[AT] Rail cars.

[Ralph Goff]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lew Best" <bee_keeper at earthlink.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:29 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Rail cars.


>I can vaguely recall rail shipping being popular when I was a kid (I'm
> 65 now).  You could take stuff to the Railway Express Office down town &
> drop it off.  IIRC it was cheap but very slow.  I think trucks took over
> due to the speed factor; rail cars sat sometimes for several days
> waiting to get in a train going where they needed to go.
>
> Wouldn't surprise me though to see even more of the rail cars that haul
> semi trailers to reduce fuel costs.
>
> Lew near Waco, TX

We had a wonderful system of rail lines that linked every small town across 
the country, even had passenger service. Now all those lines are shut down 
and gradually being removed and rail transportation will no longer be an 
option. Just a few main lines to move grain, and they are far from model 
efficiency. Just about the time the last short line rail is torn up someone 
will come up with the bright idea that moving stuff by rail is cheaper and 
more efficient than truck.
An interesting quote, "If you got it, it came on a truck". With ever 
increasing fuel costs theres no doubt the cost of everything we buy has to 
go up to cover those fuel costs.

Ralph in Sask.