I dont intend to be negative.

[BaltACD]

Every form of transportation has an array of commodities that are suited to its speed of transport and the locations of service.

Canals / Water transport is a viable form where the shipper and consignee are both located on water served sites and the commodity is handled in massive quantities and the speed of transport is of no real consequence.

Rail transport is viable where the shipper and consignee are located near rail served areas and the commodities handled constitute car load lots. With bulk commodities (coal, ore, grain, aggregates just to name four) train load volumes of traffic can be handled effectively. With bulk commodities the speed of transport is of some significance, but price is the overriding shipper concern. Rail is also a fixture in the automotive manufacturing and distribution systems of today's economy. In this form rail is a vital cog in the 'just in time' inventory system as the manufacturers expect their products to be operated on strict schedules to arrive at the assembly plant when they are needed for todays production run. Rail is the primary long distance carrier of finished vehicles from the assembly plants to distribution centers where the vehicles are reloaded on trucks for ultimate delivery to automobile dealers. Rail intermodal handles time sensitive trailer/container traffic effectively over long distance routes, where truck driver federal rest provisions slow down over the road long haul truckers. Rails charge a preimum rate for this time sensitive traffic.

Trucks are effective for door to door service for less than car load volumes of product. In hauls of approximately 500 miles trucks are much faster than rail. In hauls of over 500 miles rail intermodal becomes compeitive, especially when shipper consider the number of tractor and truck drivers they would have to employ to do the jobs of intermodal rail shipments.

The express modes, UPS and FedEx to name two, are where the shipping world turns when 'it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.' Time is of the essence for these shipments and prices charged are high and would not be econimical for the commodities listed for water, rail or normal truck carrige.

Rail transport will be around as long has the US has bulk commodities to be handled.

[Anonymous]

Many railroads do follow canals, like the Erie main follows the route of the D&H Canal and the NYC followed the Erie Canal...

Rails coming back will be different and will never be the way it was. Thing is, rails are still one of the most efficient ways to move people and material...

LC

[Anonymous]

You got me to think on this one. I was trying to think of a good reason why rails should not follow the same paths as the canals. But as long as people are shipping and the railroads stay up with technology I think they will hopefully be around a while. It will be a sad day when the only trains I see are in musuems
Andrew Miller

[Anonymous]

They say history repeats itself and we may all ride the rails in its second golden age, but when was the last time you rode the erie canal.