Was it the Automobile, Jet Engine, or Air Plane?
What now or in the future do you see hurting the railroads?
Look in your driveway.
Randy
The auto and truck have done far more damage to railroads than the airplane.The plane is basicly a passenger carrier,( there is air freight,but this is very expensive)but the truck and auto first made branch lines unprofitable,then made inroads into mainline railroading.
Automobiles (mostly trucks) have done the most damage.
The past: The interstate highway system
The future: I want it or what it does, but don’t put it in my backyard!
Cars, trucks are second in my list.
I don’t think it can be argued that any single invention hurt the railroads, because the theoretical efficiencies inherent in modern railroading (the ability to move bulk commodities at speed) are still in place, and as yet no other transport mode has been able to match that dynamic. Trucks can move product at speed, but are inhibited by only being able to move up to 50 tons at a time, and frankly are restricted to 70 mph or less on most highways. Barges can move bulk commodities at will, but are limited to 7 mph and are restricted to areas with sufficient water draft.
The problem with railroads is that they do not come close to realizing their potential due to federal regulations, mismanagement, regional monopolistic behaviors, et al. There is no logical reason why railroads cannot move 10,000 tons across the country at 80 mph or more, or better yet 125 trailers at 100 mph. Remember the average speeds of the Hiawathas, Zephyrs, M-100001s back in the 1930’s being around 75 mph with top speeds of 100+ mph? You’d think that with today’s technologies, TOFC consists would be able to match or beat those speed marks over much of the country. If so, the railroads would own 90% of cross country merchandise shipments, since they would be able to beat the long haul trucker’s times.
We don’t really need any new inventions to accompli***his, just the willingness of railroad management and government regulatory bodies to allow the operation and maintenance of certain rail corridors to achieve these speeds. Railroads seem to have chosen the slow bulk movement option back in the early 1900’s rather than furthering development of fast bulk movements. Look at the growth sectors in our economy, and you’ll see the greatest growth potential is in fast merchandise movements, not slow bulk movements. Indeed, slow bulk movements are either a stagnant economic sector or even a dying economic sector (coal shipments notwithstanding).
Rather than continuing the expensive development of mainli
automobile because it led to the semi truck
Crossings!
T R U C K S !!! [angel]
The Interstate Highway System
Built with Governmental monies, laid out with modern earth moving technologies in mind with regard to minimum distance between A & B (not minimum gradient and minimum earth moving as was derigur in the middle 1800’s when rail lines were laid out).
The Interstate system facilitates the effective movement of motor vehicles (passenger & freight) over long distances with minimum personal effort and no scheduling required. Trips that took 3 hard driving days before the Interstates are now done in 10 to 12 hours for both cars and trucks.
It’s not an invention, but I’d nominate dimwit town planning and zoning which spread people and businesses out all over everywhere, making highways almost mandatory and reducing the concentration of people and business…
…The internal combustion engine.
I have to think the interstate highway system, with trucks for freight and cars for short passenger service, then airplanes for long distance passenger service.
Yeah Asphalt has to be one of them, without it we’d be driving in mud…
LC
I think LeftLimp was the most harmful invention…
LC
OK, so how 'bout gasoline???
LC
Without the advent,or invention of the infernal combustion engine;we wouldn’t have trains as we know them today.
All the answers make sense,but my particluar thought is the vehicle,particularly the trucks,even 'tho the railroads carry their trailers on their flat cars.[:)]
Its a tie between two developemnts of the second half of the 20th century,
1st was the development of the Interstate Highway system, this allowed trucks to take intercity traffic and later long distance traffic away from the railroads.
2nd was the development of the passenger jet airliner in the late 50’s, prior to this trains were seen the Chic and safe way to travel, airliners were still seen as an expensive and potentially dangerous thrill seekers way to travel. Aircraft still flew low, thru all sorts of bad weather, and often crashed on landing, takeoff or in bad weather or to navigational error. After the introduction of the first really safe airliner, the 707, perceptions began to change. The 707 could fly higher faster and had an extremely good safety record. As more and more airliners came on the scene, travelers took to the airliner as the Chic way to travel and abandoned rail travel. Why sit on a train for 3 days from NY to Los Angeles when you could fly and be there in 7 hours. This same event doomed almost all ocean liner travel as well as the trains. 6 days or 10 hours NY to Southampton ?
In many respects the RR’s were just a victim of the evolution of transportation from one mode to another, just as the RRs doomed the Erie Canal and the Pony Express and steamships doomed the majestic clipper ships.
…Look at the original question…and I believe the internal combustion engine as we know it and as it was later applied to autos and trucks…has to be right up there for a threat that went against the railroads and started the downfall…Sure we needed them for the power in later railroad engines but that was not part of the question.