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Freight Rail Traffic Plunges: Haunting Pictures of Transportation Recession
Wolf Street ^
| Wolf Richter
| 4 May 2016
Posted on 05/06/2016 12:39:42 PM PDT by Sgt_Schultze
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To: Pontiac
21
posted on
05/06/2016 1:34:06 PM PDT
by
SaveFerris
(Be a blessing to a stranger today for some have entertained angels unaware)
To: Sgt_Schultze
We have been in a recession for 8 years+ at this point. The wheels of the cover up will fall off long before November.....
To: Sgt_Schultze
23
posted on
05/06/2016 1:44:01 PM PDT
by
Excellence
(Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
To: Sgt_Schultze
24
posted on
05/06/2016 1:44:25 PM PDT
by
headstamp 2
(Fear is the mind killer.)
To: DannyTN; Sgt_Schultze; dynoman
DannyTN:
"Are we seeing the same drop in all freight?" Truckers not so much.
About 70% of all US freight moves on trucks, and the trucking index set at 100 in the year 2000 hit an all-time high of 144 in February.
In March the index fell back 4.5% to 137.5.
For perspective: the US has 140,000 miles of railroad, and the industry employs around 220,000.
By contrast the US has around 4 million miles of highways and the trucking industry employs nearly 9 million or whom about 3 million are drivers.
You can be certain that in the offices of shippers everywhere there are spreadsheets calculating costs of shipping by rail versus other modes, and as prices fluctuate, shippers take advantage of opportunities to reduce their own costs.
At some point in each freight category they find a break-even mileage, where fewer miles and you're better off shipping by truck, more miles and full loads go by train.
Bottom line: despite being under 4% of all transportation miles, railroads move nearly 40% of freight ton-miles (but just 16% by tons), and that number is super-sensitive to economic fluctuations.
Major US rail lines today:
25
posted on
05/06/2016 1:46:14 PM PDT
by
BroJoeK
(a little historical perspective...)
To: Sgt_Schultze
Transportation is a leading indicator for the economy. Stores stop buying wholesale products so manufacturing declines, so less is shipped via rails or trucks to produce the material needed to make whatever.
As mentioned transportation is a leading indicator, the canary in the coal mine.
26
posted on
05/06/2016 1:53:56 PM PDT
by
stockpirate
(Rush is a low information talk show host concerning Ted sCruz and Marco foamboy Rubio.)
To: dynoman
2 coal plants in our couny plus a number of mines. This area on SW PA really taking it in the neck.
27
posted on
05/06/2016 1:58:20 PM PDT
by
Eagles6
( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
To: BroJoeK
Chicago and Kansas City are still the hubs. Those massive yards are something to behold.
I spent a lot of years in Omaha, home of the Union Pacific. Now THERE is a corporation with a colorful legacy!
28
posted on
05/06/2016 2:00:31 PM PDT
by
IronJack
To: Sgt_Schultze
These locomotive deadlines do seem to be a bit different from years past. For one thing, this is mostly big, high horsepower stuff... the days of end-cab switchers and old rebuilt 1,000 to 1,750 road switchers is long gone; the power shown in the accompanying photos was meant to move heavy and/or fast unit trains. The other thing that is a bit unusual (or so I have been told) is that these units aren't generally in bad shape, most being stored/laid-up in good order. There were a lot of seriously clapped-out units that got cut up in the 1980s and 1990s because they could not be "rebuilt" (often for the second time) in a profitable manner; these, however are generally okay though they aren't spring chickens.
One of the things that has happened over the last year or so in this area is the return of single locomotives on the head end of local trains. For decades, there would always be at least two engines MU'd back to back for two reasons: the power could travel in either direction without needing a wye or turntable, and because if one engine went down, the remaing one could finish the turn. One more sign that the transportation industry - particularly rail - is feeling the pinch.
Mr. niteowl77
To: Sgt_Schultze
I wish you guys would stop killin my buzz, Obama told me the economy was great.
30
posted on
05/06/2016 2:10:42 PM PDT
by
VTenigma
(The Democratic party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
To: BroJoeK
Interesting - looks like CSX is doing a lot better than NS in the east, with UP stronger to the northwest, and BNSF stronger to the southwest. CN isn’t looking too good to the Gulf.
31
posted on
05/06/2016 2:34:42 PM PDT
by
PAR35
To: Chgogal
whoa... Someone had told me about it recently but that foto on my 3 monitor desktop is downright sobering.
To: niteowl77
Maybe time for a resumption a passenger service?
33
posted on
05/06/2016 3:01:17 PM PDT
by
Jimmy Valentine
(DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
To: VTenigma
Cheer up! Unemployment is still at 5%.
To: Sgt_Schultze
35
posted on
05/06/2016 5:03:48 PM PDT
by
Chgogal
(Obama "hung the SEALs out to dry, basically exposed them like a set of dog balls..." CMH)
To: Sgt_Schultze
♫ Benson, Arizona, blew warm wind through your hair
My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there
Benson, Arizona, the same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder when we watched them, you and I ♫
36
posted on
05/06/2016 7:30:29 PM PDT
by
NonValueAdded
("He's a winner in the process of winning. People like that." Scott Adams)
To: Pontiac; SaveFerris
You’re right, if that pic is where I think it is.
There is a section of UP track along I-10 in southern Arizona that was bypassed by new rail. It is essentially a very long siding, now. And it is chock full of engines that are not in use.
37
posted on
05/07/2016 9:27:52 PM PDT
by
HiJinx
("Man rides the ocean of history and does what he can to weather its storms.")
To: expat_panama
Again, if that’s the string I think it is, it is about 5 miles long.
38
posted on
05/07/2016 9:30:44 PM PDT
by
HiJinx
("Man rides the ocean of history and does what he can to weather its storms.")
To: Sgt_Schultze
39
posted on
05/07/2016 9:36:49 PM PDT
by
Robwin
To: HiJinx
It is, between Benson and Vail. Saw it myself a few weeks ago.
40
posted on
05/08/2016 8:37:58 AM PDT
by
CedarDave
(Moderate Muslims are the tall grass in which Jihadi Terrorists hide undisturbed)
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