As some of you know, I love railroads and trains and it seems some others here do also, hence why I've started this topic.

The United States was the first country to use railroads, starting with the Transcontinental Railroad (now owned by Union Pacific). We were also the first to improve railroad efficiency and safety as well. After the railroad industry in the USA grew, it spread across the world. And as of the past decade, the rail industry in the USA has just headed for rock bottom. A UP line about 5 miles from my house which once was active every time I went over it, is now growing grass over the ties and rails. The TRE running from Fort Worth to Dallas is a waste of money, considering how rarely it's used. Not to mention how ill maintained some railroads here are, some even still using the olde time wig wag crossings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UyMAV0BzHo

Despite the economic downturn in the USA, such inactivity on the rails is unacceptable. Meanwhile, we have tons of truckers on our highways carrying a smidge of what a freight train could haul at half the speed a train could haul it. Also, residents are commuting using the car when we (americans) could be using the train. Much faster, and cheaper in many parts of the US due to the price of gas. Look at europe... it's commuter train networks are thriving and there are not near as many cars on the highways as there are in the US.

That simply goes to show that the USA should make an attempt to use railroads more then roads for commuting and hauling freight alike, especially in the very few states that are actually thriving in the poor economical state that the USA is in, such as Colorado and North Dakota. It would be a very good investment, on the railroad companies part and city alike.

Besides this, if our current railroads would change to electric powered trains, it would save money and reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used. It would also fufill the statements that big companies like CSX and UP are making, to reduce the impact on the environment.

So in all, switching some of our commuter and freight transport efforts, in addition to using cleaner methods such as electricity, or even natural gas would:
-Make transportation more eco-friendly (clean electricity vs coal and other fossil fuels)
-Get up to 100 times more freight (100 wagons on a train vs 1 trailer on a truck) almost twice as fast (110kph on the highways vs excess of 200kph on the rails)
-Reduce the cost of travel to commuters (average 3.50 USD for a gallon of gas for a car that gets 30MPG) vs paying the same or even less for a 30 mile commute in fares for trains. Also considering how passenger trains travel faster than a car on the highway in many cases
-Reduce the amount of trucks and cars on the highway, making highways safer and reducing the amount of fossil fuels used.

Considering how America is VERY different from Europe in many ways, and TBH, in most fields, Europe is simply better, I think it'd be a good investment.

So, what are your thoughts on the matter?

personally I think the frieght train companies like NS, BNSF, UP, and CSX are doing well, however Americans should make an effort to use Amtrak.

mayorm wrote:personally I think the frieght train companies like NS, BNSF, UP, and CSX are doing well, however Americans should make an effort to use Amtrak.

The freight companies are doing decent.
My main complaint about the freight companies is how unmaintained their railroads are. I was looking at a rather active railyard in Denver one time... grass so grown on it you couldn't see the rails. There's a stretch of the Minnesota Valley Railroad that is just pathetic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g11qWro1LzQ (cut to 0:40)
So, TBH, the freight companies are not doing well, considering how they STILL depend on fossil fuels, and the fact that there is barely any activity on the lines.

Now, one problem mentioned to me was the fact that America's culture would render it a bad investment. For over a century using the car has been the preferred alternative to the train, and it's just embedded into the American society. So the general public wouldn't buy it. That and the fact there is barely any rails for commuter trains in the big cities... you could do subways, but it would create opposition. Granted though that it makes total sense that using commuter train such as Amtrak to travel long distances between cities is a good idea, and there's no reason that you shouldn't, unless you need to haul a big load with you

Cheeseguy wrote:As some of you know, I love railroads and trains and it seems some others here do also, hence why I've started this topic.

Well, we could start up a railpicture thread as well

Cheeseguy wrote:
The United States was the first country to use railroads

Acutally, UK.

Cheeseguy wrote:
Despite the economic downturn in the USA, such inactivity on the rails is unacceptable. Meanwhile, we have tons of truckers on our highways carrying a smidge of what a freight train could haul at half the speed a train could haul it.

The problem: The speed of a freight train is due to it's weight much lower than the one of a lightweight Passenger EMU. The reason for that is that the weight of a train influences the trackbed in many ways, the less weight, the faster it can go with the same influenche on the tracks. Fast freight trains tend to destroy trackbeds while EMUs at the same speed do not influence it much.... I guess you've got me.

Cheeseguy wrote:
Also, residents are commuting using the car when we (americans) could be using the train. Much faster, and cheaper in many parts of the US due to the price of gas. Look at europe... it's commuter train networks are thriving...

