On 3/5/05 12:38, "Al and Sue Brase" <albeeee@MCHSI.COM> wrote:

> The upside to this would be highways MUCH less crowded so we could enjoy
> traveling on them much more in our slightly sluggish Vanagons.
> And up to 200 semi-trailers per train on steel wheels piloted by 2 or 3
> railroad employees. Freight safely away from drivers (except at
> crossings!). OOPS! that would put 200 truck drivers and another 20-50
> truck industry employees out of work. Mcdonalds?
> Enjoy the $2.50 gas while you can....
> Al Brase

Actually that is done every day.  Here in denver is one of the hubs for
containers for the about 4 state area and the next is in omaha and then
chicago and I forget the route east of there but probably ends at new
jersey.  There is a southern route as well that ends up in atlanta.  Going
through here we have the about twice a day coal trains and twice a day
container trains going east and coming back west.  Amtrak supposedly still
runs but I think that may only be once a day.

The container trains don�t put drivers out of work, just reduce the long
miles.  The monster container ships that dock at LA, Seattle on the west
coast drop many thousands of containers at one time.  These go out either
directly on trucks or onto trains heading east by either the northern route
or the southern route.  When they hit the rail hubs it is trucks again for
the shorter runs north and south.
����������������������������������������
jimt
Planned insanity is best.
Remember that sanity is optional.
http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info)
http://www.westydriver.com