Replying to a message of Dan Ceppa to Richard Webb:

 DC> -> On 14 Jul 09  12:14:43, Richard Webb got back to Dan Ceppa 
 DC> -> Re: Palin Scandal

 RW>> it all happened here in the U.S.  HEll we've known what we
 RW>> needed to do to develop rapid rail transport in this country for
 RW>> close to two decades, and just now are starting to realize that to
 RW>> combat

 DC> Thpihj we have an extensive RR system, it's in piss poor shape.  The
 DC> speed  recor, IIRC, was set over 100 yrs ago with a steam locomotive.  

 RW>> gridlock in some of our major cities we're going to have to look
 RW>> seriously at it.  INtercity rapid rail is the only thing that's going
 RW>> to keep commerce going when the airlines continue to crump.

 DC> If done right, the RRs coukd take over ld transportation from otr
 DC> trucks.  

That depends.  The major railroads have disposed of most of their branch
lines and only seem to be interested in moving huge volumes of commodities
(coal, grain, etc.) between major terminals.  IOW the railroads *can't* pick
up and deliver door-to-door like they once could.

The railroads also cannot promise delivery on or by a certain date; the load
will get where it's supposed to go, eventually.  Nor can they promise that a
loaded railcar will be picked up on a certain date.  This sort of thing just does
not work when companies need pickup and delivery *on time*.

When I worked at the grain elevator in Hastings, IA, railcars were expected on
a certain day but sometimes they didn't arrive until one or two days later; also
when we had loaded railcars to go out they may or may not have been picked up
on the day they were supposed to have been.  The railcars always appeared or
disappeared in the middle of the night, so I guess that's when the local freight
ran; most of the daytime traffic was 100+ car coal trains.

The only way to get the long distance hauling back on the rails (where IMO
it belongs) is to force the truckers to pay the actual cost of the damage those
huge loads are doing to the highways.  Putting the trailers on flatcars is a
step in the right direction.

The last time (1994) I drove across Nevada there were stretches that had 
signs posted for 18-wheelers to use the *left* lane.  Presumably to delay
the wear and tear on the right lane.  I have noticed that most of the road
damage on highways and Interstate highways seems to be in the lanes used
by heavy trucks; adjacent lanes on the same roads have little if any damage.

Usedtawas that there were very few really long distance OTR truckers.  That
industry has grown mainly as a result of the Interstate highway system - paid
for by the taxpayers.  Likewise, airports for air travel are paid for by
the taxpayers.
If the users of those highways and airports were required to pay the actual cost
of providing those highways and airports there'd be a lot less travel on those 
systems.  Note that rail passenger travel was *all* paid for by the respective
railroads, and the cost of that rail ticket accurately reflected the cost
of providing
the service (unlike air and bus tickets).

--- FleetStreet 1.19+