The topic was rail freight down for the reported week. The article itself gives no reasons for the drop in most categories. The AAR reports that the info is taken from also gives no definite reasons. They do talk about economic conditions but no real reason why some categories were up while most were down.
While most would agree that tariffs could be starting to affect some of the listed categories, it should be noted finished vehicles and parts had a 7% gain for the week. (One of only three categories to be up for the week.) That category is one expected to be hit hard, even if in a relatively short term due to assembly being moved to the US could be affected by imported parts.
I don’t follow the weekly numbers put out by the AAR. I read Railway Age where they only give updates by month. Those reports also have some categories broken down more than the linked article. The RA reports are about two months behind, due to publishing needs I would guess. The last monthly numbers in the latest issue had most categories up. The year to date numbers were mostly in line with the linked article.
Reporting of tariff effects have reflected the bias of those outlets doing the reporting. They run the gamut from no effect to the sky has fallen. I suspect the actual truth is somewhere in-between. Perhaps Firecrown could have a sticky topic that gives the weekly numbers every week, or at least every month, as they are released by the AAR.
Jeff
PS. On the newswire, there is the report for week 39. Numbers are up (total carloadings up by 1%) after 3 weeks of decline.
So you are a junior moderator? The point of these forums is the exchange of ideas not see who can enforce rules. I also wonder what your former handle was.
This forum is dedicated to railroading — model trains, real-world operations, history, and the broader railfan community. To maintain focus and quality conversation:
Political-only threads or comments are not allowed.
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I heard Subaru was moving the new Outback to Japan so the Indiana plant would make all electric vehicles there. They have two new EVs coming, one called Uncharted. Also they increased prices on all their vehicles by up to 2k regardless of where they’re made.
I heard all forester production to Indiana to avoid tariffs since it’s one of their biggest sellers in the us). All outback production is going to Japan where other outbacks are currently made (they already made it so only Japan-built outbacks go to Canada).
Legacy production in Indiana is done, too (the model was discontinued). Subarus last ev was a flop, so maybe they’ll have better luck next year.
Although between the redesign of the Outback (making it more forester-like), and the fact it is now it’s going to have a j-vin, I think it may be a little more popular next year, tariffs be damned. We’ll see.
I’m interested to see what the new Outback is like. Supposedly they’ve addressed the monitor annoyances. And the hybrid Forester shows a combined 35mpg.
Lot of hate about it online, but that’s always the case with new model years. Toyota is selling Tacomas like crazy despite peoples’ beliefs that nobody would want the turbo.
AI: Thrasonical is an adjective meaning boastful, bragging, or vainglorious. The word derives from the Latin name Thrasō, the character of a boastful soldier in Terence’s Roman comedy Eunuchus, itself derived from the Greek word thrasos meaning bold.
So he’s perhaps an unemployed Classics major? I haven’t entered the world of Terence since HS senior Latin IV.