Are model trains "toys" or not?

Open your eyes, and look beyond the US. No need for a comeback, railways never went away.

I suspected that when I responded. I wonder at what price point it become cheaper for UPS to use the rails as opposed to planes.

No, they are still here. But we are way past the heydays of railroads.

Are we now?

That's a very US-centric view, and I suspect not even strictly true for the US.

As for the rest of the developed world, your opinion is wrong.

It depends on the demographics of the area. I recall when the Sears store in Halifax would unload boxcars as a single boxcar could carry the load of two tractor trailers. Unfortunately, it meant tying up a locomotive and switchman much of the day shuttling cars around whereas a truck could drop the trailer and the driver could come back several hours later after a nap, hook up, and leave within five minutes. The only businesses keeping the rail alive in Nova Scotia are the Autoport, container and gypsum piers in Halifax, and a container pier in Sydney. Even the Trenton Rail Works closed recently because there is either no viable market for rails.

Cheers, John

Rail has held on to bulk freight - coal, ore, etc and dangerous freigt - oil, chemicals etc. The next step is the freight carried by trucks, ISO containers, piggy-back trailers etc. I think airfreight has post and parcels long distance for a long time yet. It's bulk vs commodity value and product life. One would never fly coal, other than in a situation like the Berlin Crisis, nor would one rail a JIT consignment of computer chips, or strawberries. It's the block of commodities in between that will be forced to move from road to rail.

Mark Newton spake thus:

Giving him the benefit of the doubt here, I think by "we" he (Spender) meant the US, not the rest of the world.

Hopefully he doesn't have his head stuck so far in the sand that he doesn't realize that the rest of the world is light years ahead of "us" (the US) in the realm of rail transport ...

Here in NZ we move goods wagons by tractor or forklift on private sidings. Of course they were/are smaller than US cars, but it's a simple and economic process. (end-beam center buffer coupling)

Yeah, US railways seem to have gone as low as they can, but the rest of the world has generally had more sense.

Regards, Greg.P.

As a point of interest Nova Scotia is in Canada, not the United States. {;^)

In US and Canada, railroads have already made a big comeback, both passenger and freight. If you compare today vs. the low point of North American railroading (IOW, the 1970's), a lot more goods and people travel by rail. Freight RR's are actually attractive to Wall St. again (who da thunk that?). Deregulation, containerization, modern labor agreements, and public funding of passenger trains (not just Amtrak) has helped bring the RR's back from the brink of total federalization. If you have the time, pick up a book called, "Railroads Triumphant". It's about what almost did in North American railroading and what has brought them back (even if it's a little out of date by now).

Paul A. Cutler III

Well, UPS already uses a lot of TOFC. They are one of the USA's biggest rail shippers. I assume you mean for things like next day service? The answer in that case will be never.

Paul A. Cutler III

While I agree with all the rest, strawberries are a good USA rail commodity as they can be shipped by the car load to East coast markets by reefer. IIRC, UP and CSX have something going with West coast perishables, don't they? Something about run-through, high priority freights was in a Trains magazine a couple years ago. And strawberries, lettuce, etc. are the targets, IIRC. I can't see it being too much different from the Tropicana Orange Juice trains on CSX from Florida.

Paul A. Cutler III

Sorry, but no. The 1970's was the absolute nadir of American railroading. There was talk of Federalizing all RR's, for pete's sake. These days, the Class I's are doing very well. Modern US freight railroading is just as advanced over the rest of the world's freight trains as US passenger railroading is behind the rest of the world's passenger trains, IMHO.

Paul A. Cutler III

Only for passengers, not in freight. A typical non-North American freight train is quite small compared to what's a daily occurance here in the USA.

Paul A. Cutler III

Well, we like our strawberrys fresh ;-)

but the day will come where long distance next day service might cease to exist.

I realise that, but there doesn't seem to be much distinction these days ;-) (railway-wise)

Oh dear - that sounds bad! ;-)

We had national railways from the 1870s through to the 1980s - it all went downhill when they were sold off to private (WC) ownership. Our government was recently forced to buy the trackbed back for $1- to stop the degradation.

Nahh, you're 3rd world Freight as well. (like NZ)

Greg.P.