Category Archives: Railroads

We replaced our magnificent railroad system with cars and trucks, which hastened the end of the oil age and will make collapse much harsher

How logistics facilitate an efficient freight transportation system 2013. U.S. House

Posted on December 6, 2015 by

[ It is alarming that at a time we are about to rollercoaster down the other side of Hubbert’s peak, continued growth is expected. Chairman Duncan states: “With our Nation’s population expected to exceed 400 million by 2050, freight volume … Continue reading →

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Congressional hearings on Rail

Posted on June 24, 2015 by

June 10, 2008. S. HRG. 110–1165 Keeping America Moving: A review of national strategies for efficient freight movement. 74 pages. Hearing before the subcommittee on SURFACE TRANSPORTATION & MERCHANT MARINE INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, & SECURITY of the committee on COMMERCE, SCIENCE, … Continue reading →

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Expanding rail infrastructure to accommodate growth in agriculture and other sectors

Posted on June 5, 2015 by

Excerpts from 103 page: Keith, K. Jan 2013. Maintaining a track record of success. Expanding rail infrastructure to accommodate growth in agriculture and other sectors. TRC Consulting. [I’m working on a book about the distribution of food when declining oil … Continue reading →

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Oil shortages: Transportation needs to go back to high inventories, not just-in-time delivery

Posted on April 8, 2015 by

Huge amounts of fuel are wasted as trucks arrive half full with just the needed parts at factories and warehouses and return empty. As oil shocks strike, fuel will be less available.  Large inventories will help by cushioning businesses from … Continue reading →

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Why You Should Love Trains

Posted on November 13, 2014 by

Why You Should Love Trains by Alice Friedemann    November 13, 2014 Trains rock! Trains are over 4 times more fuel efficient than trucks. On average it takes just 1 gallon to move a ton 473 miles, using just 2% of … Continue reading →

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Trains Rock! Trucks suck: 4x less efficient. Shift freight from truck to rail

Posted on October 26, 2014 by

A proposed National System of Interstate and Defense RAILROADS, as an infrastructure project for the next fifty years by J. William Vigrass To the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, USDOT Bldg., L’Enfant Plaza, 400 7th St. N.W. … Continue reading →

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Almost half of Rail Freight is Energy, increasingly Crude Oil

Posted on October 8, 2014 by

Source: American Association of Railroads. 46% of all tonnage hauled by freight trains is Energy: In 2014, crude oil will likely be 650,000 carloads — 2% of all carloads, 2.2% of tonnage.  In addition 2.6% of rail tonnage was refined … Continue reading →

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Two-thirds of coal to power sector delivered by railroads

Posted on September 22, 2014 by

June 11, 2014  U.S. Energy Information Administration www.eia.gov Railroad deliveries continue to provide the majority of coal shipments to the power sector Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report Note: Sum of components may not equal … Continue reading →

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Eric Sibul on the history of replacing railroads with roads: a disaster

Posted on July 29, 2013 by

A review of: Sibul, Eric. 26 Apr 2013. Transportation Readings for American Conservatives – How did we get in such a Mess? The American Conservative. My main problem with this article is that it heaps all the blame on liberals, … Continue reading →

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How to improve railroad fuel efficiency

Posted on January 12, 2011 by

[ Below are excerpts from this 70 page report. It is hard to find documents on reducing oil consumption through energy efficiency, most papers concentrate on greenhouse gas emissions, which usually lowers energy efficiency, or how to grow roads, rail … Continue reading →

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