvements in the highway systems killed off that type of railroad business. When I was a kid in the 1950's there was a 3 mile long RR branch near my house. I rode with the RR crews numerous times as they switched cars for all the industries in the area - car loads of coal for a paper mill, a textile mill and a coal/fuel distributor, empty box cars for a carton mfg company, empty gondolas for a couple of scrap yards, refers of fruit and vegetables for a couple of distributors just to name a few. Those business are long gone replaced by condos and the tracks are long gone also. The railroads today no longer operate that way. They haul bulk commodities like power plant coal, grain, containers/trailers and waste/garbage/trash. Hardly any switching/spotting individual cars at various industries anymore.
Yellow | Facts About The Lytx DriveCam Program
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Up through the 1950's railroads were big in LCL freight, the railroad equivalent of our LTL freight. They operated fleets of boxcars which were the equivalent of our trailers. They had huge breakbulk freight terminals where they unloaded and reloaded boxcars the same way we do now with trailers. The growth of the trucking industry and the improvements in the highway systems killed off that type of railroad business. When I was a kid in the 1950's there was a 3 mile long RR branch near my house. I rode with the RR crews numerous times as they switched cars for all the industries in the area - car loads of coal for a paper mill, a textile mill and a coal/fuel distributor, empty box cars for a carton mfg company, empty gondolas for a couple of scrap yards, refers of fruit and vegetables for a couple of distributors just to name a few. Those business are long gone replaced by condos and the tracks are long gone also. The railroads today no longer operate that way. They haul bulk commodities like power plant coal, grain, containers/trailers and waste/garbage/trash. Hardly any switching/spotting individual cars at various industries anymore.
mysticobra
Over Here Now.
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Not saying trucks will ever be replaced. No argument there.
Even the railroads had fleets of trucks back in the day for delivery/pick-up of freight where the customer had no direct rail access. Then of course there was Railway Express which was the precursor of today's UPS and FedEx.
P and D locomotives? Is that like some of the old Roadway line haul tractors that were put into city use?
joes bar and grill
TB Legend
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Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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If you think your contract would prevent you from being laid off in Sanders' perfect world, I suggest you check again. Not that it matters because it's a ridiculous idea. If you want to trust him, that's up to you. I take no sides in the US political argument because it doesn't directly affect me.
Likewise, I have no idea what you're talking about in regards to trucks already coming off the roads. Of the three carriers you listed, only ONE (J.B. Hunt) is exclusively intermodal. Schneider and Swift both still have plenty of trucks running OTR despite their use of intermodal service. OD STOPPED using intermodal service because it was costing them money.
While I agree with Triplex that rail is more cost-effective for long-distance shipping, in practice the rail lines would need a LOT of infrastructure upgrades to handle any additional freight. They're already over what they can handle efficiently, as anyone who's ridden an Amtrak train lately can tell you. Amtrak is routinely held up due to the extremely high volume of intermodal freight. Too many trains trying to use the same tracks.
Wouldn't that make the white picket fence crowd who voted trains out of their backyards decades ago upset? After all, Little Johnny can't run out onto the interstate and get hit by a truck...but he can play on the railroad tracks and get hit by a train! Oh sure, they'll put up fences, but that's no obstacle for a determined teenager looking for a quiet place to smoke where the parents can't see.
What a great camper conversion project!!
Your a Canadian,You don't know Amtrak.
If you think your contract would prevent you from being laid off in Sanders' perfect world, I suggest you check again. Not that it matters because it's a ridiculous idea. If you want to trust him, that's up to you. I take no sides in the US political argument because it doesn't directly affect me.
Likewise, I have no idea what you're talking about in regards to trucks already coming off the roads. Of the three carriers you listed, only ONE (J.B. Hunt) is exclusively intermodal. Schneider and Swift both still have plenty of trucks running OTR despite their use of intermodal service. OD STOPPED using intermodal service because it was costing them money.
While I agree with Triplex that rail is more cost-effective for long-distance shipping, in practice the rail lines would need a LOT of infrastructure upgrades to handle any additional freight. They're already over what they can handle efficiently, as anyone who's ridden an Amtrak train lately can tell you. Amtrak is routinely held up due to the extremely high volume of intermodal freight. Too many trains trying to use the same tracks.
Wouldn't that make the white picket fence crowd who voted trains out of their backyards decades ago upset? After all, Little Johnny can't run out onto the interstate and get hit by a truck...but he can play on the railroad tracks and get hit by a train! Oh sure, they'll put up fences, but that's no obstacle for a determined teenager looking for a quiet place to smoke where the parents can't see.[/QUOTE
looks like and old REA express wagon.
When I first drove for UPS in 1970 they were still using a few "cage cars" in the NJ/NY Metro Area. These things were basically huge boxes on a chassis. I think they had flat head six Continental engines if I remember correctly. They were mainly used for retail. I once took one to the Bamberger's (Macy's in NJ) store in Newark, drove on to the elevator and went down to the basement shipping area. There they loaded cages - racks on wheels with retail shipments - and I went back to the center. When you drove one of these things empty it was like you were driving a banquet hall it was so large and barren inside. I wish I had taken pictures back then. Anyhow, they would have made a very roomy camper for sure.
Amtrak owns very little of the track it operates on so it is at the mercy of the particular railroad it operates over. I've ridden Amtrak between NY and Milwaukee and between Raleigh and NY and we've frequently had to wait for Norfolk Southern and CSX freight trains to pass on both routes. Not like the old days when passenger trains had priority.
Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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Excellent excuse to disregard what I say. You assume that just because I'm from a different country, I've never traveled in the United States before.
I've ridden Amtrak recently, on a trip to Chicago while on vacation. When was the last time you rode Amtrak?
Build a pipeline!Naw, it's much safer on the road.
Build a pipeline!
They don't want it on trains, they don't want it on trucks, the don't want it in pipelines. They just want it available for their cars by magic.
N.J. group hires D.C. law firm to fight PennEast pipeline
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.s...ers_fight_penneast_pipeline_with_dc_lawy.html