4 ms·
Not sure how the context of what I said changes this? Yes, trains already exist and have existed much longer, and yet have obviously lost out to the truck.
by dsnuh 8y ago
Not sure how the context of what I said changes this? Yes, trains already exist and have existed much longer, and yet have obviously lost out to the truck.
- Rescis 8y ago> Yes, trains already exist and have existed much longer, and yet have obviously lost out to the truck. That may be in large part due to the substantial government subsidation of car/truck traffic through public roads, not the merits of one against the other.
- dsnuh 8y agoWhich was worth more, the government funding of the interstate project, or the almost unchecked power and monopoly of the robber barons of the Gilded Age?
- Rescis 8y agoIt would be foolish for me to attempt to quantify what worth "more"; however, it is worth keeping in mind that the railroads we're very heavily subsidized in their time as well. http://archive.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2011/06/05/collapse_of_inept_gilded_age_railroads_triggered_depression/ http://archive.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2011/06/05/colla... https://mises.org/library/crony-capitalism-and-transcontinental-railroads https://mises.org/library/crony-capitalism-and-transcontinen...
- nradov 8y agoTrains have in no way "lost out" to trucks. Rail transport is a huge and growing industry. But long haul trucks are sometimes preferred because they're faster. Our cargo transportation system needs both.
- dsnuh 8y agoTrucks aren't just "sometimes preferred", they move far more tonnage than trains. https://www.bts.gov/content/weight-shipments-transportation-mode-0 https://www.bts.gov/content/weight-shipments-transportation-...
- philwelch 8y agoTrains didn't "lose out" to the truck, they're both widely used, along with ships, pipelines, airplanes, bicycle messengers, and every other conceivable means of transporting goods.