Fortune Magazine has a short article on railroad stocks in its current issue. They especially praise NS.
Among some of the quotes:
“In 2000, Norfolk Southern shipped 208 carloads per employee. Today the figure is 270.”
"For the long-haul routes, rising gas prices are widening the railroads’ edge on costs. Norfolk Southern ships one ton of cargo 410 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel-a pair of locomotives pull more than 200 giant containers in a convoy 17 football fields long-compared with about 120 miles for rival truckers.
“…in 1996, Norfolk managed not only to divvy up Conrail with rival CSX (Charts) but to walk away with lines that run alongside rich Pennsylvania coal mines.”
“Norfolk Southern’s comeback, deftly recounted in a new book by Rush Loving Jr., “The Men Who Loved Trains,” began in the mid- to late 1990s. Until then, Norfolk was a hidebound Southern player that traced its corporate culture to the still-revered Confederate generals who served as its first leaders.”
I believe non-subscribers should be able to access it.