[Chief Engineer]

I am a Choo Choo train lover with a Trucker son, so here goes...

To get 40 tons of freight from Coast to Coast in 4.5 days requires a pair of "team" drivers so that the truck can keep moving considering the allowable time a truck driver is allowed to drive each day. Shippers pay a premium for this.

On the other hand United Parcel Service ships their packages across the country via rail using what is called intermodal, i.e., highway trailers on flat cars or shipping containers. This is done for UPS, every day,using full trains of nothing but UPS trailer or containers, 6000 to 8000 Tons, in 6 to 7 days. It can be done by rail faster, but UPS does not want to pay the premium.

Both the barge and train numbers are off, the train figure is much too high and the barge figure is way too low.

[Chief Engineer]

Oh yes, the railroads are making money, after paying to construct their right of way, paying to maintain and improve. their right of way and paying the taxes on their right of way!

[fallujah-nuker]

Both the barge and train numbers are off, the train figure is much too high and the barge figure is way too low.

I wondered about the barge going from Portland, Maine to San Diego in 12.5 days! That trip would have to go by way of the Panama Canal, and barges are rather slow. I think it would be closer to a month.