Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: rbowman Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: The joy of actual numbers, was Democracy Date: 3 Nov 2024 19:09:14 GMT Lines: 31 Message-ID: References: <199392d0-9628-8177-2f3b-35b23a721dd4@example.net> <086607f1-2283-f7fb-ddf9-ac4766b06530@example.net> <3RPUO.364883$v8v2.299927@fx18.iad> <6723f0c1@news.ausics.net> <7bd05232-fb70-d3c8-d89a-be9f63d85207@example.net> <483e3c29-b695-d91a-bab1-68264d17296f@example.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: individual.net wWUNKqQoroyxigDG4pIGjAYo+2Z7KrqodU1fIMqmJDgJoKswkF Cancel-Lock: sha1:KlVxv9/YSFvqs5GUvjl1Xkgs1k4= sha256:IWBmX3UgpvM7gikp+QqvPOhUNEjR89vP1g9pghGspew= User-Agent: Pan/0.149 (Bellevue; 4c157ba) Xref: csiph.com alt.folklore.computers:228475 comp.os.linux.misc:60407 On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 09:55:42 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote: > The USA already has the transcontinental tracks, they just need > upgrading. https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter5/rail-transportation- pipelines/rail-track-mileage-united-states/ 93,000 miles worth. It wouldn't be an impossible task and would make more sense than pouring billions down Ukrainian, Israeli, and other rat holes. For a sense of scale, the interstate system is about 47,000 miles. > If high speed rail freight became cheaper than a truck, people would > switch to it. Intermodal is already in use for loads that are not time sensitive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_freight_transport A company I worked for used a variation. There was a terminal in Mississippi. Trucks would bring in furniture from the factories in the southeast and it would be loaded into railcars. The railcars would then be unloaded in Seattle, Helena, or other terminals for delivery. That worked for mixed loads. Truckload freight was usually done with trucks. Since many of the consignees didn't have rail sidings sending it by rail would have meant a lot of extra handling. The company wasn't big enough to make piggybacks feasible.