Railroads Today... But where are the freight trains?
In truth, we don't see them as much as in bygone days. Many run at night; many run in very long trains; most don't run on tracks where we would be awaiting passenger trains. The nostalgia of railroads is clearly not what it was. Yet the freight industry occupies a major role in America's economy.
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While there has been a pattern of consolidation of large railroads into even larger ones, there have also been a number of short new freight railroads, often spun off by lines such as Conrail. The Reading and Northern, in eastern Pennsylvania, operates over 300 miles of track.
(Photos courtesy Reading and Northern.) |
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Although often thought of as a coal-hauler, the Reading and Northern carries a variety of commodities originating and terminating in Pennsylvania. Such small lines have had the entrepreneurial ability to provide efficient, responsive and often profitable service. |
America's freight railroads own over 20,000 locomotives, with 58 million total horsepower, 1.3 million freight cars with capacity of 119 million tons. New locomotives are often purchased by the hundreds. |
 (courtesy Norfolk Southern)
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A major trend in the large railroads is Intermodal Service, in which freight is packed in containers that are carried part way by truck, sometimes part way on boat (international), and then economically on train. They are placed on the train by several methods, including Norfolk Southern's Triple Crown Roadrailer Service. New improvements even allow containers to be double decked on some trains. |
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