This is, as you mentioned a cind of a problem, maybe european gas prices would change that. $1,45 per GALLON is a bit different to €1,45 per LITRE

Cheeseguy wrote:
... and there are not near as many cars on the highways as there are in the US.

NOOOOO, Our Highways are completeley empty good joke. Reality: LINK

Cheeseguy wrote:
That simply goes to show that the USA should make an attempt to use railroads more then roads for commuting and hauling freight alike, especially in the very few states that are actually thriving in the poor economical state that the USA is in, such as Colorado and North Dakota. It would be a very good investment, on the railroad companies part and city alike.

A good investment which will be attacked by Gas and Car lobby by any means necessary.

Cheeseguy wrote:
Besides this, if our current railroads would change to electric powered trains, it would save money and reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used. It would also fufill the statements that big companies like CSX and UP are making, to reduce the impact on the environment.

Overhead whires are very expansive and they would need to change their vehicles.
3rd Rail would be cheaper but is heavily influenced by weather....

Cheeseguy wrote:
-Make transportation more eco-friendly (clean electricity vs coal and other fossil fuels)

Stick at Diesel hauled trains first, they ain't that bad as you speak about 'em now.

Cheeseguy wrote:
-Get up to 100 times more freight (100 wagons on a train vs 1 trailer on a truck) almost twice as fast (110kph on the highways vs excess of 200kph on the rails)

2 Basic problems: There's no network capacity and every railline would have to be upgraded and serviced on a much higher level than now. Would only be practicable when a state owned company would be responsible for the infrastructure. (The main problem here would be, I guess, the Republicans.)

Cheeseguy wrote:
-Reduce the cost of travel to commuters (average 3.50 USD for a gallon of gas for a car that gets 30MPG) vs paying the same or even less for a 30 mile commute in fares for trains. Also considering how passenger trains travel faster than a car on the highway in many cases

This problem will destroy itself by the next oil crisis

Cheeseguy wrote:
-Reduce the amount of trucks and cars on the highway, making highways safer and reducing the amount of fossil fuels used.

That's a fight against the american culture, you will have to take a lot of effort to this.

Cheeseguy wrote:
Considering how America is VERY different from Europe

In some ways, yes. But you've got an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that US is able to place it's new structures more efficiently while over here the old rail structures have to be used. (Well, We'll improve them anyways)

Cheeseguy wrote:
The freight companies are doing decent.
My main complaint about the freight companies is how unmaintained their railroads are. I was looking at a rather active railyard in Denver one time... grass so grown on it you couldn't see the rails. There's a stretch of the Minnesota Valley Railroad that is just pathetic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g11qWro1LzQ (cut to 0:40)

Well I have been a railfan since I was young and have therefore been around many tracks, considering that you were looking at a railyard this is probably a track that is not used as much any more if at all.

Also grains and wheat sometimes fall off grain cars and take root in the ballast contributing to the growth around the tracks, I have seen this a lot railfanning in places around Ohio, Chicago, Nebraska, and St. Louis While railfanning I can't count the number of times I haven't seen a single train because of maintenance.

Also I agree with Skimbo that a railroad picture thread would be nice to start up

mayorm wrote:
Also I agree with Skimbo that a railroad picture thread would be nice to start up

Okay, Than I'm gonna open it up, with some of my most beautyful images as a startup =)

EDIT: LINKIE to the trainpicture thread =)

Fun fact: Commuter train ridership in my neck of the woods is on the rise, probably thanks to the horrendous traffic nightmare that are our freeways. Honestly, they're awful. It has taken me 45 minutes to an hour to go a SINGLE kilometre. Woohoo, 1 km/h on average.

And there was no accident. Or construction. And the highway had 8-10 lanes...
No wonder people want to take the commuter train, eh?

Okay... back on-topic to American Trains. Just thought I'd provide some Canadian info for comparison.

LOL Linkie

I think Amtrak seriously needed train upgrades. They are getting behind with other companies in the world. All their trains looked horrendous on the outside... Take the Empire Builder for example:

Beautiful!:


Ugly :

If only all trains looked like that

Back to Canada again: I've been on the GO train when in the Toronto Area:



Double-decker trains.

Blake wrote:If only all trains looked like that

They did during the era of the Streamliner... The trains looks good and clean like Japan's, then cars came along

There is only about 1 streamliner left in North America and it's not in the US but Canada's The Canadian

Hmmm How do we kill the culture of the car...

Well I think we do not necessarily have to kill the car culture... What it needs is more investment on Railroad Infrastructure.